How we keep ReadyCert accurate
Cyber Essentials changes every year, and preparation guidance that has quietly gone out of date is worse than none. This page shows which official documents ReadyCert follows, when we last checked each fact against its source, and what we have changed.
What we follow
ReadyCert is preparation software, not a certification body, and it is not affiliated with IASME or the NCSC. Its rules come from two official documents: the NCSC’s Requirements for IT Infrastructure and IASME’s self-assessment question set. Every question in the readiness check maps to an official question number, and the scoring rules are stored as data rather than written into code, so when the scheme changes the check changes with it. Where a question needs a human judgement — an internet-facing server, an unusual network — the check says so instead of guessing.
How we check
Every fact we rely on is written down with its official source and a way to check it. Each month we re-check them: the NCSC PDF is compared with our copy byte for byte, we look for the next version being published, and we re-read IASME’s question-set page and fee table and the vendors’ end-of-support dates. Anything that has moved is flagged for a person to review — nothing changes automatically, and nothing changes without a source.
The guides on this site follow the same rule: each one cites the documents it is written from and shows the date it was last updated.
The facts we pin, and when we last checked them
- Technical requirements. NCSC Cyber Essentials: Requirements for IT Infrastructure v3.3 (April 2026). We keep a copy and compare it byte for byte with the live PDF, and watch for the next version to appear. Source: NCSC — Cyber Essentials: Requirements for IT Infrastructure v3.3 (PDF). Last checked .
- Question set. IASME's “Danzell” self-assessment questions — the set used for assessments bought from 27 April 2026. Every question ReadyCert asks maps to one of its official question numbers. Source: IASME — Preview the self-assessment questions for Cyber Essentials. Last checked .
- Certification fee (plus VAT). £320 for 0–9 people, £440 for 10–49, £500 for 50–249 and £600 for 250 or more — paid to your certification body, not to ReadyCert. Source: IASME — Cyber Essentials frequently asked questions (fees, validity). Last checked .
- How long a certificate lasts. 12 months, then you renew. Source: IASME — Cyber Essentials: how certification works, 12-month validity and the digital badge. Last checked .
- Windows 10. Microsoft's support ended on 14 October 2025. Source: Microsoft — Windows 10 Home and Pro lifecycle. Last checked .
- Windows 11 version 24H2. Home and Pro editions stop receiving updates on 13 October 2026 (Enterprise and Education: 12 October 2027). The check treats 24H2 Home and Pro as unsupported from 14 October 2026. Source: Microsoft — Windows 11 release information (servicing end dates by version). Last checked .
- Government contracts. PPN 014 is the current procurement policy note on Cyber Essentials. Source: GOV.UK — Procurement Policy Note: Cyber Essentials scheme (PPN 014). Last checked .
What we’ve changed
- — Supported operating systems refreshed against Microsoft's published end-of-support dates. Windows 11 24H2 Home and Pro count as unsupported from 14 October 2026, and servers are now checked as well as laptops, desktops and phones.
- — Malware protection: the check now assesses phones and tablets separately from computers.
- — Accuracy pass across the check, scoring, answer pack, drafted documents and fix guides. The BrightHR and Calendly two-step verification guides were corrected to match those vendors' own help pages.
- — Every guide, tool and template on this site re-checked against the official texts.
- — IASME fees re-checked. Our homepage had shown the wrong fee range for businesses under 50 people; it now reads £320–£440 plus VAT.
- — Accuracy ledger started: every fact we rely on now has an official source, a way to check it and a last-checked date.
Found a mistake?
Tell us at support@readycert.co.uk with a link to the source that disagrees. We check it against the official text, fix it if we’re wrong, and record the change here. Nothing ReadyCert produces is a guarantee that you will pass: only an IASME-licensed certification body can decide that. See also security and your data and about ReadyCert.