Why is everyone suddenly talking about Cyber Essentials in 2026? Cyber Essentials is a well-known security framework that has existed for over a decade and has been adopted by organisations across multiple industries. So why has it now moved from an optional accreditation to the expected cybersecurity baseline?
It comes down to these three main drivers:
1. Government Urgency:
Cyber Essentials has always been government backed, but now the government are actively urging organisations to get CE-certified. In late 2025, the UK government issued ministerial letters to both large and small businesses, warning that cyber threats are increasing and calling on businesses to take immediate action to improve their cyber resilience – including adopting Cyber Essentials to protect against common cyber attacks.
2. Supply Chain Requirement:
With such large numbers of organisations getting certified annually – 53,699 CE certificates were issued between Oct 2024 and Sept 2025 – there is now little reason for suppliers, especially those offering critical products/services, to not be certified. So, organisations are demanding that their suppliers be CE certified before contracts are signed. In some industries, CE is already mandatory for commercial contracts, so it is only a matter of time before this becomes a widespread requirement.
It’s not just supply chains driving this expectation either. Cyber insurers are also starting to ask organisations whether they hold Cyber Essentials certification during underwriting or renewal, using it as an indicator that baseline security controls are in place.
3. Risk Reduction:
Cyber attacks continue to rise, and cybersecurity has become a board-level concern. Organisations now need to embed security into everyday practices. Too often, however, teams treat security as a “quick fix” like putting a plaster on a bullet wound. That approach fails if organisations ignore the underlying weaknesses. Instead, organisations need strong foundational controls that actively reduce cyber risk, and Cyber Essentials provides exactly that. When organisations implement its five technical control areas correctly, they can mitigate around 80% of the most common cyber threats.
New framework changes will also come into effect this April, including mandatory MFA for cloud services, regular patching processes, and stronger identity and access controls. Because of these updates, even certified organisations are already preparing to ensure a smooth renewal.
2026 marks a clear turning point for security. As an MSP that supports many organisations in this space, we see first-hand that every organisation, from start-ups to established enterprises, should treat Cyber Essentials as the starting point of their security journey. From this baseline, organisations can build stronger controls and progress towards more advanced frameworks and certifications.
If you’re starting your security journey or struggling to achieve Cyber Essentials certification, Syscomm can help. We work closely with organisations, guiding them from initial gap analysis and action planning through to remediation and final assessment submission.
Written by Saira Hussain
Join our free webinar on Tuesday 24th March, with our Lead GRC Consultant Saira Hussain to explore Cyber Essentials in more depth.
