Cyber Insurance Readiness & Security Assessments
Your cyber insurance application or renewal questionnaire is asking about MFA, EDR, backups and incident response, and you're not sure what to check. We assess what you actually have, fix the gaps, and help you answer every question honestly.
Renewal deadline coming up? Text us the date and we'll tell you what's realistic before then.
Why the questionnaire matters more than it looks
Cyber insurance applications have become detailed security checklists. Underwriters use your answers to decide whether to offer coverage and on what terms. Those answers can also come up again after a claim: if the application said every account had MFA and the breach started with an account that didn't, that's a problem you don't want to discover during the worst week of your business.
Many owners fill out the form from memory, or forward it to whoever "does the computers" and hope. A short assessment replaces guesses with facts, and gives you time to close gaps before the renewal date instead of after a claim.
Controls insurers commonly ask about
Every carrier's form is different, but these topics come up on application after application. Here's what each question is really getting at.
MFA on email, remote access and admin accounts
Is multi-factor sign-in enforced on every mailbox, on any VPN or remote desktop access, and on every administrator account, including the forgotten ones? Forms often ask about each separately.
Endpoint detection and response
Do your computers and servers run EDR, not just traditional antivirus, and is someone watching the alerts? Expect to name the product.
Backups that survive an attack
Are backups kept offline, immutable or otherwise separate from your normal accounts so ransomware can't delete them? How often are they taken, and when did you last test a restore?
Patching cadence
How quickly are security updates applied, especially critical ones? Are any systems running software that no longer gets security updates?
Phishing training
Do staff get regular security awareness training and simulated phishing tests? Some forms ask how often.
Privileged access
Do people use separate accounts for admin work? How many admin accounts exist, and who has them? Are shared or default admin passwords gone?
Email security
Is incoming mail filtered, and are SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up on your domain? Do you have a process for verifying payment or banking changes by phone?
Incident response plan
Is there a written plan that says who to call, how to contain an incident and how to restore? Does it include calling the insurer first?
End-of-life systems
Windows 10 reached end of support in October 2025. Businesses can buy Microsoft's commercial Extended Security Updates a year at a time, but forms may ask whether any unsupported systems remain.
How our assessment works
- Questionnaire review. Send us your application or renewal form, or your broker's checklist. We read every question and note what evidence it needs.
- Evidence gathering. We check the real settings, not anyone's memory: Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace sign-in policies, admin role assignments, endpoint protection coverage on each device, patch status, backup job history and a test restore, firewall and remote access configuration.
- Gap list. Every question where the honest answer today is "no" or "partially", with what it would take to change it.
- Remediation plan. The gaps in priority order, with what can realistically be done before your renewal date and what needs a longer project. We can do the work ourselves, or hand the plan to your current IT provider.
- Help answering honestly. We walk through the form with you and explain what each answer means. We will never help you claim a control you don't have. If something isn't in place yet, we help you say so accurately, and note what's in progress if the form allows it.
What you get
- A one-page plain-English summary: what's in place, what's missing and what to do next, in order
- Notes for each questionnaire item showing where the answer came from, so you're not relying on memory
- A remediation plan with a written quote for the work, if you want us to do it
- Help putting together a simple incident response plan, with your insurer's claim line, your bank and your key contacts
The assessment is the same review we do at the start of every managed engagement, so if you later move to a plan, nothing is wasted. Our cybersecurity services page covers the full baseline we put in place and keep up month after month.
Why insurers care about these controls
The questions track how small businesses commonly get hit. Stolen email passwords lead to invoice fraud and mailbox takeover, which is why MFA comes first. Ransomware targets backups before it encrypts anything, which is why insurers ask whether backups are separated and tested. Unpatched systems and overused admin accounts let one infected laptop become a whole-network problem.
Our blog walks through what these incidents look like in practice: what to do in the first hour of ransomware, what to do when a phishing email hits your business, a practical cybersecurity baseline for small businesses and why Microsoft 365 needs its own backup. For backup design, see backup and disaster recovery.
Common questions
Can you guarantee we'll get coverage or a lower premium?
No. Underwriting decisions belong to the insurer. What we can do is make sure your answers are accurate and that the controls insurers commonly ask about are actually in place.
Our renewal is in two weeks. Is that enough time?
Often enough to assess and close the quick gaps, like MFA on missed accounts and removing extra admin rights. Bigger items like replacing backups or rolling out EDR may take longer. We'll tell you honestly what fits, and you can describe work in progress accurately on the form.
We already have an IT provider. Can you still help?
Yes. An independent assessment is a reasonable thing to ask for. We give you the findings and the plan, and your provider can do the work if you prefer.
What should we do first if we have an incident?
Disconnect affected machines from the network without powering them off, then call your insurer's claim line before hiring anyone. Many policies require their panel vendors. Then call us and we'll work alongside them.
Do you work with our broker?
Happily. With your permission, we can answer technical questions from your broker so the form is filled out correctly the first time. We don't sell insurance.
Get your questionnaire answered with facts
Book a free 30-minute consultation. Bring the form, and we'll tell you which answers we can confirm now and what an assessment would cover.