Evidence for your assessor, ready when they ask.
Wardlark checks every Mac, PC, iPhone and iPad against the Cyber Essentials controls each time it reports in, sends you a morning summary, and exports an evidence pack grouped by control.
How it works
- Start from the baselineApply the Cyber Essentials baseline policy. It sets passcode length, firewall and update deadlines to match the requirements, and adds screen lock and disk encryption as recommended extras.
- We check every deviceEach device reports in. We compare what it says against your policy and mark it in policy, needs attention, or not checked in.
- Export the evidenceDownload a PDF evidence pack, grouped by control, with your device inventory and when each device last checked in.
Wardlark helps you gather evidence. Certification is awarded by an IASME certification body, not by us, and covers more than devices.
The five controls, and what we cover
Cyber Essentials is about your whole organisation, not just laptops and phones. Here's where Wardlark gives you evidence, and what's still yours to sort out.
| Control | What it asks for | What Wardlark checks | Still yours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FirewallsEvidence for devices | Every device has a firewall switched on that blocks unwanted incoming connections. |
| Your office router or boundary firewall. |
| Secure configurationPart evidence | Devices need a PIN or password of at least 6 characters (or biometrics) to unlock. |
| Removing software and accounts nobody uses. |
| Security update managementPart evidence | Operating systems are licensed and supported, and high-risk or critical updates go on within 14 days. |
| Keeping apps such as browsers and Office up to date. |
| User access controlPart evidence | Accounts belong to named people, admin rights are kept for admin work, and cloud services use multi-factor sign-in. |
| Admin rights on each device, and MFA on your other cloud services. |
| Malware protectionPart evidence | Devices run anti-malware software, such as the protection built into the operating system, or only allow approved apps. |
| Confirming antivirus is switched on. We don't read antivirus status directly yet. |
Summarised from the NCSC and IASME "Cyber Essentials: Requirements for IT Infrastructure". The requirements are updated from time to time; always check the current version with your certification body.
Required, and recommended
Our report keeps the two apart, so nobody is misled about what Cyber Essentials needs.
Required Firewall, passcode length, supported operating systems and the 14-day update window come from the Cyber Essentials requirements.
Recommended Screen lock after a few idle minutes, and disk encryption with an escrowed recovery key, aren't Cyber Essentials requirements. We still switch both on by default, because they're what protect your data when a laptop is left on a train, and they help with UK GDPR. Regular check-ins and alerts when someone removes management are recommended too.