Cyber Essentials Readiness Kit (2026 v3.3)

Format: Excel workbooks (blank template and filled-in example), Word and PDF guide, Word and PDF checklist.

Get ready for Cyber Essentials the practical way. This kit is built around the April 2026 (v3.3) requirements. Two issues now cause automatic failure: missing multi-factor authentication on a cloud service used to store or handle your organisation's data, where it offers multi-factor authentication; and high-risk or critical security updates not installed on relevant devices and software within 14 days of release. Multi-factor authentication means using two different types of proof when signing in.

What you get

• Excel workbook with built-in checks (blank template and a filled-in example): Scope (what is covered), Devices, Cloud Services (online services), Accounts, Network and Firewall (network connection controls), Patch Log (software-update record), Controls Checklist (security measures), Evidence Log (proof record), Fix-First List and a Readiness Score page
• Red AUTO-FAIL RISK flags that appear as you enter your devices, cloud services and updates. Blank, partly filled or invalid rows show INCOMPLETE or INVALID and block any verdict or percentage until fixed
• 30-line checklist based on the scheme's five groups of required security measures
• Readiness Guide (Word and PDF): what changed in 2026, the five groups of required security measures in plain English, mistakes about which accounts and devices the assessment covers, evidence to keep, common reasons for failing, applying and renewing
• Pre-Submission Checklist (Word and PDF)

Who it is for

UK businesses with 1 to 50 people preparing to apply for Cyber Essentials, or renewing: trades, shops, clinics, practices, charities, freelancers and small agencies.

How it works

List what you have, answer the drop-down questions, and the workbook points to what to fix first. Work through the four-week plan, log your evidence, and apply when the workbook shows no automatic-fail flags and no incomplete entries. It is a preparation check, not permission to assume you will pass.

Please note

• This is a preparation tool. It is not the assessment, it does not use the official question set and it cannot guarantee a pass.
• Not produced, endorsed or approved by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) or IASME, the organisation delivering Cyber Essentials. Cyber Essentials is the name of the NCSC scheme.
• Based on NCSC Requirements for IT Infrastructure v3.3 (April 2026). Requirements change each year, so check the current version before you apply.
• Certification fees are paid separately to a certification body, an organisation authorised to assess you and award the certificate (IASME lists prices from GBP 320 plus value-added tax (VAT) for micro-organisations, checked October 2026).
• General guidance, not legal or professional advice.
• Spreadsheet formulas were recalculated and checked in LibreOffice, a set of office programs. Not tested in Excel itself. Word files open in Word and LibreOffice.

Files: 2 Excel workbooks, 2 Word documents, 2 PDFs. Instant download.

Published by William Baptist | Tidy Desk Digital.