Capability Statement – Essential Eight & DISP for Defence SMEs

Essential Eight Cyber Security & DISP Capability Uplift for Defence SMEs

Calexi is a Canberra-based cybersecurity and ICT engineering firm specialising in Essential Eight uplift and DISP readiness for defence SMEs, small business, and regulated SMEs.

The Essential Eight is a prioritised set of mitigation strategies developed by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) under the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), providing a practical cybersecurity baseline for Australian organisations including SMEs and small businesses.

We work with Defence SMEs (sub-100 staff), critical infrastructure operators, and high-risk organisations that need practical, defensible cybersecurity and Essential Eight (or essential 8) outcomes, not compliance theatre. We specialise in supporting organisations that are pursuing DISP Membership and need to demonstrate ASD Essential 8 / ACSC Essential Eight aligned Essential 8 cyber security outcomes.

Calexi delivers right-sized, productised cybersecurity uplift pathways, ranging from governance and assurance foundations through to fully engineered Essential Eight and Essential 8 services designed for SME environments.

If you’re assessing your current maturity or planning an uplift program, see our DISP & Essential Eight Uplift or Essential Eight Compliance Done Right for Defence SMEs.

Download our capability statement to learn how Calexi supports Defence and regulated SMEs with security uplift that is explainable, auditable, and sustainable.

Who this is for

• Defence SMEs (sub-100 staff) seeking DISP Membership and Essential Eight assurance
• Organisations struggling to evidence ACSC Essential Eight / ASD Essential 8 cyber security maturity
• Regulated or high-risk SMEs and small businesses, including critical infrastructure
• SMEs seeking practical Essential 8 uplift without enterprise platform costs

What We Specialise In:

• Essential 8 uplift designed for SME cybersecurity environments
• Right-sized, productised delivery models
• DISP-aligned security foundations
• Evidence-driven security outcomes
• Secure-by-design engineering, not compliance theatre

What We Deliberately Avoid in SME Cybersecurity

• Tick-the-box compliance exercises
• Enterprise platforms by default
• One-size-fits-all uplift programs
• Security theatre disconnected from operations