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.

Manufacturing

AI for Manufacturers: where can manufacturers use AI safely?

AI can save your team real hours — here’s where it genuinely helps manufacturers, 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

Manufacturers can use AI across the office — drafting quotes, reports and emails, analysing production and sales data with Copilot in Excel, writing and updating documentation and SOPs, and answering routine supplier or customer queries with an agent — freeing staff for higher-value work. Keep AI to business and office data; shop-floor and OT systems need separate, careful treatment.

Where AI helps

Practical uses for manufacturers

Area	Where AI fits
Office admin	Quotes, reports and emails — Copilot
Data	Production and sales analysis — Excel Copilot
Documentation	SOPs and process documents — Copilot
Enquiries	Common supplier/customer questions — an agent

Doing it safely

Governance first

Keep AI to office and business data — operational technology and shop-floor systems need separate, careful security. 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 manufacturing.

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 manufacturers use AI?

Yes — across the office for quotes, reports, data analysis, documentation and routine enquiries. It frees your team for higher-value work.

Is AI safe to use in manufacturing?

For office and business data, yes — with the usual governance. Shop-floor and operational technology (OT) systems need separate, specialist security.

What can AI do for a manufacturing business?

Speed up quoting and reporting, analyse production and sales data, keep documentation current, and answer common supplier and customer questions.

Will AI replace manufacturing staff?

It replaces repetitive tasks, not people — freeing your team to focus on the work that needs human judgement and skill.

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