NIST Compliance Services

COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS

Achieving and Maintaining NIST Compliance

The National Institute of Standards Technology (NIST), which is a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, supports all sizes of information and technology properties under various conditions. NIST 800-171 and NIST 800-53 are both publications from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that provide guidelines and recommendations for information security controls.

NIST 800-171

The goal of NIST 800-171 is to offer guidance to federal agencies to protect sensitive federal information and data assets when it undergoes processing, storage and use outside of their primary federal government location and in non-federal information systems.

The federal government often works with non-governmental institutions and private entities in order to acquire knowledge, achieve a task or complete a project. In such cases, it is important that the various entities share data across networks, meaning that federal CUI is sometimes temporarily housed in places like higher education institutions. NIST 800-171 addresses the IT systems of the non-federal entities that store federal CUI or sensitive but unclassified information.

NIST 800-171 Compliance Assessment

Working with important federal CUI is important to your organization, but you want to make sure you do everything in your power to make sure you have peak security when handling that information. A NIST compliance assessment can help you and your staff feel more confident handling valuable federal data, thanks to the detailed standards of the regulation to help you achieve full compliance.

NIST 800-53

NIST 800-53 establishes a set of standards that guide federal agencies in managing the security of their information technology systems. The purpose of these standards is to safeguard both the data held by government agencies and the information of citizens. Compliance with NIST 800-53 is not only essential for federal agencies but also mandatory for any individual or business entity that operates as a contractor for the federal government.

NIST 800-53 Compliance Assessment

A NIST 800-53 assessment aims to evaluate an organization’s compliance with the set regulations. It helps ensure the organization has implemented appropriate controls to protect its information systems’ confidentiality, integrity, availability, and the data they process. Our team also identifies potential vulnerabilities and areas to support ongoing improvement when performing compliance assessments.

PROCESS

Steps to NIST Audit Success

Contractors often find it best to reach out to professional auditing firms to perform a NIST audit for a thorough and objective assessment of their system and internal controls. Our firm has experience with all types of regulations—HIPAA, GDPR, PCI, ISO—that may affect your assessment in some unexpected ways.

With our experience and confidence with NIST and other regulatory frameworks, we map and plan for overlaps in regulations with which your organization is required to comply.

Your team can focus on daily work instead of working through the framework.

The clarity of assessing the compliance requirements of NIST 800-171 or NIST 800-53 gives you guidance on catching issues and mitigating deficiencies.

It lays out your system and offers an objective and informative view of how the requirements affect your organization and your project with the federal entity.

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Expert NIST Compliance Guidance

The team at I.S. Partner can help make sure you achieve and maintain full compliance for the duration of your contracting engagement with a federal body. We can start by performing a gap analysis and strategic advisory to answer any questions you have in simply getting your system ready for such an engagement.

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FAQs

Common Questions

What is a NIST risk assessment?

A NIST risk assessment is a systematic process for identifying, analyzing, and evaluating risks to an organization’s information systems and data, based on guidelines and frameworks provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The goal of a NIST risk assessment is to help organizations understand and manage cybersecurity risks, protect sensitive information, and make informed decisions about security controls and risk mitigation strategies.
The NIST risk assessment process is described in NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-30, includes system characterization, threat identification, vulnerability identification, risk determination, risk response, documentation, as well as monitoring and review.

What types of organizations are required to comply with NIST 800-171?

NIST 800-171 is intended for nonfederal organizations that handle CUI on behalf of the federal government. Compliance with NIST 800-171 is often required for organizations that have contracts with federal agencies and are entrusted with CUI, which may include: entities that handle controlled unclassified information, organizations that produce, maintain and/or export items on the United States Munitions List (USML), businesses that provide defense articles and services, such as civilian agencies working to provide parts or specialized knowledge to the Department of Defense (DoD), and companies that produce items or knowledge on the Commerce Control List (CCL).

Is NIST 800-171 a required compliance regulation?

Federal entities like the DoD and NASA require contractors to learn, adopt and implement specific security measures. These non-federal entities must also report all non-compliance to the CIO by the designated date.

Is NIST 800-53 a required compliance regulation?

While adherence to NIST 800-53 is not a regulatory obligation for private sector businesses, the guidelines provide a valuable foundation for creating a robust data security strategy.

What does a NIST 800-53 compliance assessment cover?

The assessment evaluates whether the organization has appropriately selected and tailored security controls from the NIST 800-53 control catalog based on its risk assessment, system categorization, and specific security requirements. It examines whether the selected security controls have been effectively implemented within the organization’s information systems. This includes reviewing technical configurations, policies, procedures, and other security measures. It also looks at the effectiveness of the implemented controls in mitigating risks and threats. Additionally, it covers documentation of security practices, continuous monitoring activities, as well as incident response and recovery.

Who can perform a NIST audit?

A NIST compliance assessment can be performed by an organization’s internal audit or IT security team or can engage an external auditing firm or cybersecurity consultant with expertise in NIST compliance. When working with an external assessment expert, the organization gains an independent assessment and recommendations for security improvements. In certain cases, such as assessments related to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), certified assessors accredited by the governing body may be required. These assessors have completed training and certification to carry out assessments per specific standards.

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Achieving and Maintaining NIST Compliance

NIST 800-171

NIST 800-171 Compliance Assessment

NIST 800-53

NIST 800-53 Compliance Assessment

Steps to NIST Audit Success

Expert NIST Compliance Guidance

Common Questions

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