# Net Sec Group > UK cybersecurity consultancy delivering CREST-certified penetration testing and licensed and assured by IASME Cyber Essentials certification. Founded by Royal Marines veteran Daniel Phillips. ## About Net Sec Group is a UK-based cybersecurity company providing professional security testing, certification, and managed security services. We are CREST-certified for penetration testing and an Cyber Essentials Certification Body, licensed and assured by IASME. Our lead assessor has assessed over 800 UK businesses for various certification bodies. ## Why Choose Net Sec Group - Fastest Cyber Essentials in the UK: 12-hour Fast Track delivery (industry average: 5-7 days) - CREST Certification: All penetration testers are CREST-certified professionals - Military-Grade Expertise: Founded by Royal Marines cybersecurity specialist - Qualified Assessor: Daniel is a Cyber Essentials Plus Assessor, licensed and assured by IASME, working with organisations from startups to NHS suppliers - High Success Rate: Unlimited retries until certification achieved - Transparent Pricing: No hidden fees, clear pricing from £320 + VAT - licensed and assured by IASME: We're the actual assessors, not a reseller ## Services & Pricing ### Cyber Essentials Certification Government-backed cybersecurity certification required for public sector contracts. Self-assessment questionnaire reviewed by IASME Assessor. Pricing: - Micro (0-9 employees): £320 - Small (10-49 employees): £440 - Medium (50-249 employees): £500 - Large (250+ employees): £600 Delivery: - Fast Track: 12 hours (add £400) - Standard: 48 hours (included) Includes: Unlimited retries, expert support, 12-month certificate, £25,000 indemnity cover. URL: https://netsecgroup.io/cyber-essentials ### Cyber Essentials Plus Enhanced certification with hands-on technical testing by CREST-certified assessors. Includes everything in CE Basic plus independent verification. Pricing: - Micro (0-9 employees): £1,200 - Small (10-49 employees): £1,350 - Medium (50-249 employees): £1,700 - Large (250+ employees): £2,100 Delivery: Typically 3-5 days URL: https://netsecgroup.io/ce-plus-options ### CE Basic + Plus Bundle Combined package for both certifications at a reduced price. Pricing: - Micro: £1,400 - Small: £1,550 - Medium: £1,950 - Large: £2,450 URL: https://netsecgroup.io/ce-bundle-options ### Penetration Testing CREST-certified penetration testing for web applications, APIs, networks, and infrastructure. Services: - Web Application Security Testing — OWASP Top 10 methodology, business logic testing - API Security Testing — REST, GraphQL, SOAP assessment with OWASP API Top 10 - Network Infrastructure Assessment — Internal and external infrastructure penetration testing - Mobile Application Security — iOS and Android security testing following OWASP MSTG - Wireless Network Assessment — WiFi security testing and rogue access point detection - Social Engineering & Phishing — Human factor security assessment and phishing resistance testing - Secure Code Review — Source code analysis for security vulnerabilities Methodology: OWASP Top 10, NIST, CREST standards URL: https://netsecgroup.io/services/penetration-testing-methodology Pricing: https://netsecgroup.io/services/penetration-testing-pricing ### Certifications & Compliance - ISO 27001 Implementation — Information security management system implementation and support ### Managed Security - Cyber 365 — Year-round endpoint protection with EDR and patch management - 24/7 Threat Monitoring — Continuous security monitoring and incident response - Vulnerability Scanning — Regular automated vulnerability assessments ### Configuration Reviews - Active Directory Configuration Review - Domain Controller Configuration Review - Firewall Configuration Review - VPN Configuration Review - Cloud Service Configuration Review - Patch Management Assessment ## Founder Daniel Phillips — Founder & Principal Consultant - Former Royal Marines veteran with over a decade of military cybersecurity experience - CREST-certified penetration tester - licensed and assured by IASME Cyber Essentials assessor - Founded Net Sec Group to bring military-grade security discipline to UK businesses ## Certifications & Accreditations - CREST Registered Penetration Testing Company - Cyber Essentials Certification Body, licensed and assured by IASME - UK Company Number: 12960489 - ISO 27001 aligned processes ## Contact - Website: https://netsecgroup.io - Email: cyber@netsecgroup.io - Phone: +44 20 3026 2904 - Address: Bletchley Business Campus, Barton Road, Bletchley, MK2 3HU, United Kingdom - Registered Office: 85 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 7LT, United Kingdom - Quote Request: https://netsecgroup.io/quote - Book Certification: https://netsecgroup.io/book-cyber-essentials - Free Consultation: https://calendly.com/daniel-calendly-netsecgroup/cyber-essentials-chat ## Key Pages - Homepage: https://netsecgroup.io - Cyber Essentials: https://netsecgroup.io/cyber-essentials - CE Plus Options: https://netsecgroup.io/ce-plus-options - Penetration Testing: https://netsecgroup.io/services/penetration-testing-methodology - Get a Quote: https://netsecgroup.io/quote - Contact: https://netsecgroup.io/contact - Book Certification: https://netsecgroup.io/book-cyber-essentials ## Guides (180+ Articles) We publish in-depth cybersecurity guides written by our assessors and penetration testers. Topics include: - **Cyber Essentials** (100+ articles): Certification process, five controls, Plus assessment, common failures, scope changes, renewal, Danzell requirements, PPN 09/14, FAQ deep-dives - **Penetration Testing** (21 articles): Methodology, cost, CREST standards, types of testing, vulnerability assessment vs pen testing - **Business & Sector** (37+ articles): Financial services, law firms, healthcare/NHS, schools, charities, startups, government contractors, accountancy, manufacturing, retail, construction, tech/SaaS, MSPs, ISO 27001, NIST CSF, CAF, IASME Cyber Assurance, SOC 2, PCI DSS comparisons, Cyber 365 framework - **Research & Intelligence** (27 articles): Incident analysis (CrowdStrike, WannaCry, NotPetya, SolarWinds, Log4Shell, Colonial Pipeline, MOVEit, Kaseya), ransomware TTP profiles, Iran/China/Russia threat intelligence, NCSC advisories - **Case Studies** (3 articles): Real engagement patterns including Welsh NHS supplier 4-day CE Plus delivery, NetSec approach to "secure not just pass", Cyber 365 year-round vulnerability scanning ### New 2026-05-01 SEO uplift content **Sprint 7 vertical pillars** (12 articles, one per major UK regulated sector): - Cyber Essentials Plus for UK Law Firms: SRA accountability + panel-firm questionnaires + PI insurance https://netsecgroup.io/guides/cyber-essentials-plus-for-uk-law-firms - Cyber Essentials Plus for UK Financial Services: FCA operational resilience + institutional client questionnaires https://netsecgroup.io/guides/cyber-essentials-plus-for-uk-financial-services - Cyber Essentials Plus for UK Accountancy Firms: ICAEW + corporate cyber reviews https://netsecgroup.io/guides/cyber-essentials-plus-for-uk-accountancy-firms - Cyber Essentials Plus for UK Manufacturing: Defence supply chain + JOSCAR + tier-1 audits + OT/IT https://netsecgroup.io/guides/cyber-essentials-plus-for-uk-manufacturing - Cyber Essentials Plus for NHS Suppliers: DSPT + NHS procurement + Caldicott https://netsecgroup.io/guides/cyber-essentials-plus-for-nhs-suppliers - Cyber Essentials Plus for UK Government Contractors: PPN 09/14 + DCPP + OFFICIAL handling https://netsecgroup.io/guides/cyber-essentials-plus-for-uk-government-contractors - Cyber Essentials Plus for UK Charities: Charity Commission + funder due diligence https://netsecgroup.io/guides/cyber-essentials-plus-for-uk-charities - Cyber Essentials Plus for UK Schools and MATs: DfE Standards + KCSIE + governor accountability https://netsecgroup.io/guides/cyber-essentials-plus-for-uk-schools - Cyber Essentials Plus for UK Retail and Hospitality: PCI DSS adjacency + EPOS scoping + B2B supplier portals https://netsecgroup.io/guides/cyber-essentials-plus-for-uk-retail - Cyber Essentials Plus for UK Construction: Main-contractor flow-down + BIM data + project-cyber https://netsecgroup.io/guides/cyber-essentials-plus-for-uk-construction - Cyber Essentials Plus for UK Tech and SaaS: Multi-tenant cyber + B2B due diligence + cloud shared responsibility https://netsecgroup.io/guides/cyber-essentials-plus-for-uk-tech-saas - Cyber Essentials Plus for UK Managed Service Providers: MSP own posture + customer questionnaire pressure + supply-chain attack pattern https://netsecgroup.io/guides/cyber-essentials-plus-for-uk-msps **Sprint 8 comparison pillars** (6 articles): - Cyber Essentials Basic vs Cyber Essentials Plus: Which level your buyer actually wants https://netsecgroup.io/guides/cyber-essentials-basic-vs-plus - Cyber Essentials Plus vs SOC 2: UK CE+ vs global SOC 2 for SaaS https://netsecgroup.io/guides/cyber-essentials-vs-soc-2 - Cyber Essentials vs NIST CSF: For UK firms with US exposure https://netsecgroup.io/guides/cyber-essentials-vs-nist-csf - Cyber Essentials vs Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF): For OES + CNI organisations https://netsecgroup.io/guides/cyber-essentials-vs-cyber-assessment-framework - IASME Cyber Assurance vs Cyber Essentials Plus: Which IASME tier your procurement wants https://netsecgroup.io/guides/iasme-cyber-assurance-vs-cyber-essentials-plus - Cyber Essentials Plus vs PCI DSS Self-Assessment: For card-handling firms https://netsecgroup.io/guides/cyber-essentials-plus-vs-pci-dss-self-assessment **Sprint 8 Five Controls cluster** (6 pages): - The Five Cyber Essentials Controls (hub): https://netsecgroup.io/cyber-essentials/five-controls - Firewalls: https://netsecgroup.io/cyber-essentials/firewalls - Secure Configuration: https://netsecgroup.io/cyber-essentials/secure-configuration - User Access Control: https://netsecgroup.io/cyber-essentials/user-access-control - Malware Protection: https://netsecgroup.io/cyber-essentials/malware-protection - Patch Management: https://netsecgroup.io/cyber-essentials/patch-management **Sprint 10 city geo pages** (15 cities): - /cyber-essentials/{london, manchester, birmingham, leeds, bristol, edinburgh, glasgow, cardiff, belfast, liverpool, newcastle, sheffield, nottingham, reading, cambridge} **Sprint 5 D-series content gaps** (3 articles): - PPN 09/14 Compliance Guide: https://netsecgroup.io/guides/ppn-014-compliance-guide - Danzell Question Set Guide (April 2026 update): https://netsecgroup.io/guides/danzell-question-set-guide - Willow to Danzell Migration Guide: https://netsecgroup.io/guides/willow-to-danzell-migration-guide **New tools** (Sprint 6): - Cost Calculator: https://netsecgroup.io/tools/cost-calculator - Pen Testing Cost Calculator (CREST-registered): https://netsecgroup.io/tools/pen-testing-cost-calculator - CE Self-Assessment Quiz (14 questions): https://netsecgroup.io/tools/ce-self-assessment - Cyber Readiness Check (5-question wizard): https://netsecgroup.io/tools/cyber-readiness-check - Email Spoof Check (SPF/DKIM/DMARC): https://netsecgroup.io/tools/email-spoof-check - Website Headers Check (OWASP-graded): https://netsecgroup.io/tools/website-headers-check **New service + landing pages** (Sprint 5 D-series + E-series): - Hands-Off Cyber Essentials: https://netsecgroup.io/hands-off-cyber-essentials - CE Done For You: https://netsecgroup.io/ce-done-for-you - CE Plus in 5 Days for NHS Suppliers: https://netsecgroup.io/cyber-essentials-plus-nhs-5-days - Cyber Essentials Pricing (transparent): https://netsecgroup.io/cyber-essentials-pricing - Locations (UK coverage): https://netsecgroup.io/locations - Case Studies hub: https://netsecgroup.io/case-studies - Virtual CISO service: https://netsecgroup.io/services/virtual-ciso - Incident Response Retainer: https://netsecgroup.io/services/incident-response-retainer Full sitemap: https://netsecgroup.io/sitemap.xml Browse all guides: https://netsecgroup.io/guides ## Common Questions How long does Cyber Essentials take? 12 hours with Fast Track (£400 extra), or 48 hours standard delivery. What is the difference between Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus? Cyber Essentials Basic is a self-assessment questionnaire. Cyber Essentials Plus includes everything in Basic plus hands-on technical testing by CREST-certified assessors to independently verify your security controls. How much does Cyber Essentials cost? From £320 for micro organisations (0-9 employees). Prices vary by company size: Small £440, Medium £500, Large £600. All prices exclude VAT. Do you serve companies outside the UK? Yes, worldwide remote service available. Pricing in GBP. What if I fail the assessment? Unlimited retries included until you pass. We have a high success rate because we help you fix issues, not just assess. Success is achieved when customers implement the required controls with our guidance. Is Cyber Essentials mandatory? It is mandatory for UK government contracts involving personal or sensitive data. Many private sector organisations also require it from their supply chain. What is CREST certification? CREST is the international body representing the technical information security industry. CREST certification means our penetration testers have passed rigorous examinations and adhere to professional standards.