What's the difference between Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus?

Cyber Essentials is a verified self-assessment against five security controls. Cyber Essentials Plus tests the same controls with a hands-on technical audit by a licensed assessor. You must hold Cyber Essentials before doing Plus.

Do you do the work, or just assess us?

We do the work. Foresight runs the gap analysis, carries out hands-on remediation, prepares the evidence and liaises with the assessor, so you pass first time rather than paying to re-sit a failed audit.

How much does Cyber Essentials cost?

The IASME assessment fee is tiered by size from around £320 + VAT and includes £25,000 cyber liability insurance for eligible UK businesses. Cyber Essentials Plus is scoped to your estate, typically from around £1,380 + VAT.

Accountancy & Finance

AI for Accountants: where can accountants use AI safely?

AI can save your team real hours — here’s where it genuinely helps accountants, where to be careful, and how to use it safely.

Book an AI Readiness Audit Call 0161 738 1399

Why Foresight

Cyber Essentials Plus certified
Microsoft CSP & Copilot specialists
Greater Manchester, since 2006
Honest advice — not licence-selling

Quick answer

Accountancy firms can use AI to speed up the routine — drafting client emails and letters, summarising meetings, analysing spreadsheets with Copilot in Excel, and researching rules and guidance — while the accountant keeps judgement, sign-off and responsibility. The key is to keep client financial data in secure tools (not public ChatGPT), get permissions and a policy right first, and always verify AI output.

Where AI helps

Practical uses for accountants

Area	Where AI fits
Client comms	Drafting emails, letters and proposals — Copilot
Spreadsheets	Analysing and summarising data — Excel Copilot
Meetings	Summaries and action points — Teams Copilot
Judgement & sign-off	Stays with the accountant — never automated

Doing it safely

Governance first

Client financial data is sensitive and regulated, so it must never go into public AI tools. Before rolling anything out, tidy permissions, put a simple AI usage policy in place, keep sensitive data out of public tools, and keep a human in the loop — all part of our AI Adoption service. See also IT support for financial services.

Free downloads

Start today with our templates

The same free, ready-to-use templates we use in our audits:

“Day in the Life” AI template

Find exactly where AI will save your team time.

Download →

AI Usage Policy template

A short, practical AI policy to keep your data safe.

Download →

FAQs

Common questions

Can accountants use AI?

Yes — for drafting, summarising, Excel analysis and research. The accountant keeps judgement and sign-off; AI just speeds up the routine parts.

Is AI safe for client financial data?

Only if you keep that data in secure tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot (not public ChatGPT), with permissions tidied and a clear AI policy in place.

Which AI is best for accountants?

For most firms, Microsoft 365 Copilot — especially in Excel and Outlook — because it works securely over your own data inside the apps you already use.

Will AI replace accountants?

No — it replaces tasks, not the judgement, advice and client relationships that make an accountant valuable.

Put AI to work — safely

Start with a fixed-fee AI Readiness Audit and get a clear, honest plan — and the licences you actually need.

See AI Adoption as a Service Call 0161 738 1399