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NIST RMF

NIST RMF | SP 800-53 Compliance, Consulting for Federal Contractors

Offering NIST RMF, SP 800-53 regulatory compliance, consulting, and advisory services for federal contractors

NIST Risk Management Framework

Centris offers NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF) consulting, advisory and audit services for federal contractors and other organizations seeking to develop a documented information security lifecycle relating to security and privacy. In short, the NIST RMF, when developed correctly, incorporates a wealth of information security and privacy controls and related best practices for helping organizations ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA) of information systems. Additionally, existing federal reporting requirements (i.e., FISMA, FedRAMP, CMMC, eMASS RMF, NIST 800-171) are all built around the NIST RMF.

7 Steps in the RMF

Per NIST Special Publication 800-37 Revision 2, Risk Management Framework for Information Systems and Organizations, “There are seven steps in the RMF; a preparatory step to ensure that organizations are ready to execute the process and six main steps. All seven steps are essential for the successful execution of the RMF.
 

Phase I: Identify, Prioritize and Scope

With a seemingly never ending list of technology risks that can impact an organization, it’s important to determine what categories of risk to assess, and for what business environments and operations. Key to successful technology risk management is a disciplined commitment in identifying specific risk categories to apply for specific business environments and operations, then targeting them with a high-degree of granularity for producing credible and useful findings. We also have years of expertise working with cyber related compliance programs, such as FISMA, FBI CJIS, FedRAMP, eMASS/NISP, NIST 800-171, and CMMC. 

 

Phase II: Assess & Document

Our technology risk assessment process is comprehensive, taking a deep dive for ensuring that all technology related risks and vulnerabilities are identified, and that the relevant likelihood, impact, and overall risk rating and level of risks are documented. The end result? A comprehensive, easy-to-read and digest report to be shared with all key stakeholders regarding the findings.

 

Gap Assessments:

All of today’s programs utilizing the NIST RMF (i.e., FISMA, FedRAMP, CMMC, eMASS RMF, NIST 800-171) can be challenging in terms of meeting compliance, which is why a gap assessment is highly recommended. As a federal contractor offering services to the U.S. government (or perhaps local and state agencies), it’s imperative to assess one’s controls regarding their maturity, and what gaps and deficiencies exist. Diving straight into a compliance assessment in hopes of earning validation against the likes of FISMA, FedRAMP, CMMC, eMASS RMF, NIST 800-171, etc., without a gap assessment is not recommended. You need to properly plan, which means undertaking a gap assessment first.

 

POAM/CAP/Remediation:

Gaps will exist, no question about it, as every organization has some type of control deficiency to correct. From missing information security policies and procedures to misconfigured system settings – and more – Centris has the subject matter expertise and manpower for helping organizations close all Plan of Action & Milestones (POAMs) and Corrective Action Plan (CAP) items quickly and comprehensively.

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From FISMA to FedRAMP – and More – Centris Has You Covered

Virtually all of today’s federal security, governance, and compliance laws and regulations for contractors include provisions relating to the actual NIST RMF. From compliance with FedRAMP to FISMA, CMMC, eMASS RMF, DFARS NIST 800-171 – and more – the NIST RMF is deeply embedded in these program requirements. We offer professional services and solutions for ensuring all aspects of the NIST RMF are successfully implemented for your organization.
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Policies and Procedures Writing:

When it comes to federal compliance with the NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF), documentation in terms of policies, procedures, and programs is absolutely critical. Writing security policies is one of the most tedious and taxing exercises that organizations simply loathe, and understandably so. With Centris, our federal compliance experts have years writing security policies and procedures, along with developing comprehensive programs relating to incident response, disaster recovery/contingency planning, configuration management, and much more.

Additionally, our expertly developed templates serve as a starting baseline for rapid policy development.

 

I.T. Security Tools & Solutions Sourcing:

Many times, remediating controls also requires implementing security tools and solutions for audit logging, vulnerability scanning, file integrity monitoring, intrusion detection, and much more. Identifying the appropriate tools needed, along with implementation – can be a time-consuming and complex undertaking. With Centris, we can help in determining the best security tools & solutions needed for your environment, then help with critical implementation.

 

System Security Plan (SSP) Development:

Federal contractors seeking Authorization to Operate (ATO) designation will need to document their controls within a System Security Plan (SSP). The purpose of the System Security Plan (SSP) is to provide an overview of the security requirements of the system and describe the controls in place or planned, for meeting those requirements. The System Security Plan also delineates responsibilities and expected behavior of all individuals who access the system.

The System Security Plan should be viewed as documentation of the structured process of planning adequate, cost-effective security protection for a system. It should reflect input from various managers with responsibilities concerning the system, including information owners, the system operator, and the system security manager. Centris has years of experience authoring SSPs for federal contractors, which equates to efficiency and quality from us to you.

 

Security Assessment Reports (SAR):

Centris offers third-party independent Security Assessment Reports (SAR) for the NIST RMF. This is often applicable for FISMA reporting, where SARs have long been the standard for assessing and validating controls against the NIST SP 800-53 framework. Centris has long issued SARs for federal contractors all throughout North America.

 

Continuous Monitoring:

As defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), information security continuous monitoring (ISCM) is “maintaining ongoing awareness of information security, vulnerabilities, and threats to support organizational risk management decisions.”

Maintaining an up-to-date view of information security risks across an organization is a complex, multifaceted undertaking. It requires the involvement of the entire organization, from senior leaders providing governance and strategic vision to individuals developing, implementing, and operating individual information systems in support of the organization’s core missions and business functions. Now more than ever, organizations need to engage in continuous monitoring activities, and Centris can assist. With years of federal compliance expertise, Centris can design, build and implement a continuous monitoring program for your organization.

"The Risk Management Framework provides a process that integrates security, privacy, and cyber supply chain risk management activities into the system development life cycle."
NIST

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