On 8 May, we proudly mark the first anniversary of the Defence Cyber Certification (DCC) scheme - an important milestone in strengthening cyber resilience of UK businesses.
Developed in partnership with UK Defence, DCC is an organisation wide cyber security certification that provides trusted assurance of a supplier’s cyber resilience. Over the past year, the scheme has gathered real momentum, supporting organisations of all sizes to demonstrate good cyber security practice and contribute to a more resilient defence ecosystem.
A Flexible, Progressive Approach
DCC is available at four levels (Levels 0-3), enabling organisations to certify at a level appropriate to their risk, maturity, and business context. Certification is supported by annual attestation, with full recertification every three years, ensuring assurance remains current and meaningful.
The scheme is delivered through IASME’s nationwide network of assured Certification Bodies, ensuring consistent, high quality assessment and broad accessibility across the UK.
Built on Trusted Foundations
DCC builds on the proven baseline of Cyber Essentials, long recognised as a foundational requirement for public sector procurement, and wider established industry and international best practice1. Alongside broader organisational cyber resilience controls, DCC requires the appropriate level of Cyber Essentials (or Cyber Essentials Plus) to be in place for business critical systems - combining technical controls with governance, risk, and resilience measures.
Importantly, DCC is open to any organisation. Organisations can apply at any level and at any time, regardless of whether they are currently bidding for, or delivering, defence or public sector contracts. This makes DCC a valuable way for organisations to proactively demonstrate cyber resilience and commitment to good security practice.
A Growing National Community
One of the scheme’s key successes has been the rapid growth of its delivery community. Over the past year, we’ve worked closely with industry to build a strong and capable network of Certification Bodies and assessors.
There is now a significant community of certification Bodies supporting delivery of DCC across the UK, with assessors qualified to deliver all levels of certification. This growing community underpins the consistency, credibility, and reach of the scheme - and continues to expand.
Supporting Organisations Every Step of the Way
IASME’s DCC team continues to invest in clear guidance, practical resources, and active engagement to support organisations throughout their certification journey. Through webinars, live briefings, presentations, and events, we work closely with suppliers to build understanding, confidence, and readiness for assessment.
Looking Ahead
One year on, DCC has established a strong foundation for long-term success. We’re excited to be continuing to build on this progress: supporting more organisations, growing the delivery community further, and continuing to raise cyber resilience standards across defence and beyond.
Together, we’re helping to build a more resilient, secure, and trusted supply chain in the UK.
"The DCC is a badge of excellence in cyber resilience for all Defence industry partners. Assured cyber resilience across suppliers will help UK Defence rise to the challenge of the escalating cyber threat.
I have also recently asked all industry partners to achieve Level 0 DCC certification by 31st December 2026, which includes a requirement for obtaining Cyber Essentials for all applicable business-critical systems within scope. To support this transition, suppliers must be encouraged to work towards this objective and to ensure that any subcontractor timescales are set appropriately; where higher levels of certification are required at lower tiers in the supply chain, these should be scheduled for delivery after 31 December 2026."
Eleanor Fairford, Director of Cyber Defence & Risk, Ministry of DefenceLinks:
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seen at 15:05, 8 May in Defence Digital.