Security testing, Cheshire
Security testing for Cheshire businesses: vulnerability and cyber risk assessments
Security testing for Cheshire businesses that finds the weaknesses in your network before somebody else does. A vulnerability assessment scans every device and every internet-facing system for known holes. A cyber risk assessment goes wider, to accounts, admin rights, exposed passwords and backups. Either way you get a written report in plain English, ranked by what to fix first, and a fixed price before we start.
Run to the NCSC’s Cyber Essentials standards. Twenty years securing hospital and government systems. Microsoft and Datto partner.
Cyber security testing for Cheshire firms, without the enterprise price
Security testing built for banks means weeks of consultant time and a report nobody outside IT can read. A firm of ten people in Chester, Warrington or Wilmslow doesn’t need that. It needs to know where the holes are, which ones matter, and what to do about them, in that order.
That’s what our cyber security testing gives you. The scans find the weaknesses attackers look for: missing updates, old software, open ports, weak settings, services exposed to the internet that shouldn’t be. Eric reads the results, takes out the noise, and turns them into a fix list a business owner can act on.
Two assessments, depending on what you need to know
Vulnerability assessment
An internal scan of every laptop, PC and server on your network, and an external scan of everything reachable from the internet: your router, firewall, remote access and any exposed services. Every finding is ranked by severity, with the fix spelled out. Once you’ve fixed things, we scan again to prove they’re closed.
Cyber risk assessment
The vulnerability assessment plus the parts of security a scan can’t see on its own: how Microsoft 365 and your user accounts are set up, who has admin rights, accounts that should have been closed, whether staff passwords have turned up in known breaches, and whether multi-factor sign-in and backups are really in place. It’s the one to start with if you don’t know where you stand.
Both are fixed price and quoted before we start. Both end with a written report and a call to walk you through it.
Penetration testing or a vulnerability assessment: which does your Cheshire business need?
If you’ve searched for penetration testing in Cheshire, it’s worth checking what you’ve actually been asked for. A penetration test is a manual exercise where a specialist tries to break in, and it’s priced accordingly. A vulnerability assessment finds the same known weaknesses systematically, across every device, and costs considerably less.
For most small businesses, the question behind the search is “are we exposed, and what should we fix?” A vulnerability or cyber risk assessment answers that. If a contract or client names a CREST penetration test specifically, Eric will say so on the call.
How a security assessment works
A fifteen-minute call
How many devices and sites, what you run on, and why you’re asking: a client, an insurer, Cyber Essentials, or your own peace of mind. You’ll have a fixed price by the end of it.
The scans
They run remotely and in the background, scheduled so nothing slows down in the middle of your day. Nobody in the office needs to do anything.
The report and the fixes
A written report ranked by what to fix first, walked through on a call. Fix it yourselves, with your IT provider, or have us do it, and then we scan again to prove it’s closed.
What cyber security testing finds in a typical small office
These are the weaknesses a vulnerability assessment is built to catch. Each one is common, and each one is fixable:
- Laptops and PCs that have missed months of updates.
- Software past its end of support, still running because nothing’s broken yet.
- Remote access or management ports open to the internet.
- Default passwords on routers, printers and network kit.
- Old user accounts that were never switched off.
- Everyday accounts with admin rights they don’t need.
- Staff passwords that have appeared in known breaches.
- Microsoft 365 accounts without multi-factor sign-in.
Security testing across Cheshire, run remotely
Chester and the business parks off the A55. Warrington, Birchwood and Centre Park. Crewe and Nantwich. Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Knutsford and Northwich. Ellesmere Port and Runcorn. The scans run over a secure connection, so the service is the same whether your office is in the middle of Chester or on a farm outside Tarporley. If a site needs a visit, it’s scheduled.
Once you know where you stand, the next step is keeping it that way. That’s continuous vulnerability scanning, or cyber security for Cheshire businesses run as part of your IT support. For the detail on each assessment, see vulnerability scanning vs penetration testing and what a cyber risk assessment checks.
Security testing in Cheshire: the questions people ask first
Do you do penetration testing?
We do vulnerability assessments and cyber risk assessments, which is what most small businesses in Cheshire need when they search for penetration testing: an independent check that finds the weaknesses and tells you how to fix them. A penetration test is a different, manual service where a tester actively tries to break in. If a contract or client names a CREST penetration test specifically, we'll tell you so on the call rather than sell you something else.
What's the difference between a vulnerability assessment and a cyber risk assessment?
A vulnerability assessment scans your network and internet-facing systems for known weaknesses and ranks them by severity. A cyber risk assessment includes that and goes wider: how Microsoft 365 and user accounts are set up, who has admin rights, whether staff passwords have turned up in known breaches, and whether backups and multi-factor sign-in are in place. Most businesses start with the cyber risk assessment.
How much does a vulnerability assessment cost in Cheshire?
Both assessments are fixed price, scoped and quoted before we start, based on how many devices and sites you have. You'd know the number before agreeing to anything.
Will it disrupt the office?
No. The scans run in the background, and anything that could slow a system down is scheduled for a quiet time. Nobody needs to stop work.
Will this help with Cyber Essentials or an insurer's questionnaire?
Yes. The findings map onto the Cyber Essentials controls and the questions insurers ask, so the report doubles as evidence of where you stand and what you've fixed.
Do you cover the whole of Cheshire?
Yes. Chester, Warrington, Crewe, Macclesfield, Northwich, Wilmslow, Knutsford and Ellesmere Port. The assessments are run remotely, so it's the same service wherever your office is. If a site needs a visit, it's booked in.
Have a chat with Eric
Fifteen minutes with Eric. Tell him who’s asking for the test and he’ll tell you which assessment fits.
That didn’t send. Ring 0151 452 3060 and you’ll get me directly, or email [email protected].
Find the weaknesses before somebody else does
Vulnerability and cyber risk assessments for Cheshire businesses, from Chester to Crewe. Fixed price, a report in plain English, and a scan again once it's fixed. Ring and a person picks up.