Operationalize NIST CSF across Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover

What is NIST CSF?

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) is a voluntary framework published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology that helps organizations manage and reduce cybersecurity risk. Originally developed for critical infrastructure, it is now widely adopted across industries and company sizes.

The five core functions

• Identify — understand your assets, business environment, and risk landscape.
• Protect — implement safeguards for critical services and data.
• Detect — develop activities to identify cybersecurity events in a timely manner.
• Respond — take action when a cybersecurity incident is detected.
• Recover — restore capabilities and services impaired by an incident.

Framework tiers and profiles

NIST CSF uses implementation tiers (Partial, Risk-Informed, Repeatable, Adaptive) to describe the maturity of an organization's risk management practices. Profiles let you compare your current state against a target state, creating a clear roadmap for improvement.

Why organizations adopt NIST CSF

Unlike prescriptive standards, NIST CSF is outcome-focused and flexible. It works as a standalone maturity model or as a mapping layer that connects multiple compliance requirements (SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA) into a unified risk view. Many organizations use it to communicate security posture to boards, investors, and customers in business terms.