Systems Secure offers four fixed-price cyber security services for UK small businesses: Ask James at £150 per question, a Second Opinion at £250, a Security Review at £450, and a Full Business Review at £795. All prices exclude VAT and are based on a business of up to 25 staff. Larger businesses pay more, and the price is always agreed in writing before any work starts.

No. Systems Secure prices ad-hoc cyber security work as fixed-price jobs, not hourly or daily rates. You are quoted a single price for the piece of work before it begins, and that price does not change if the job takes longer than expected. There is no clock running and no billable time added afterwards.

Yes. Ask James is a £150 fixed-price service for a single cyber security question, answered in writing by James Batt within two working days. It suits questions like whether an email is a scam, whether a supplier's security claims stand up, or how to answer a client's security questionnaire. The price is the same whatever the size of your business.

A Systems Secure Security Review is a £450 fixed-price review of one system, carried out remotely. Typical subjects are Microsoft 365 settings, a firewall configuration, a Cyber Essentials gap check, or backups including a tested restore. You receive a written report in plain English listing what to change, ranked in the order it matters. One system is covered per review.

A Security Review covers one system, such as Microsoft 365 or your firewall, and costs £450. A Full Business Review covers the whole business end to end, costs £795, and includes a full written report plus a follow-up call. Both are fixed prices for a business of up to 25 staff, carried out remotely, and both are provided by Systems Secure.

Yes. Systems Secure prices are built for a business of up to 25 staff. Above that, the price rises with headcount, because more staff means more accounts, more devices and a longer report. Four times the staff is roughly double the price rather than four times, and the exact figure for your headcount is shown on the pricing page before you enquire.

No. All Systems Secure consulting prices are quoted excluding VAT. VAT is added to the invoice at the prevailing UK rate. Most business clients reclaim it.

Nothing is paid up front. Systems Secure takes no deposit and no card details at the time of booking. The work is carried out first, you receive the report, and the invoice follows towards the end of the month. The invoice needs to be paid within 30. days

No. Systems Secure ad-hoc consulting is bought one job at a time, with no contract, no retainer and no minimum commitment. You are quoted for a single piece of work, and once it is delivered there is nothing further to pay and nothing to cancel. A monthly managed service, QuantumCare, exists separately for businesses that want ongoing cover, but it is never a condition of ad-hoc work.

No. Systems Secure sells no security products and takes no commission from vendors, so there is nothing to push. If a review finds that your security is already in reasonable shape, that is what the report will say. Any recommendation is written as an action you can take yourself or give to your existing IT provider.

Yes. Systems Secure is regularly brought in alongside an existing IT company or internal IT person, not instead of them. Reports are written so they can be handed straight to whoever looks after your systems, with the actions ranked in priority order. Many clients use an independent review specifically to check that the work their provider is doing is enough.

Most Systems Secure consulting work is carried out remotely, which is faster to book and covers the work perfectly well. A site visit can be added to a Security Review or a Full Business Review for £450, covering one full day on site across Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Kent. Travel such as trains, flights, taxis and parking is charged at cost and agreed in advance. Ask James and Second Opinion are always remote.

Systems Secure is based in Copthorne, West Sussex, and has been trading since 2010. Remote consulting is available anywhere in the UK. On-site visits are priced for Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Kent, and locations beyond the South East are quoted individually.

James Batt, founder of Systems Secure Ltd, holds CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), C|CISO (Certified Chief Information Security Officer), C|EH (Certified Ethical Hacker), NCSP Practitioner (Certified NIST Cybersecurity Professional) and CompTIA Security+. Systems Secure was named Cybersecurity Company of the Year at the West Sussex Business Awards 2025 and Security Solution Specialists of the Year at the E2 Media Awards 2025.

Most security reviews work down a checklist of settings. Systems Secure does that too, because it is what passes Cyber Essentials and client audits, but James Batt is also a Certified Ethical Hacker and examines the business the way an attacker would: what is exposed to the internet, which account would be targeted first, and where one small weakness becomes a way in. A checklist finds what is missing; that approach finds what is reachable.

No. A Systems Secure Security Review examines how a system is configured and reports what should be changed. A penetration test is a separate, more intensive exercise in which a tester actively attempts to break in, and typically costs several thousand pounds. A review is the appropriate starting point for most UK small businesses, and will identify whether a penetration test is worth the money.

Yes. A Systems Secure Security Review at £450 includes a Cyber Essentials gap check, which identifies what would currently stop you passing. A Full Business Review at £795 covers Cyber Essentials preparation across the whole business. Both are fixed-price and delivered with a written list of the changes needed.

Yes. Every Systems Secure consulting job includes a written report or written answer, in plain English rather than technical jargon. The report is yours to keep and to share with whoever needs it, including your IT provider, your insurer, your accountant or a client who has asked for evidence of your security.

The report is written so that the actions can be carried out by your existing IT provider or in-house IT person, at no further cost from Systems Secure. If you would prefer the fixes done for you, that is quoted separately as its own fixed-price job. There is no obligation, and nothing is added to your invoice without being agreed first.

No. QuantumCare, the Systems Secure managed cyber security service, already includes most of the work covered by these ad-hoc reviews, carried out continuously rather than as a one-off snapshot. QuantumCare clients do not need to book a Security Review or a Full Business Review separately.

The start date is agreed on the free 15-minute call, before any price is confirmed. Ask James questions are answered in writing within two working days.