Aligning Microsoft Secure Score with Industry Standards: A Guide to NIST CSF

We showed you quick wins to boost Microsoft Secure Score in our previous post. But how do those actions fit into globally recognized frameworks like the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF)? This blog helps you map Secure Score improvements to NIST CSF for:  

• Executive and auditor compliance
• A holistic approach to risk management
• Streamlined enhancements with edgefi

 

What is NIST CSF?

  The NIST Cybersecurity Framework consists of six core functions: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover, and Govern. It’s widely used across industries to manage cybersecurity risk and demonstrate best practices.  

Mapping Microsoft Secure Score to NIST CSF

 

1. Identify

• Reviewing current configurations and services in use.
• Microsoft Secure Score documentation
• edgefi inventories your environment and updates Secure Score data in real time.

2. Protect

• Enabling MFA, conditional access, and anti-phishing measures.
• Identity Protection with Azure AD
• edgefi provides a single pane of glass to track protective measures, reducing complexity.

3. Detect

• Advanced threat detection, logging, and alerts.
• Microsoft 365 Defender advanced detection
• AI-driven anomaly detection managed by edgefi spotlights critical threats quickly.

4. Respond

• Incident response workflows and automated remediation.
• Microsoft 365 Incident Response
• edgefi consolidates alerts into one dashboard, speeding up response times.

5. Recover

• Backup plans and post-incident reviews.
• Microsoft 365 Backup and Recovery
• edgefi integrates backup/restore solutions and tracks recovery metrics for minimal downtime.

6. Govern

• Establishing and maintaining a governance framework to ensure cybersecurity policies and controls are enforced.
• Microsoft Compliance Manager
• edgefi helps track compliance with internal policies, regulatory requirements, and ensures continuous monitoring of security controls.

 

Benefits of Alignment

 

• Compliance Readiness: Present a clear mapping from Secure Score actions to recognized controls.
• Continuous Improvement: Raise your Secure Score by addressing each NIST CSF function.
• Executive Buy-In: Frame your security progress in terms of an industry-standard framework.

  Aligning Microsoft Secure Score with NIST CSF elevates your cybersecurity strategy. Next, learn how to make these improvements sustainable in our fourth blog post. Don’t want to do it all by yourself? Let edgefi help you in bridging Microsoft 365 security data with leading frameworks for hassle-free compliance.