Cyber Essentials Self-Service vs Assisted: Which is Right?

Self-service path

You complete the IASME questionnaire yourself, pay the IASME fee directly via the certification portal, and a Certification Body reviews and either issues or fails the submission. There is no coaching, no pre-check and no remediation support. Around 1 in 4 self-submitted applications fail on first attempt – usually for missed MFA scope, BYOD scope or unsupported software.

Best for

• Organisations with in-house IT security expertise
• Repeat certifiers with mature controls
• Single-person companies with very simple tech stacks

Assisted path (NixInfinity-AI)

A named UK assessor walks you through scope, the Danzell question set and evidence gathering. We pre-review your submission to fix any gaps before formal review. As an IASME-licensed Certification Body, we then issue the certificate ourselves – which is what makes the 24-hour turnaround possible.

Best for

• Tender deadlines (we offer 24-hour turnaround)
• First-time certifiers
• Organisations using Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace at scale
• BYOD or remote-first teams
• Anyone who prefers to focus on running their business

Cost comparison

Self-service is the IASME fee alone. Assisted bundles the IASME fee plus assessor support £320 + VAT total for 1 to 9 staff – there is no large premium because we are an IASME-licensed Certification Body, not a reseller.

See full pricing and our cheap-vs-assessor-led comparison.

The third option: Fully Managed

For organisations that want everything done for them, our Fully Managed Cyber Certification includes configuration, evidence gathering and submission – not just review.