Pebble IT Achieves Cyber Essentials Plus Certification: Strengthening security for our customers

We may have been a little quite on the blog front, but for good reason - we are proud to announce we are Cyber Essentials Plus accrediated. At Pebble IT, protecting our customers, our colleagues and the data we are trusted with has always been central to everything we do. Today, we’re proud to announce that we have officially achieved Cyber Essentials Plus—the highest level of certification in the UK government‑backed Cyber Essentials scheme.

This is a significant milestone for us as a Managed Service Provider (MSP). It demonstrates that not only do we implement strong cyber security controls internally, but those controls have also been independently tested and verified by an external assessor.

What Is Cyber Essentials?

Cyber Essentials is a UK government‑backed cyber security certification designed to help organisations protect themselves from the most common online threats. It is recommended by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) as a minimum cyber security baseline for all organisations.

The scheme is built around five technical security controls proven to prevent the majority of commodity cyber‑attacks:

• Firewalls and internet gateways

• Secure configuration

• User access control

• Malware protection

• Patch management

  
  
  
  

These are the vulnerabilities cybercriminals most commonly exploit—often the digital equivalent of “trying the front door to see if it’s unlocked.”

As an MSP handling sensitive customer systems, implementing and maintaining these controls is essential.

What Makes Cyber Essentials Plus Different?

Cyber Essentials (the basic certification) is a self‑assessment. Cyber Essentials Plus goes further—much further.

CE+ involves hands‑on independent technical testing by an external auditor, including:

• Vulnerability scanning

• Device configuration checks

• Testing of security controls in real-world scenarios

• Proof that policies are actually being enforced
  

Cyber Essentials Plus proves we’re not just saying we follow best practice… we’re actually doing it, every day.

The NCSC and IASME have been tightening CE+ requirements, making it more rigorous and more meaningful—especially with the major updates coming into effect throughout 2026.

Why Pebble IT Pursued Cyber Essentials Plus

As a trusted Managed Service Provider, we believe we should meet, and exceed the same high standards we help our customers achieve.

External Verification of Our Security

We wanted independent confirmation that our systems, processes and controls are truly secure—not just on paper, but in practice. Our CE+ audit involved a full technical assessment, validating our real‑world compliance against NCSC’s standards. Protecting Customer & Staff Data

With cybercrime increasing year on year, and attackers rapidly exploiting cloud and remote‑working weaknesses, strong controls are essential.

At Pebble IT, data protection isn’t optional—it’s fundamental.

Supply Chain Confidence

More organisations now require suppliers and MSPs to hold Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus before they can work with them. We want our partners and clients to know immediately. Pebble IT meets the highest cyber security standards.

Leading by Example

We guide customers through Cyber Essentials readiness and submission. Achieving CE+ ourselves demonstrates that:

• We understand the process

• We follow it internally

• We can confidently lead our clients through certification

  
  

Growing Demand for Cyber Essentials

Over the past six months, we’ve seen a surge in customers seeking Cyber Essentials certification—for insurance, supply chain requirements, and good security practice. This aligns with the national trend: CE is increasingly required in government and public sector supply chains, and CE+ is becoming the preferred assurance level.

With the April 2026 changes tightening requirements, more organisations are proactively preparing.

At Pebble IT, we’re already helping clients modernise their security, implement the five core controls, and pass audits successfully.

What This Means for Our Customers

Our Cyber Essentials Plus certification gives customers confidence that:

• We operate to a government‑approved cyber security standard

• Our security is validated by an independent assessor

• We prioritise secure configuration, patching, access control, and endpoint protection

• We take cyber security seriously across every layer of our business

• We can help customers achieve their own CE or CE+ certification effectively
  

In a world where cyber‑threats evolve rapidly, Cyber Essentials Plus is not just a badge—it’s proof of our ongoing commitment to keeping systems safe.

Summary

Pebble IT achieving Cyber Essentials Plus demonstrates:

• Our commitment to best‑practice security

• Our ability to protect customer and internal data

• Our expertise as an MSP leading others through the certification process

• Our readiness for the tighter Cyber Essentials requirements on the horizon

We’re proud of this achievement—and even more proud to be helping businesses strengthen their own cyber defences.

How can we help you?

Pebble IT has extensive experience in working with businesses to ensure they have the correct Managed IT support and cyber security tools.

If you would like a friendly chat on how we can help you with your IT requirements or want to find out more, please reach out at hello@PebbleIT.co.uk or contact us on the website.