How can we help?

The free health check is 10 quick questions and a score out of 100. It shows roughly where you stand.

The readiness report is the full assessment: around 50 questions across the five Cyber Essentials controls and UK GDPR, a Brightlock Cyber Score out of 1,000, a verdict on whether you're ready to apply, and step-by-step fixes for the devices and apps you actually use.

About 20 minutes for most small businesses. Your answers save as you go, so you can stop and come back later on the same device.

Whoever knows most about how your business uses computers, phones and online accounts. That's often the owner or office manager. If you have an IT provider, you can answer "Not sure" to anything technical and send them the summary from your report.

No. The free tools and the assessment work without one. An account is useful once you buy, because it lets you unlock what you've paid for on any device. You can create a free account at any time, and one is created for you at checkout.

Each question is weighted by how much it matters. Checks that would fail Cyber Essentials outright count most, then high-risk gaps, then good practice. Any automatic fail caps your score, however well you do elsewhere. The full method is under "How your score works" at the end of your report.

It means that answer alone would stop you passing Cyber Essentials, for example missing two-step verification on a cloud service or a device that no longer gets security updates. Fix these first. Your action plan puts them at the top.

Open your report and choose Edit answers. Change the answer, finish the assessment again, and your score, action plan and tender answers update straight away. Ticking items off your action plan shows your expected score, but only your answers change the real one.

Focus mode walks you through your action plan one fix at a time, with exactly what to do, how long it takes and who can do it. Open it from Start focus mode under your action plan. It always starts at the first fix you haven't done.

Choose Download PDF at the top of your report, then pick "Save as PDF" in the print window. The PDF includes a cover page, contents and page numbers, ready to send to a client, insurer or IT provider.

Between 18 and 21 documents written for your business from your answers: information security, access and device policies, privacy notices, a record of processing, a retention schedule, incident, breach and backup plans, an asset register and more. Larger organisations and those handling health data also get a data protection impact assessment template.

Open the pack in your report and fill in the details form once. Every document updates automatically. Anything still missing is highlighted, and the pack shows how many details are complete.

Yes. Download any document, or the whole pack, as a Word file and change whatever you need. They're templates, so check each one matches how your business really works before you adopt it.

It gives you ready-written answers to the security and data protection questions most tenders and supplier forms ask, built from your report. Only use statements that are true for your business, and fill in anything in square brackets.

In your compliance pack, open Staff sign-off and copy the link for staff, or email it to them. Each person reads the staff security rules, enters their name and confirms. They then send you a link, and opening it records their sign-off in your pack and on the sign-off sheet. You can also add paper signatures by hand.

Yes. The tender pack includes answers to the questions cyber insurance proposal forms usually ask, such as two-step verification, backups and patching. Anything your assessment didn't cover is marked Check first or Fill in. Only give answers you know are true: a wrong answer can mean a claim isn't paid.

Score 850 or more with no answers that would fail Cyber Essentials outright. The certificate appears in your report, ready to print or save as a PDF.

Three months, because threats and your systems change. Take your next quarterly check to renew it.

Under your action plan, choose Copy share link. It creates a read-only summary with your score, verdict and the status of each control. It doesn't include your answers or anything you've written. Share a new link after each quarterly check.

No. It shows you've completed a Brightlock readiness assessment to a high standard. Cyber Essentials certificates are issued only by IASME-licensed certification bodies, and you'll need one if a contract asks for Cyber Essentials.

A fresh check every quarter with new questions and a spotlight topic, your readiness certificate renewed each quarter, your score history on a progress chart, and calendar reminders so you don't miss a check.

£19 a month, or £190 a year, which works out at two months free. You can cancel at any time and keep access until the end of the period you've paid for.

Email us from the address on your account and we'll cancel it. You won't be charged again.

Go to My account and sign in with the email you used at checkout. Your purchases unlock in that browser.

Your answers are saved in the browser where you made your report. To move them, open your report there, choose Save or move, and use the private link or backup file on your new device.

Yes. On My account, turn on multi-business mode. Each business gets its own assessment, report and compliance pack, and you can see every score, automatic fail and check date in one list. Switch between them from the bar at the top of the report. Everything is saved in your browser, so download a backup regularly.

On My account, enter your email under Sign in and choose "Forgotten your password?". We'll email you a link to set a new one.

Your answers, report and pack details stay in your own browser, and we don't receive them unless you send them to us. Your account and purchases are held securely by Wix, our account and checkout provider. Our privacy policy has the details.

Choose an IASME-licensed certification body, buy the self-assessment, and answer the official question set online. A director or owner signs to confirm the answers are true. Your report's "Getting certified" section walks you through it, with the likely fee for your size.

The IASME self-assessment fee starts at £320 plus VAT for organisations with up to 9 people, rising with size. Our cost calculator estimates the full cost, including any devices you need to replace.

Yes. The NCSC, IASME and the police offer free help, including a 30-minute session with a Cyber Advisor, the NCSC Cyber Action Toolkit and Early Warning alerts. Our free help page shows which suit you.

Yes. Our automatic check reads your settings when an administrator signs in, and confirms whether two-step verification is on for everyone. It's read-only, runs in your browser, and the results appear in your report.

Use our certification check: we review your answers before you submit, so you don't pay the fee twice.