IT expert issues warning to small businesses around Mansfield
Small businesses in Mansfield could increasingly find themselves unable to compete for larger contracts if they cannot demonstrate basic cyber security standards, a regional cyber security specialist has warned.
Kevin Walker, founder of Chesterfield-based Black Swan Cyber Security Solutions, says small firms risk missing out on contracts if they leave Cyber Essentials until a tender requires it. | Black Swan Cyber Security Solutions
Mansfield District Council’s latest employment monitoring report records 3,240 enterprises in the district, using Office for National Statistics business-count data. Of these, 2,875 are micro businesses and 305 are small businesses.
That means more than 98% of Mansfield’s businesses are micro or small enterprises.
Kevin Walker, Black Swan Cyber Security Solutions, reviewing security dashboards. | Black Swan Cyber Security Solutions
Kevin Walker, founder of Black Swan Cyber Security Solutions, which supports organisations across the town, says cyber security is becoming increasingly important when smaller businesses try to move into larger supply chains.
“For many small firms, Cyber Essentials becomes relevant when somebody else asks for it,” he said.
“It might be a customer, a main contractor, an insurer or a public-sector procurement process. A business can be excellent at what it does and still find itself unable to bid because the customer requires evidence of cyber security that it doesn’t yet have.
“A five-person construction company, specialist contractor, engineering firm or professional-services business might not have a law telling it to get Cyber Essentials,” he said.
“But if the organisation offering the work says all suppliers need the certificate, the practical outcome is much the same.
“This is why I’d encourage businesses to look at the contracts they want to win over the next year and check the cyber security requirements now, rather than after the tender arrives.”
Cyber Essentials is the UK Government-backed scheme designed to help organisations protect themselves against common cyber attacks. It assesses five areas of technical security: firewalls, secure configuration, security updates, user access control and malware protection.
Government management information shows that 61,430 Cyber Essentials certificates were awarded during the 12 months to June 2026, comprising 46,245 Cyber Essentials certificates and 15,185 Cyber Essentials Plus certificates.
Independent analysis by CyberSmart estimates coverage equivalent to 1.44% of micro businesses with employees, 7.38% of small employers, 23.81% of medium-sized employers and 51.61% of large employers.
The same analysis found 29.2% of certificates issued over the latest four-quarter period were obtained because a third party required them.
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