A2.3.1: Does each site have its own internet connection?
Do you have an internet connection for each site in your organisation?
Source: IASME Cyber Essentials Danzell question set v16.3
A2.3.1 records whether every site in your organisation has its own internet connection. There is no right answer: Yes and No are both acceptable. If you answer No, A2.3.2 asks how the sites are connected, for example a site-to-site VPN or a private circuit back to head office where the single internet breakout and boundary firewall sit.
Is A2.3.1 an automatic fail?
No. A2.3.1 records information about your organisation and is not marked against a technical requirement, so no answer to it fails the assessment. Inaccurate or contradictory details may be returned by the assessor for correction.
- Answer type
- Yes/No a Yes/No question
- IASME guidance
- IASME provides no additional guidance for this question.
- Requirement enforced
- Section D of the requirements: the scope must cover the whole IT infrastructure or a well-defined and separately managed sub-set, and cloud services cannot be excluded.
- Outcome if non-compliant
- Not marked against a requirement; inaccurate details may be returned for correction
What does A2.3.1 ask?
A2.3.1 asks: “Do you have an internet connection for each site in your organisation?”
A2.3.1 asks whether you have an internet connection for each site in your organisation. IASME gives no further guidance.
The answer tells the assessor where your internet boundaries are. Each site with its own connection needs its own boundary firewall or router listed in A2.5. Sites that share a connection through head office are described in A2.3.2.
How should you answer A2.3.1?
A2.3.1 has no single compliant answer. Answer it accurately for your organisation today; this is what each answer means.
- Answer Yes if every site has its own internet connection, and make sure each one's firewall or router appears in A2.5.
- Answer No if one or more sites reach the internet through another site, and describe the connection in A2.3.2.
- Either answer is acceptable; what matters is that every internet connection has a correctly configured firewall.
What mistakes do applicants make with A2.3.1?
A common mistake with A2.3.1: answering Yes but listing only one firewall in A2.5 for several sites.
- Forgetting a backup 4G or 5G router at a site, which is a second internet connection with its own firewall settings.
- Answering No without describing the inter-site link in A2.3.2.
- Overlooking an ISP router left in place alongside the firewall at a branch.
How do you get A2.3.1 right?
Work through these steps before you enter A2.3.1 in the portal:
- Walk each site and list every internet connection, including backup 4G or 5G routers.
- Make sure each connection's router or firewall appears in A2.5.
- If branches share head office's connection, answer No and describe the link in A2.3.2.
How do assessors check A2.3.1?
What evidence should you keep for A2.3.1?
The self-assessment does not ask you to upload evidence, but the assessor can ask for clarification, a director signs the attestation, and Cyber Essentials Plus tests the same controls. Keep this on file for A2.3.1:
- A list of internet connections per site, including backup mobile routers.
Where to go next
- Boundary firewallGlossary
- Internet service providerGlossary
- Scope: what is in and outSection D of v3.3 explained
- Scope checklistBuild the A2 inventory
- All A2 questionsScope of assessment
- Cyber Essentials checklistThe evidence to gather for every question
- Check your readinessScore your answers, auto-fails first
Other A2 questions
- A2.2.2A2.2.2NotesWhere one or more sub-sets have been created, please describe how this has been achieved.Notes
- A2.3A2.3NotesAre the networks included in the scope of this assessment being used at the company locations you provided earlier?Notes
- A2.3.2A2.3.2NotesIf no, please describe the way that your sites are connected.Notes
- A2.4A2.4NotesPlease provide a list of networks that will be in scope for this assessment.Notes
Frequently asked questions
A2.3.1 in the 2026 Danzell Cyber Essentials question set asks: "Do you have an internet connection for each site in your organisation?" It is a Yes/No question.
A2.3.1 records whether every site in your organisation has its own internet connection. There is no right answer: Yes and No are both acceptable. If you answer No, A2.3.2 asks how the sites are connected, for example a site-to-site VPN or a private circuit back to head office where the single internet breakout and boundary firewall sit.
No. A2.3.1 records information about your organisation and is not marked against a technical requirement, so no answer to it fails the assessment. Inaccurate or contradictory details may be returned by the assessor for correction.
Yes. It connects the site to the internet, so it is a boundary device that must be listed in A2.5 with its default password changed and firewall controls applied.
No. Many organisations route branch traffic through head office. Describe the link in A2.3.2 so the assessor can see where the boundary firewall sits.
Would you pass the 2026 question set?
Answer 24 yes or no questions, built by the assessors who mark Cyber Essentials, and get a readiness score in about five minutes, with any auto-fail questions you miss flagged first in your results.
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