Last week, we completed our internal Cyber Essentials Plus audit and for the first time, it didn’t feel like an audit at all.
- No late nights.
- No firefighting.
- No scrambling to fix things that should have been fixed months ago.
Instead, it was a smooth, confident walkthrough from start to finish.
This wasn’t luck.
This was the result of a security‑first mindset that we’ve embedded into NexGen Cyber from day one, the same mindset we help our clients build.
Preparation Isn’t a Step. It’s a Standard.
Our process started the same way it always does: with fresh vulnerability scans across every device.
This time, we made it even more seamless by using Action1 to automatically run PowerShell scripts the moment a device came online.
A small optimisation, but small optimisations add up.
At NexGen Cyber, we don’t wait for audits to prepare; we engineer our environment so it is always audit‑ready.
Our patch management isn’t just “good.”
It’s disciplined.
Every device updates daily, Windows updates, drivers, apps, everything with a risk profile.
So when the first scan results came in, I wasn’t surprised to see:
- Zero vulnerabilities.
And that remained true every day leading up to audit day.
This is what security maturity looks like: predictability, visibility, and stability.
Audit Day: A Demonstration of Security Done Right
When the assessor joined the call, we already had screenshots organised, devices identified, and logs prepared.
Seven devices were selected, three laptops and four phones.
Each passed their checks without hesitation.
Next came our cloud controls:
- Strong passphrases (we advocate and use the “three random words” approach)
- Mandatory MFA for every account
- Secure configurations reinforced by policy
Again: no surprises, no deviations, no weak points.
This was the fastest, cleanest audit we’ve completed, a testament to the security culture we practice every day.
Security Isn’t an Event: It’s a Habit
This audit reinforced a belief we hold strongly at NexGen Cyber:
If you maintain your systems properly, an audit is simply a confirmation of the work you already do.
Security excellence shouldn’t feel reactive.
It shouldn’t feel stressful.
It shouldn’t be something you prepare for once a year.
It should be your default mode.
At NexGen Cyber, our internal principles mirror the guidance we give clients:
- Trust your tools and verify them
- Monitor proactively, not reactively
- Keep logs clean and meaningful
- Treat patching and configuration as non‑negotiable
- Build processes that are easy to follow and hard to bypass
This was our fourth consecutive Cyber Essentials Plus certification, and by now, it’s simply who we are.
We don’t “get ready” for audits anymore.
We stay ready.
Leading by Example
One thing we believe strongly:
You cannot advise others on security unless you live and breathe those same principles yourself.
That’s why we hold ourselves to the same standards we implement for the businesses we support across the UK, Ireland and beyond.
We want our clients to see that modern cyber security isn’t about fear it’s about building confidence, resilience, and trust.
And the best way to demonstrate that is to show it in our own operations.
If You’re Reading This and Thinking “I Want That Too…”
Most businesses don’t struggle because they don’t care about security.
They struggle because:
- They’re busy
- They don’t have internal expertise
- They don’t get real visibility
- They only think about audits when they’re forced to
NexGen Cyber helps fix that.
We help businesses move from reactive to ready, from stress to stability, and from compliance to confidence.
If you’d like your next audit to feel as predictable and painless as ours, we’re here to help. Book a meeting with a member of the NexGen Team today and we will help you on your Cyber essentials journey.
