Business owners face cyber threats every day, and it can become overwhelming to keep up with all the regulations and strategies to safeguard your business from data breaches and cyber attacks.

Fortunately, tools have been created to help business owners manage security risks and decrease exposure to vulnerabilities. NIST Cybersecurity Framework or NIST-CSF is one such tool.

The NIST CSF is a scan of a system. The scan exposes specific vulnerabilities as defined by NIST CSF standards, guidelines, and best practices to help businesses know what security programs should be in place to prevent, detect, and respond to cyber attacks.

NIST compliance standards are a requirement for any business that processes, saves, or sends sensitive information to the Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), NASA, and other government or state agencies.

Every business can benefit from following the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. By utilizing cybersecurity frameworks, you'll be able to upgrade your existing security protocols and create new layers of security if there aren't any already in place. Additionally, these frameworks will aid enterprises in understanding where their security standards are and how they can improve them.

NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce that promotes innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's mission is to "advance measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life."

In February 2014, NIST released its Cybersecurity Framework, which called for the development of a voluntary cybersecurity framework "to reduce cyber risks to critical infrastructure". A collaborative process was used to develop the Framework with input from industry, academia, and government.

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is organized around five core functions:

Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover.

Identify: The first step is to identify your organization's assets, systems, and data that need to be protected from cyber threats.

Protect: The second step is to protect your assets by implementing security controls.

Detect: The third step is to detect cybersecurity events so that you can respond quickly and effectively.

Respond: The fourth step is to respond to cybersecurity events in a way that minimizes the impact on your organization.

Recover: The fifth and final step is to recover from a cybersecurity event so that you can resume normal operations.

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is a universal guide that can be used in preparing for the requirements of many compliance regulations. By working with a NIST-CSF expert and implementing the five steps outlined in the Framework in detail, you can create a more secure online environment for your business.

As a small business owner, it’s essential to be aware of the potential risks posed by cyber threats and to take steps to protect your business. If you want more details on the specifics of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, you can find additional resources on their website at NIST.gov/cyberframework.

If you would like skilled guidance in protecting your business, Schedule a Discovery Call with One Step Secure IT’s cybersecurity experts to find out how to implement the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to properly identify, prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from cyber threats.

 

Topic: How to Protect Your Business from Ransomware