Say Hi to NIST 800-53 without the control overload

NIST Special Publication 800-53 is a comprehensive catalog of security and privacy controls for federal information systems. It provides over 1,000 controls organised into 20 families, covering everything from access control to system integrity. Originally developed for federal agencies, it's now widely adopted by contractors, private organisations, and anyone seeking robust security standards.

Federal agencies: Mandatory under FISMA for all federal information systems
Federal contractors: Required for FedRAMP authorisation and contracts handling sensitive federal data
Defence contractors: Often required as part of CMMC and DoD contracts
Private organisations: Voluntary adoption to demonstrate comprehensive security controls

If you handle federal data or want federal-level security, you need NIST 800-53.

NIST 800-53 defines three control baselines based on system impact level:

Low baseline: Systems where loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability has limited adverse effect
Moderate baseline: Systems where loss would have serious adverse effect
High baseline: Systems where loss would have severe or catastrophic adverse effect

Your baseline determines which controls apply. High-impact systems require significantly more controls than low-impact ones.

Controls are organised into 20 families, each addressing a specific security area:

1. Access Control (AC)
2. Awareness and Training (AT)
3. Audit and Accountability (AU)
4. Assessment, Authorization, and Monitoring (CA)
5. Configuration Management (CM)
6. Contingency Planning (CP)
7. Identification and Authentication (IA)
8. Incident Response (IR)
9. Maintenance (MA)
10. Media Protection (MP)
11. Physical and Environmental Protection (PE)
12. Planning (PL)
13. Program Management (PM)
14. Personnel Security (PS)
15. PII Processing and Transparency (PT)
16. Risk Assessment (RA)
17. System and Services Acquisition (SA)
18. System and Communications Protection (SC)
19. System and Information Integrity (SI)
20. Supply Chain Risk Management (SR)

NIST 800-53: Prescriptive security controls catalog with specific implementation requirements. Tells you what to implement.
NIST CSF: High-level risk management framework organised around six functions (Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover). Tells you how to organise your security program.

Use CSF for strategic planning. Use 800-53 for technical implementation. They complement each other—CSF provides the framework, 800-53 provides the controls.

For federal agencies and contractors, yes—it's mandatory under FISMA, FedRAMP, and various federal contracts.

For private organisations, it's voluntary but increasingly expected in RFPs, especially when handling sensitive data or pursuing federal contracts.

FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorisation Management Program) uses NIST 800-53 as its control baseline. Cloud service providers seeking FedRAMP authorisation must implement NIST 800-53 controls appropriate to their impact level (Low, Moderate, High) and provide evidence to third-party assessors.

NIST 800-53: Over 1,000 prescriptive controls with specific implementation guidance. US federal focus.
ISO 27001: 93 controls organised into 14 domains. International standard, more flexible implementation.

ISO 27001 is broader and less prescriptive. NIST 800-53 is deeper with detailed technical requirements. Many organisations implement both—ISO 27001 for international recognition, NIST 800-53 for federal requirements.

Continuous monitoring is the goal, with formal assessments at defined intervals:

• Control assessments as part of initial authorization
• Ongoing monitoring of control effectiveness
• Annual or three-year reauthorization assessments depending on system impact level
• Whenever significant system changes occur

We automate the heavy lifting: control library management, policy mapping, implementation tracking, evidence collection, and audit documentation. You select your baseline, we organise the controls and track implementation status. When auditors arrive, documentation exports in assessor-friendly formats. No spreadsheet archaeology required.

Yes, but it requires the right tools. NIST 800-53 was designed for federal agencies with dedicated security teams, which is why manual implementation feels overwhelming. With automation handling control mapping, policy deployment, and evidence tracking, small teams can implement comprehensive controls without expanding headcount.

Implementation timeframe depends on your baseline and current security posture:

Low baseline: 8-12 weeks for organisations with existing security controls
Moderate baseline: 3-6 months with dedicated resources and automation
High baseline: 6-12 months with significant technical and process changes

Most delays come from manual tracking and documentation. Automation compresses timelines significantly.