Do I need to be an IASME Certification Body to offer Cyber Essentials?

No. As an MSP you can refer or deliver readiness while an accredited body handles the certification side. This is the most common commercial model in the UK channel.

Will I lose the client relationship if I refer them?

Not under the supported delivery or co-branded routes. You stay involved as much as you choose.

Can I package readiness and remediation as a fixed-fee service?

Yes, and most successful MSP partners do exactly that. The recurring revenue then sits in renewal and the wider managed cyber wrap.

Does NixInfinity-AI also handle Cyber Essentials Plus?

Yes. We deliver both Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus as an IASME-accredited Certification Body with named UK assessors.

How long does certification typically take?

Cyber Essentials is often completed within 1–2 weeks for prepared clients, and sometimes within 24 hours where remediation is already done.

How MSPs Can Offer Cyber Essentials to Existing Clients Without Becoming a Certification Body

Why this is now a commercial opportunity for MSPs

Cyber Essentials is being requested far more often in UK tenders, supplier assurance questionnaires, cyber insurance applications and basic governance reviews. Clients turn to their MSP first when a contract or insurer asks for it. If you cannot offer the path to certification, someone else will, and that relationship begins to drift.

The controls you already manage

Most MSPs already operate the technical scope that Cyber Essentials measures:

Firewalls and internet gateways
Secure configuration of devices and cloud tenants
User access control and least privilege
Malware protection and EDR
Security update management – the 14-day patching rule
Multi-factor authentication – see the CE MFA requirements
Microsoft 365 hardening
Device and mobile management

What you are not set up to do

Becoming an IASME Certification Body requires an assessor licence, professional indemnity cover, ongoing audit obligations and a quality framework. For most MSPs this is not where the margin sits. A partner route gives you the commercial upside without the operational load.

What a partner-supported delivery looks like

Readiness – you review the client's MFA, patching, secure configuration, anti-malware and access control against the current CE requirements.
Remediation – you fix the gaps using your existing managed service. This is where most of the revenue lives.
Submission and assessment – NixInfinity-AI handles the certification portal submission, assessor review and, if needed, the Cyber Essentials Plus audit.
Renewal – recurring annual revenue. Cyber Essentials is time-bound, so the cycle resets every twelve months.

Three commercial models that work

Referral – you introduce, we deliver, you receive a reward. Lowest effort, lowest upside.
Supported delivery – you do the readiness and remediation, we handle certification. Strongest margin for established MSPs.
Co-branded – you stay the client's main point of contact for the whole journey and NixInfinity-AI delivers the assessment behind the scenes. Subject to approval and a partner agreement.

Using Cyber Essentials as a wedge into wider cyber services

A Cyber Essentials conversation surfaces real gaps. Once a client sees their MFA coverage, patching record and admin access mapped against a recognised baseline, the door opens to vulnerability scanning, M365 hardening, endpoint security improvements, backup reviews, awareness training and ongoing managed cyber. The certification is the start of the conversation, not the end of it.

How to start

Register a client lead through the partner programme, or speak to us about a partner arrangement that fits your business. We will agree the commercial route and route opportunities back to you accordingly.

Visit the Cyber Essentials Partner Programme →