The guides · Index

Guides

Plain-English explainers on the Essential Eight, cyber insurance, and staying secure as an Australian small business.

Published 20 July 2026

Multi-factor authentication for Australian small business

What the Essential Eight expects from multi-factor authentication for Australian small businesses, why insurers ask, and how to check your setup meets it.

Read the guide

Published 18 July 2026

Essential Eight and your cyber insurance renewal in 2026

The Essential Eight is being retired — but your 2026–27 renewal still runs on it. What insurers commonly ask for and how to have evidence ready.

Read the guide

Published 18 July 2026

The Essential Eight is being retired — what it means for you

ASD is replacing the Essential Eight with the Essentials series over roughly two years. The timeline, what carries over, and what to do before renewal.

Read the guide

Published 18 July 2026

Does your small business need an AI policy?

A straight answer for Australian small businesses: when you need an AI use policy, when you don't, and the three 2026 triggers that changed things.

Read the guide

Published 18 July 2026

AI use policy for Australian small business: a template

What an Australian small-business AI use policy must cover in 2026 — approved tools, data rules, staff training — with a section-by-section outline.

Read the guide

Published 16 July 2026

Essential Eight maturity levels explained (0 to 3)

What Essential Eight maturity Levels 0–3 actually mean, why they're cumulative, and which level Australian insurers and brokers commonly reference.

Read the guide

Published 09 July 2026

Privacy Act for Australian small business: reasonable steps

Recent Privacy Act reforms pulled more small businesses into scope. A plain-English look at the 'reasonable steps' security expectation and how the Essential Eight fits.

Read the guide

Published 08 July 2026

Essential Eight self-assessment: a step-by-step guide

A step-by-step guide to self-assessing your business against the ASD Essential Eight — what to check for each control, how scoring works, and what to do with the result.

Read the guide

Published 08 July 2026

Essential 8 compliance for Australian small business

What the Essential 8 (ASD's Essential Eight) is, what maturity Levels 0–3 mean, and how a small business can approach compliance without a consultant.

Read the guide

Published 08 July 2026

Cyber insurance requirements in Australia for small business

The security controls Australian cyber insurers commonly ask about — MFA, backups, patching — and how to prepare for an application or renewal questionnaire.

Read the guide