UK government offers discounts to help small businesses secure cyber systems

The UK Government launched a new support package to help small and medium-sized businesses protect their digital systems against cyber attacks.

Cyber Security Minister Baroness Lloyd announced the measures during the National Cyber Security Centre Annual Review. The initiative aims to reduce the financial impact of cyber incidents, which can cost UK organisations an average of £195,000. The government will provide a 75% discount on the Cyber Essentials certification for micro, small, and medium-sized businesses.

This discount allows these companies to pay between £80 and £125, plus VAT, to secure their systems against common online threats. The government expects roughly 6,000 new businesses to use this funding, which operates on a first-come, first-served basis until March 2027. Additionally, the government is collaborating with over 230 companies that signed the Cyber Resilience Pledge. These pledged organisations can refer small and medium-sized suppliers in their supply chains to receive the certification for free.

This support includes access to a cyber security advisor for businesses that lack internal expertise. The government also added 14 new organisations to the Software Security Ambassadors group. These companies, including Thales and Capgemini, will work with the government to promote the Software Security Code of Practice. This effort seeks to encourage developers to build more secure software and protect the digital infrastructure used by millions of people.