Has a potential client rejected you because you weren’t aware of or in-line with NIST Compliance? Unsure of what this means and what it entails? Let us help you understand this regulatory demand's complexities, the systems it interacts with, and how to make it work for you across your business.
In the DC area, nearly every business has the potential to interact with government agencies, and NIST compliance is important for long-term success in this area. No matter what your business does or your plans for the future, developing your security measures and IT infrastructure will help you be more successful, better protected, and more efficient across the board. Call CSU today, and we’ll get started helping you become the best business you can be!
What is NIST Compliance?
NIST is the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a U.S. government agency in charge of standards and metrics to push forward the industry and stoke more competition among businesses. Like most government agencies, these regulations and the body aim to improve business outcomes for all who follow its guidelines. If you are a government body, contractor, or agency working closely with the federal government, you should follow NIST to avoid consequences.
According to the Federal Information Security Management Act, the NIST develops information processing standards with which federal agencies must comply – no exceptions. This ensures higher safety across critical infrastructure and communications in high-pressure government agencies.
The Core Components of NIST
The National Institute of Standards and Technology provides compliance guidelines that help organizations secure data and prevent outside actors from gaining access to their critical functions. There are five primary components to NIST’s guidelines that help steer organizations into enhanced security:
Identify
Categorize data and information you need to protect, ensuring complete capture of your most sensitive and critical data.
Also, identify who should have access to this data and include them in security planning.
Protect
Develop baseline steps needed for you to take to protect information.
Conduct risk assessments to refine and hone in on these steps.
Document steps and create an effective security plan.
Detect
Frequently monitor performance and conduct internal testing to measure your security measures.
Track rising threats and potential flaws in your system and communicate when issues arise.
Respond
When the need arises, implement your security plan according to documentation.
Practice for real incidents and prepare for all possible threats that could harm your data integrity.
Recover
After dealing with a threat, perform post-op debriefings to ascertain how well your team reacted, how quickly data was re-secured, and how effectively you were able to plan for the occurrence.
There are multiple types of NIST compliance frameworks, each with specific details and requirements. NIST 800-171 and NIST 800-53 are the most common guidelines, with more than 100 requirements each in terms of access control, training, incident response, and auditing.
What are the Benefits of NIST Compliance
While you might grumble at the requirements described in the NIST’s guidelines, each framework can offer you multiple advantages:
- Meet other regulatory frameworks and requirements, such as HIPAA, thanks to well-structured and sustainable compliance structures.
- Gain competitive advantages over your competitors due to better structures and stronger protections for clients.
- Gain access to more valuable contracts from agencies and clients that demand compliance.
- Enjoy more robust security for your critical systems, protecting your business against malware, data theft, phishing, ransomware, and other attacks.
- Provide your IT team with more efficient and effective systems to detect and mitigate damages.
- It helps reduce the impact of threats that do manage to penetrate defenses, both from the threat itself, legal aftermath, and helps maintain customer trust.
Get Up to Speed and Up to Par with Computer Services Unlimited!
Regulations and government agencies can make businesses of all sizes nervous, but they can also be invaluable tools that help you stay competitive. Regulations are often built by industry experts who understand the importance of stricter security measures and tighter controls on data and information. By developing more intensive processes and documentation, your business won’t just be more protected, but will experience less time loss and wasted opportunities when faced with disaster.
As VA and DC's premier IT company, we have worked with dozens of businesses to develop their IT infrastructure and security systems to be in line with complicated regulatory requirements. This has provided them with a new clientele, more confident employees, and safer customers – let us help you join this elite today!
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