Essential Eight Starter for Australian Small Business
Plain-English cyber security uplift for teams of 5 to 50
A practical, owner-friendly programme that helps Australian small businesses reach Essential Eight Maturity Level 1, produce evidence cyber insurers and ACSC want to see, and stop the most common attacks — without hiring a security team.
At a Glance
Who it's for
- Small business owners wearing the cyber security hat
- IT generalists supporting 5–50 employee teams
- Office managers responsible for risk, insurance and compliance
- Bookkeepers and operations leads handling sensitive client data
Course Details
Course Overview
This Essential Eight Starter is built for the realities of running a small Australian business. Across three evening sessions you will learn what the Essential Eight actually is, why the Australian Signals Directorate and Australian Cyber Security Centre treat it as the baseline, and how to reach Maturity Level 1 with the tools you already pay for. Every module references the ACSC Small Business Cyber Security Guide, business.gov.au cyber pages and the federally backed Cyber Wardens programme so the steps you take are defensible to insurers, auditors and your board. The focus is owner-friendly: no jargon, no enterprise-only tooling, and every activity produces an artefact you can keep — a policy, a checklist, a screenshot or a register entry. By the end you will have an Essential Eight Maturity Level 1 plan, evidence for cyber insurance renewals, and a simple incident reporting workflow into ReportCyber.
What You'll Learn
Course Curriculum
Module 1: What the Essential Eight is and why it matters
60 min- Origins of the Essential Eight and the ASD/ACSC role
- Maturity Level 0, 1, 2, 3 explained for a small business
- How insurers and government buyers use the Essential Eight
- Reading the ACSC Small Business Cyber Security Guide
- Setting a realistic Maturity Level 1 target for your business
Module 2: MFA and password basics that survive an audit
75 min- Turning on MFA in Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Xero and MYOB
- Authenticator apps, passkeys and phishing-resistant options
- Australian Cyber Security Centre passphrase guidance in practice
- Password manager rollout for a small team
- Evidence to capture: screenshots, exports and policy statements
Module 3: Patching and backups for tiny teams
75 min- A 48-hour patching rhythm for operating systems and browsers
- Microsoft Office, PDF readers and add-ins — the riskiest gaps
- The 3-2-1 backup rule using OneDrive, Google Drive and an offline copy
- Restoring a file and a device — a test you run, not a hope
- Backup register template and quarterly restore drill
Module 4: Application control on a budget
75 min- What application control means at Maturity Level 1
- Microsoft Defender Smart App Control and SmartScreen settings
- Using AppLocker or Windows Defender Application Control on Pro/Business SKUs
- macOS Gatekeeper and notarisation checks
- Hardening Microsoft Office macros and blocking risky file types
Module 5: Building evidence for cyber insurance and ACSC reporting
75 min- What cyber insurers actually ask for at renewal
- Assembling a one-page Essential Eight evidence pack
- Reporting incidents to ACSC via ReportCyber and to the OAIC under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme
- Cyber Wardens programme — using free federal training to upskill staff
- Your 90-day Maturity Level 1 uplift plan
Who Should Attend
- Small business owners and directors carrying the cyber security responsibility themselves
- Office managers handling risk, insurance renewals and client compliance questionnaires
- IT generalists and one-person IT teams supporting 5 to 50 staff
- Bookkeepers, accountants and operations leads handling sensitive client data
- Trades, allied health and professional services businesses bidding for government work
- Franchise and not-for-profit managers who need a defensible baseline on a small budget
Prerequisites
Before enrolling, please ensure you meet these requirements:
- • No prior cyber security experience required
- • A laptop with administrator rights to your business email and devices
- • Access to your current Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace tenant
- • A rough list of your business-critical apps and where your backups currently live
- • Willingness to make configuration changes to your own environment during the sessions
Delivery, Format and Logistics
Delivery Mode
Three live online evening sessions with downloadable templates
3 × 2-hour live evening sessions with downloadable templates
What You'll Need
- A laptop with admin rights to your business email and devices
- Access to your current Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace tenant
- A rough list of business-critical apps and where backups live
- No prior cyber security experience required
What You'll Receive
- 6 hours of plain-English instruction across three 2-hour evening sessions
- Step-by-step walkthroughs in Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Xero and MYOB
- MFA, patching and backup checklists you complete on your own environment
- Backup register template and quarterly restore drill procedure
- Macro-hardening and application control checklists for Windows and macOS
- One-page Essential Eight evidence pack template for cyber insurance renewals
- Essential Eight Maturity Level 1 self-assessment and a 90-day uplift plan
- Certificate of completion listing CPD hours
Frequently Asked Questions
Not Ready to Enrol?
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Next Intake
September 2026 — register your interest at educ4te.com
Format
Three live online evening sessions with downloadable templates
Group & Enterprise Options
Discounted rates available for teams of 3+ delegates. Contact us for in-house delivery options.
What's Included
- 6 hours of plain-English instruction across three 2-hour evening sessions
- Step-by-step walkthroughs in Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Xero and MYOB
- MFA, patching and backup checklists you complete on your own environment
- Backup register template and quarterly restore drill procedure
- Macro-hardening and application control checklists for Windows and macOS
- One-page Essential Eight evidence pack template for cyber insurance renewals
- Essential Eight Maturity Level 1 self-assessment and a 90-day uplift plan
- Certificate of completion listing CPD hours
Have questions about this course?