Designing a cybersecurity program can feel like building a complex machine without instructions. You need to think about everything from network security and endpoint protection to access controls and incident response. Each decision also needs to account for your budget, business objectives, and exposure to cyberthreats.
Luckily, businesses don’t have to invent their own approach. There are frameworks that provide a roadmap for organizing security efforts and deciding what deserves attention first. Two of the most widely used options are NIST CSF and CIS Controls.
| Key takeaways – NIST CSF focuses on risk management, governance, and aligning cybersecurity with business goals. – CIS Controls provide practical, prioritized safeguards IT teams can apply to strengthen day-to-day security. – NIST is often better suited to organizations with regulatory, government, or executive reporting requirements. – CIS can be easier for smaller teams to adopt because its implementation groups provide a clear starting point. – Many organizations can benefit from using both frameworks together, with NIST guiding strategy and CIS supporting execution. |
The frameworks explained
Both frameworks help organizations improve cybersecurity, but they approach the problem from different directions.
What is NIST CSF 2.0?
The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) is a risk management framework created by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Originally launched in 2014, it was substantially updated in 2024 with NIST CSF 2.0. The framework gives businesses a structured approach for understanding, communicating, and managing cybersecurity risk without prescribing specific technologies or configurations.
The latest version organizes cybersecurity outcomes around six core functions:
- Govern: Establish cybersecurity policies, responsibilities, priorities, and oversight.
- Identify: Understand assets, systems, threats, vulnerabilities, and risk.
- Protect: Apply safeguards for systems, services, identities, and data protection.
- Detect: Identify suspicious activity and potential security events.
- Respond: Manage and contain cybersecurity incidents.
- Recover: Restore operations and improve resilience after an incident.
Together, these give leadership and technical teams a common language for discussing security investments, priorities, and risk.
NIST CSF is generally a flexible framework, rather than a checklist or certifiable standard. Most private companies adopt it voluntarily. US federal agencies are required to apply the framework to federal information systems, while some contractors may face separate NIST-based contractual obligations. For example, certain defense contractors handling controlled defense information must meet NIST SP 800-171 requirements.
What are the CIS Controls?
The Center for Internet Security (CIS) Controls provide a prioritized set of technical and operational safeguards designed to reduce exposure to common attacks. While NIST emphasizes outcomes and governance, CIS focuses on practical, actionable steps to strengthen cybersecurity defenses.
CIS Controls v8.1 contains 18 controls covering areas such as asset inventories, secure configurations, account management, vulnerability management, backups, network monitoring, and penetration testing. That makes CIS particularly useful for IT teams looking for actionable steps for account protection, software management, and other security controls.
CIS also uses three implementation groups (IGs) to help companies scale adoption according to their exposure and available resources:
- IG1: The starting point for organizations with limited cybersecurity resources and relatively straightforward IT environments. It focuses on basic cyber hygiene and the most essential safeguards against common attacks, making it practical for small businesses and small teams.
- IG2: Designed for organizations with more complex systems, larger workforces, or greater responsibility for sensitive or regulated data. It builds on IG1 with additional safeguards for businesses where a security incident could cause significant operational, financial, or reputational damage.
- IG3: Intended for organizations with mature security programs and the highest exposure to targeted or sophisticated attacks. It adds advanced safeguards for environments handling highly sensitive information, critical systems, or demanding regulatory requirements, where a breach could have severe consequences.
What are the key differences between NIST and CIS?
Understanding the differences between NIST CSF and CIS Controls makes it easier to choose the right framework for your organization.
Approach to security
NIST takes a risk-based approach. It helps leaders understand what needs protection, evaluate consequences, conduct risk assessments, and determine which improvements best support the organization. On the other hand, CIS is more prescriptive. Its controls are security best practices teams can execute and measure.
In simple terms, NIST focuses heavily on where your cybersecurity program needs to go, while CIS gives IT teams more detail about what to do next.
Compliance and standards
NIST and CIS can both support compliance, but they play different roles. NIST has stronger ties to US government security standards and federal cybersecurity requirements, making it relevant for organizations that work with government agencies or operate in heavily regulated sectors. NIST CSF itself is not a certification program, but it can help organizations structure their risk management efforts around recognized security expectations.
CIS is more focused on putting safeguards into practice. Its controls can support a broader compliance strategy because they align with multiple regulations, standards, and frameworks, including NIST CSF 2.0. That makes CIS useful for organizations that need clear technical actions to support regulatory compliance.
Applicability
NIST is well suited to organizations that need to connect information security with broader risk management, executive oversight, and regulatory compliance. It is especially valuable when cybersecurity decisions need to be communicated across leadership, auditors, or government stakeholders.
CIS is more practical for organizations focused on strengthening day-to-day security. Its prioritized safeguards give IT teams clear actions to follow, making it useful for both smaller businesses with limited resources and larger enterprises that want consistent technical controls.
Specificity and flexibility
NIST is intentionally outcome-focused. Its risk-based model leaves organizations free to choose technologies and procedures matching their business needs.
CIS is more specific. Teams receive a clearer tactical roadmap for improving their cybersecurity posture, which can make implementation easier when technical priorities are unclear.
Support and resources
Both options come with substantial support materials. NIST offers profiles, implementation guidance, reference mappings, and other resources for applying the cybersecurity framework. CIS provides controls documentation, benchmark guidance, mappings, policy resources, and implementation tools.
Complexity
NIST can take more effort to interpret because it describes the outcomes an organization should achieve rather than prescribing exactly how to achieve them. Businesses must translate those outcomes into policies and technical controls that fit their own environment, which can make implementation more demanding.
CIS is generally more straightforward because its safeguards are prioritized and action-oriented. IG1, in particular, gives organizations a practical starting point, allowing them to strengthen core protections before moving toward full implementation.
Updates and changes
Both frameworks aim to keep pace with evolving cyberthreats, technologies, and security practices. NIST CSF was first released in 2014 and received a major update in 2024. CIS Controls v8 was released in 2021, followed by v8.1 in 2024.
Neither framework follows a fixed annual update schedule. However, organizations should regularly check for updates and adjust their security posture as new recommendations emerge.
Which security framework fits your business?
There is no universal gold standard for every organization. The right framework depends on your risk exposure, contracts, industry, technical resources, and regulatory demands.
NIST CSF makes sense for companies seeking a mature risk management framework, stronger executive oversight, improved governance, or closer alignment between cybersecurity and organizational strategy. Federal agencies must use the framework, while businesses pursuing government work may also benefit from becoming familiar with NIST practices. Contractors should examine the specific requirements in their contracts, since obligations such as NIST SP 800-171 can be more detailed than CSF itself.
CIS may be a stronger starting point when immediate technical hardening is the priority. A company protecting customer data can use IG1 to establish essential safeguards, then expand its defenses as its risks, workforce, and technology environment grow.
But keep in mind that many businesses don’t need to treat the choice as strictly NIST vs. CIS. NIST can provide governance, strategic direction, and a broad view of organizational risk while CIS translates many security goals into practical technical actions. CIS even publishes mappings between its safeguards and NIST CSF 2.0, making the two approaches complementary rather than competing.
For Charlotte organizations, the best approach may be to use each framework for what it does best. NIST can guide governance, compliance, and long-term risk planning, while CIS can help technical teams turn those priorities into concrete security measures. Used together, they can give a business clearer direction at the leadership level and more practical execution at the operational level.
Build a security framework around your real risks
Choosing a framework is only the first step. Effective cybersecurity comes from applying it to your systems, people, risks, and operational priorities.
Refresh Technologies helps businesses evaluate their current security posture, identify gaps, and align safeguards with established frameworks including NIST CSF and CIS Controls. Our team can protect organizations without adding unnecessary complexity.
Contact us today to implement the security framework that best fits your business.