The National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF) is being used by organizations around the world to level up their cybersecurity. But smaller businesses may be asking if there’s anything in it for them. After all, NIST CSF is a comprehensive framework developed by a US government agency in conjunction with international cybersecurity experts. Sounds complicated. But there are plenty of reasons for every size business to use the framework—and lots of ways to do it, including building your security stack around the Blumira SIEM-based XDR.
SMBs are especially vulnerable to cyberattacks
The cyberattacks that make the news are usually the ones that impact a large organization or a piece of critical infrastructure. But small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are especially vulnerable to cyberattacks for a number of reasons:
Tight budgets. With fewer resources to dedicate to cybersecurity, you can’t just go out and hire a team of high-priced experts or pay for an enterprise-scale monitoring system. Cybercriminals look for vulnerabilities at SMBs because they expect to find outdated software or weak security practices.
A target on your back: Many SMBs don’t fully grasp the extent of cyber threats or they believe they’re immune to attacks. But cybercriminals often target SMBs precisely because they perceive them as easier targets.
No time for training. Employees in smaller businesses may not receive comprehensive training on cybersecurity best practices. This can result in inadvertent actions, such as clicking on phishing emails or using weak passwords, that can compromise the organization’s security.
Everyone else out there. Vulnerabilities aren’t just inside your business. Third-party vendors and components of your supply chain that don’t have robust security measures in place can end up being a backdoor access point to your network.
Don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. SMBs may underestimate the value to a cybercriminal of the customer and financial data they handle in the course of day-to-day business. Inadequate protection of sensitive data can have all kinds of consequences, from reputational damage to regulatory and legal consequences.
No plan for attack. Without a robust incident response plan in place, it can be difficult for an SMB to effectively respond to and recover from a cyberattack. This lack of preparedness can lead to extended downtime and increased damage.
The NIST Cybersecurity Framework can be used by any size organization to level up cybersecurity and meet their overall goals. Because it’s a flexible framework, it can be used on an ongoing basis to continue evolving your security posture.
An overview of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework
The NIST framework is built around five pillars that you can use as a guide for developing a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover. The framework is not a mandate or a law. Instead, it’s a source for best practices and resources that you can adopt based on current and future business needs. It includes a process for developing profiles that you can use to help assess the gap between current cybersecurity readiness and prioritize resources that will be needed to reduce risk.
The framework doesn’t specify which pillars are most important, and it doesn’t prescribe specific tools or activities. Instead, IT teams and their service providers are encouraged to explore every component, as well as the wealth of available resources, and develop their own plans. In addition to up-leveling cybersecurity and reducing risk, NIST CSF can be used to address compliance issues and implement Zero Trust policies.
As you dig into the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, you may begin to ask whether there are tools designed with SMBs in mind for identifying, protecting, detecting, and responding to potential cyberattacks so you can manage a quick and smooth recovery. One such tool is the Blumira SIEM-based XDR.
SMBs level up cybersecurity with SIEM-based XDR
The Blumira SIEM is a cloud-based Security Information and Event Management solution plus Extended Detection and Response (XDR) that takes a holistic approach. Blumira unites endpoint, network, cloud, and user behavior analytics with intelligent threat detection and automated response. Persistent, modern threats are able to bypass conventional defenses and point solutions. Regardless of the size of your organization, you need analytics-driven detection and response capabilities to reliably thwart attacks.
SIEM-based XDR serves as a force multiplier, providing focused analysis and reliable automation that requires less time from your team. Use Blumira to gain an asymmetrical advantage against threats with a more proactive approach. As you explore the NIST CSF, you’ll see that Blumira can help you accomplish many of the recommended strategies under each of the pillars, including:
Identify. Blumira SIEM+XDR supports asset discovery with automated, contextualized mapping of IT infrastructure, cloud environments, and data flows.
Protect. Collecting and correlating data across the entire IT environment provides complete situational awareness to avoid blind spots.
Detect. Behavior analysis and detection leverages machine learning to support continuous monitoring and faster threat identification.
Respond. Customizable playbooks accelerate investigation and containment when incidents occur, limiting the impact on the rest of the organization.
Recover. Protections driven by real-time, contextual security intelligence boost your ability to adapt and recover from disruptions.
From the start, Blumira has been sensitive to the resource constraints of small and medium-sized businesses. That’s why our solution was designed to be holistic and analytics-driven to reduce complexity and costs. Our secure SaaS platform enables rapid deployment and time-to-value. Pre-configured analytics, threat intelligence, and compliance reporting deliver results out of the box while allowing customizations for an organization’s unique needs.
Blumira experts work with you behind the scenes to make sure you’re getting the most out of your SIEM and providing the best protection for your organization. Blumira is a great fit for SMBs working with the NIST framework to enhance their risk profile and meet compliance obligations.
Learn more about how Blumira supports your cybersecurity strategy — sign up for the free Blumira SIEM.
This article is part of a five-part series that can help your business adopt the NIST CSF.
