Cyber insurance readiness

Cyber Insurance Readiness

Insurers are declining more businesses than ever. Here’s how to make sure yours isn’t one of them.

About This Service

Getting cyber insurance has changed a lot in the last few years. Premiums have gone up, the questions have got harder, and more businesses are finding themselves either paying over the odds or being turned down altogether.

The reason is nearly always the same. Insurers have a short checklist of controls they expect to see, and if you can’t demonstrate them, the numbers change quickly. Five things come up on almost every application and a “no” on any one of them matters.

We help Lancashire businesses work through that checklist before the application lands on a broker’s desk, getting the right controls in place and making sure there’s evidence to back them up.

Multi-Factor Authentication

This is the first thing most insurers look at, and it’s the one that catches the most businesses out. If someone on your team can log in to their email or connect remotely with just a password, that’s a problem not because it’s unusual, but because insurers treat it as a red flag and price accordingly.

MFA itself isn’t complicated to deploy but doing it in a way that actually holds up to scrutiny is a different matter. We handle the setup across Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and remote access, and make sure it’s enforced rather than optional.

• MFA across email and remote access
• Conditional access policies so it can’t be bypassed
• Staff setup and support to keep friction low
• Monitoring to catch gaps when people join or leave

Backups That Survive an Attack

The reason insurers specifically ask about backups that “cannot be altered by attackers” is that ransomware groups routinely go after backups first. If your backups live on the same network as everything else, they’re not really backups in the sense that matters here.

What insurers want to see and what actually protects you is backups that are immutable, stored separately, and tested. Not set-and-forget jobs that nobody has checked since they were configured.

• Immutable and air-gapped backup setups
• Regular test restores, not just scheduled jobs
• Offsite and cloud storage with geographic separation
• Recovery documentation so you know exactly what you’re working with

Endpoint Protection and EDR

Standard antivirus doesn’t satisfy most insurers anymore, and honestly it shouldn’t it misses too much. Endpoint Detection and Response tools are what’s being asked for, because they can identify unusual behaviour rather than just known threats.

We deploy and manage EDR across your devices. That means you’ve got the coverage insurers are looking for, and you’ve got visibility into what’s actually happening on your network when something goes wrong.

• EDR across all endpoints
• Continuous monitoring with alerting
• Containment and investigation support when threats are detected
• Documented coverage for insurance applications

A Patching Process You Can Demonstrate

Unpatched software is one of the most reliable ways into a business network, and insurers know it. The question on most applications isn’t just whether you patch, but whether you have a consistent process something you can point to rather than saying “we do it when we remember.”

We take care of patching across your environment and keep the records that show it’s being done properly. That’s what makes the difference on an application.

• Automated patching for operating systems and applications
• Fast deployment for critical and zero-day patches
• Patch status reporting with an audit trail
• A clear process for anything that can’t be updated immediately

Phishing Awareness Training

Most successful attacks still start with someone clicking something they shouldn’t have. Insurers want to see that your team receives regular training, partly because it reduces risk, and partly because it tells them something about how seriously you take security.

We run phishing simulations and training that are actually useful rather than something people click through to tick a box. The goal is staff who recognise real attempts and know what to do when they see one.

• Phishing simulations using realistic current scenarios
• Training covering email threats, social engineering and safe habits
• Completion tracking and reporting for your records
• Ongoing campaigns rather than a one-off exercise

Cyber Insurance Readiness Frequently Asked Questions

Will getting these controls in place guarantee I can get cover?

Not guaranteed insurers make their own decisions. What it does is remove the most common reasons applications fail or come back with inflated premiums. Most businesses that go through this process find the application a much smoother conversation.

How long does it take?

It depends entirely on where you’re starting from. Some businesses need a few adjustments; others need more work. The readiness review gives us a clear picture, and from there we’ll tell you honestly what’s involved and how long it will take.

What if we already have some of this?

That’s fine we’ll work through what you have and identify what’s actually missing rather than starting from scratch. A lot of businesses are closer than they think.

Can you help with the actual insurance application?

We work alongside your broker to provide the technical documentation they need. If you don’t have a broker, we can put you in touch with one who specialises in cyber cover.

Do insurers really decline businesses over this?

Yes. Particularly on MFA and backups, a “no” answer can result in a declination rather than just a higher premium. It’s become much more common in the last couple of years as claims have increased.

Ready to get your business cyber insurance ready?

Book a free readiness review. No obligation, no jargon.