1. How does the Foundation Cyber Security Check work?
You answer one plain-language question for each of the 47 Foundation controls, in your browser, at your own pace. The platform then generates:
- An executive summary report: a birds-eye view of your cyber security posture, written for your senior leadership team, including a narrative report.
- A task report: a prioritised list of actions that would improve your posture, ordered by what to fix first.
- Risk and alignment reports: your current risks, plus alignment of the Foundation controls with four well-known frameworks - CIS Controls v8, NIST 800-53, the Essential Eight, and ISO 27001.
2. What is App Risk Reporter?
The second tool on the platform. It produces AI-powered risk assessments of the apps and vendors your organisation uses - a school assessing an edtech app before rollout, or a business assessing a new SaaS vendor. Enter the app, optionally upload its privacy policy or terms, and you get a structured report covering privacy, security, compliance and data handling, with web research included. See the App Risk Reporter page for the detail.
3. Is there a free tier?
Yes. A free account includes the 2-minute Quick Security Check, one full assessment against all 47 controls with on-screen reports, and 3 app risk reports. No credit card required - register here.
Subscriptions (Business, and a discounted Education & NFP tier) add report exports, unlimited assessments, year-on-year maturity analytics, and team invitations. Pricing is shown at checkout inside the platform.
4. Who is the best person to complete the assessment?
The best person would be the IT Manager or Head of Technology - somebody senior and also close to the operations of the organisation.
5. Can my team collaborate on an assessment?
Yes. On a subscription you can invite colleagues from Settings > Team, and work through the assessment together.
6. Do I need my own AI key for the reports?
No. AI-generated reports are included in the platform - there’s nothing to configure and no separate AI subscription needed.
7. What if I don’t have the time, or the resources, or the capability to be doing this myself?
We offer a low-cost option where we conduct a more in-depth and collaborative review. More information is available on the Dedicated Cyber Security Review page.
8. Can I try this out before subscribing?
Yes - that’s exactly what the free tier is for. Take the Quick Security Check for a 2-minute read on your posture, or run a full free assessment. You only need a subscription when you want exports, unlimited assessments, or team features.
9. What happened to the Google Sheets version?
Foundation Cyber Security was originally delivered as a Google Sheet. That version has been retired - the platform replaces it with the same framework and reporting, plus things a sheet could never do well: team collaboration, year-on-year tracking, and AI-assisted reports. If you’re an existing customer, you can manage your billing through the Stripe billing portal, or contact us and we’ll help you move across.
10. Is my assessment data private?
Yes. Your answers and reports are private to your organisation. See our privacy policy for the detail.