CREST announces 50% membership discount for organisations in lower income countries

22 June 2023

Not-for-profit cyber security membership body launches discount to encourage capability and capacity building in lower income countries.

To help drive up global standards and grow capacity in local markets, CREST is introducing a 50% discount for small businesses based in lower income countries. CREST is committed to helping signpost to skilled and competent service providers wherever they operate from, in turn helping buyers of these services make informed choices. Reducing inequality in access to robust cyber defences is core to CREST’s mission.

In 2021, CREST received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help increase cyber security capacity and cyber resilience in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania and Uganda. This builds on the work carried out as part of the grant.

The discount, including all associated membership and accreditation fees across all disciplines, will apply to eligible new member applicants and on renewal for current members.

Qualification for the new discount is based on a company’s location and income. The organisation’s headquarters must be in a country deemed a ‘lower middle’ or ‘low’ income economy by the World Bank classifications and have an annual income less than GBP 5m (USD 6.1m, SGD 8.2m, AUD 8.25m, EUR 5.7m).

Nick Benson, CREST CEO said: “This initiative is a vital element of our ongoing mission to grow global capability, capacity, consistency and community in the cyber security industry. We recognise the importance of driving cyber standards across the globe regardless of wealth, and this discount will give many companies in lower-income countries access to the myriad benefits of CREST membership for the first time.”

CREST members comprise around 350 of the world’s leading cyber security providers, with membership benefits including access to a broad global buying community, accelerated path to exporting services and the opportunity to help shape the sector’s future.

Through its stringent accreditation process, CREST membership provides independent, verifiable quality assurance so buyers gain greater confidence when purchasing cyber security services. Because of this, CREST membership is used around the world as a significant differentiator in tender responses. Members can highlight their capabilities and services through the CREST website, allowing global buyers to search for the best service provider easily.

For more information on the new initiative and how to apply for CREST membership, go to: Lower Income Countries Membership – CREST (crest-approved.org)

About CREST

CREST is a not-for-profit accreditation and certification body representing the technical information security industry. CREST provides internationally recognised accreditations for organisations providing technical security services and professional level certifications for individuals providing vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, cyber incident response, threat intelligence and security operations centre (SOC) services. CREST Member companies undergo regular and stringent assessment, whilst CREST certified individuals undertake rigorous examinations to demonstrate the highest levels of knowledge, skill and competence. To ensure currency of knowledge in fast changing technical security environments the certification process is repeated every three years.

For more information on CREST: www.crest-approved.org

For media enquires contact: Allie Andrews, [email protected]