At a glance
This guide helps cyber security practitioners understand how the ASD Essentials is structured and to find the publications relevant to their role.
Find the right ASD Essentials publication
The ASD Essentials series includes overview publications, environment-specific chapters and supplemental publications. Use this guide to find the publications relevant to your role and what you are trying to achieve.
Understand ASD Essentials
Overview publications
Start here if you are new to ASD Essentials, need to understand the change or are responsible for governing its adoption.
| Publication | Best for |
|---|---|
| What is the Essentials? | Anyone new to the series |
| The case for change | Executives, boards and those accountable for cyber security investment |
| The Essentials for senior executives | Boards, accountable authorities and senior executives |
| Which chapter should I start with? | Those determining which chapter is applicable to their environment |
| AI considerations within the Essentials | Those governing or considering the adoption of AI |
Apply ASD Essentials to your environment
ASD Essentials series chapters
Use the chapter relevant to your environment. Further chapters may be added as the series covers additional environments.
- Enterprise IT: Essentials for enterprise IT
- Cloud: Essentials for cloud
- Operational technology: Essentials for OT
Understand, transition, plan and assess
Supplemental publications
Use these publications with the relevant ASD Essentials series chapter when transitioning, planning or assessing your cyber security framework.
- Understand: AI Considerations within the Essentials
- Transitional: Transitioning from the Essential Eight
- Plan: Implementation planning guide
- Assess: Assessment process guide
Which publication do I need?
Use this quick reference table to find the publication you are searching for.
| If you want to… | Start with… |
|---|---|
| Understand what the ASD Essentials is | What is the Essentials? |
| Understand why ASD has moved beyond the Essential Eight | The case for change |
| Understand what senior leaders need to know | The Essentials for senior executives |
| Determine which environment-specific chapter applies | Which chapter should I start with? |
| Understand how AI relates to ASD Essentials | AI considerations within the Essentials |
| Apply ASD Essentials to an environment | The relevant Essentials chapter |
| Plan implementation | Relevant chapter and Implementation planning guide |
| Assess implementation | Relevant chapter and Assessment process guide |
| Transition from the Essential Eight | Transitioning from the Essential Eight |
