Understanding the Essential Eight Maturity Model: A Non-Technical Guide for Australian Businesses
NON TECHNICAL GUIDE
To the Essential Eight Maturity Model:
The Essential Eight Maturity Model
What is the Essential Eight Maturity Model?
The Essential Eight Maturity Model is a cybersecurity framework developed by the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) through the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC). It provides a step-by-step guide for Australian businesses to implement eight critical mitigation strategies that dramatically reduce the risk of cyber incidents.
The term “Essential Eight Maturity Model” refers to both the set of eight strategies and the tiered levels (0 to 3) used to measure an organisation’s implementation maturity. The model is widely recommended for Australian government agencies and increasingly adopted by private sector organisations seeking best-practice defences.
You can find the official Essential Eight Maturity Model documentation here: Essential Eight Maturity Model
What Are the Eight Strategies?
The Essential Eight includes:
- Application Control
- Patch Applications
- Configure Microsoft Office Macro Settings
- User Application Hardening
- Restrict Administrative Privileges
- Patch Operating Systems
- Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)
- Daily Backups
These strategies were selected because they offer the greatest mitigation against a wide range of cyber threats, especially ransomware, phishing, and data theft.
A helpful overview of each strategy is available at: Essential Eight Overview
What Do the Maturity Levels Mean?
Each strategy is assessed on a scale from Maturity Level 0 to Level 3:
- Level 0: No or minimal implementation; significant risk exposure
- Level 1: Some implementation; defences are weak or easily bypassed
- Level 2: Most controls in place and functioning but with potential gaps
- Level 3: All controls implemented and regularly tested; strong defence
Organisations are encouraged to start at Level 1 and progressively work their way to Level 3. According to the ACSC, aiming for Level 2 is appropriate for most medium-sized businesses in Australia.
Assessment guidance is available here: Essential Eight Assessment Process Guide
Why It Matters to Your Business
The Essential Eight Maturity Model isn’t just for government departments. It’s becoming a standard across regulated industries, including financial services, education, and healthcare.
Benefits of adopting the model:
- Reduced attack surface
- Improved regulatory posture (especially under APRA CPS 234 or ISO 27001)
- Enhanced stakeholder trust
- Readiness for cyber insurance audits
The ACSC routinely warns Australian businesses that most cyberattacks could have been prevented through correct implementation of the Essential Eight strategies.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
- Implementing the eight strategies but failing to test their effectiveness
- Using MFA only for admin accounts and not for all users
- Patching applications inconsistently or without version control
- Backups are made but not tested for restoration
Getting Started: Practical First Steps
- Download the Essential Eight Maturity Model PDF
- Assess your current controls (use ACSC’s assessment guide)
- Identify your target maturity level (typically Level 2)
- Prioritise implementation by risk
- Test, review, and document your controls quarterly
Conclusion
The Essential Eight Maturity Model offers a clear, actionable roadmap for strengthening your cybersecurity framework—without requiring a full enterprise SOC or millions in infrastructure. Whether you’re a mid-sized firm, a not-for-profit, or part of critical infrastructure, adopting and maintaining this model is one of the most effective investments you can make in cyber resilience.