Get Your Business
Cyber Certified — Free
A validated Cyber Essentials Certificate issued by CyberSmart, an IASME-accredited UK certification body — paid for entirely by Continuum Security.
R10,500 Certification value — yours at zero cost Secure My Free Audit →First 10 businesses only • Offer closes 31 March 2026
Limited to 10 Successful Certifications | Valued at R10,500 | Sign-ups Close 31 March 2026
What Is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is the UK Government’s baseline cyber security standard, developed by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). It is designed to protect businesses against the most common internet-based threats — the digital equivalent of locking your front door.
The certification is recognised internationally as proof that a business has the fundamental cyber security controls in place. For South African businesses handling personal data under POPIA, working with international clients, or applying for cyber insurance, it provides documented, verifiable evidence of your security posture.
CyberSmart is an IASME-accredited certification body in the UK that delivers the audit and issues the certificate. As part of this campaign, Continuum Security covers the full certification cost and guides you through the process.
The 5 Technical Controls Your Business Must Meet
To obtain a validated Cyber Essentials Certificate, your business needs to demonstrate compliance across these five control areas:
Firewalls
Create a security filter between the internet and your internal network. Boundary firewalls and internet gateways must be properly configured to control inbound and outbound traffic, blocking unauthorised access to your systems and data.
Secure Configuration
Every computer, server, and device must be set up to minimise vulnerabilities. This means removing unnecessary software, changing all default passwords, disabling unused services, and ensuring only required functionality is active across your environment.
User Access Control
Control who can access your data and systems, and at what privilege level. Enforce the principle of least privilege, implement multi-factor authentication (MFA), manage user accounts properly, and restrict administrative access to authorised personnel only.
Malware Protection
Deploy anti-malware solutions across all endpoints to identify and neutralise viruses, ransomware, and other malicious software before they cause harm. Ensure real-time scanning is active and malware definitions are updated automatically.
Security Update Management (Patch Management)
Keep all software up to date to prevent criminals from exploiting known vulnerabilities. Critical security patches must be applied within 14 days of release. Operating systems, applications, and firmware must all be covered, and any unsupported (end-of-life) software must be removed from your environment.
POPIA Alignment
South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) requires businesses to implement “appropriate, reasonable technical and organisational measures” to safeguard personal data. The five Cyber Essentials controls map directly to these requirements, giving your business documented evidence of compliance that satisfies regulators, auditors, and clients.
How the Audit Works
From sign-up to certificate in four straightforward steps — with Continuum guiding you at every stage.
Sign Up
Complete the short registration form before 31 March 2026 to secure your place in the queue.
Self-Assessment
Answer the Cyber Essentials questionnaire via CyberSmart’s platform. Continuum helps you understand each question and how it applies to your setup.
Board Sign-Off
A director or senior leader signs off that the assessment answers are accurate and complete — confirming your business commitment to cyber security.
Certification
An independent assessor reviews your submission. Pass, and you receive a validated Cyber Essentials Certificate — valid for 12 months.
Certified Businesses Are Every Insurer’s Dream Client
Cyber insurers are tightening requirements. Businesses without documented controls face higher premiums, broader exclusions, and outright denials. Here’s how Cyber Essentials changes the equation:
Easier Underwriting
Your certificate is documented proof of baseline controls. Insurer questionnaires become simpler and faster because you already have verified answers for the controls they care about most — MFA, patching, endpoint protection, and access management.
Lower Premiums
Insurers increasingly recognise Cyber Essentials as a material risk reduction. Certified businesses present a lower risk profile, which can translate directly into more favourable premiums compared to uncertified peers in the same industry.
Broader Coverage Eligibility
Many cyber insurers now require evidence of basic controls before they will even offer a quote. Certification proves your firewalls, access controls, patching, and malware protection meet an internationally recognised baseline — opening doors that would otherwise be closed.
Fewer Policy Exclusions
Uncertified businesses often face wider exclusion clauses — meaning the policy won’t pay out for common scenarios. Demonstrating certified controls can help reduce the scope and number of exclusions in your cyber policy.
Stronger Claims Position
If an incident occurs, having a certified baseline proves you took “reasonable measures” to protect data. This is critical for POPIA compliance and significantly strengthens your position when making an insurance claim — reducing the risk of disputes.
Supply Chain Confidence
Enterprise clients and partners increasingly require suppliers to demonstrate cyber hygiene. Certification satisfies these third-party requirements, protects your existing relationships, and opens new business opportunities with security-conscious organisations.
The Bottom Line for SA Businesses
South African cyber insurers are following global trends — requiring documented evidence of controls before issuing or renewing policies. A Cyber Essentials Certificate puts you ahead of the curve, making your business demonstrably more insurable while also satisfying POPIA’s “reasonable measures” requirement. It is the most efficient way to bridge the gap between IT security and insurance compliance.
How This Free Certification Offer Works
Straightforward rules, no hidden conditions.
Offer Mechanics
- ✓10 free certifications available. The offer is limited to the first 10 businesses that successfully complete the Cyber Essentials audit and obtain their certificate.
- ✓Rolling allocation. If any business within the queue fails the audit, their certification slot automatically rolls to the next business in line. This continues until all 10 certificates have been awarded to successful businesses.
- ✓Queue order by sign-up date. Your position is determined by when you submit the registration form — first in, first served.
- ✓Full support from Continuum. We guide you through the entire audit process at no cost — helping you understand the questions, map them to your environment, and prepare your submission.
- ✓Certification valued at R10,500. The full cost of the CyberSmart Cyber Essentials certification is covered by Continuum Security.
- !Hard deadline: 31 March 2026. No new sign-ups will be accepted after this date. Businesses already in the queue will continue through the process until all 10 slots are filled.
Didn’t pass the audit? No problem.
Continuum offers affordable remediation services to close the gaps. Once resolved, you can re-attempt certification — and we’ll continue supporting you through the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to what we hear most.
What happens if I fail the audit?
How long does the process take from sign-up to certificate?
Is my data shared with anyone?
What happens after the 12-month certificate expires?
Is this only for businesses of a certain size?
Ready to Get Certified?
Complete the short form below to secure your slot. A member of the Continuum team will be in touch to kick off your free audit.
Register for Your Free Audit
5 fields — takes less than 60 seconds
10 slots • R10,500 value • Closes 31 March 2026