How to Use SAFE to Mature Your Cybersecurity Risk Management Program with NIST CSF 2.0

Understand your current risk – then shift right to continuous risk management

By Pankaj Goyal, Michael Smilanich and Chris Khadan

In today’s complex digital landscape, organizations must take a proactive, structured approach to managing cybersecurity risks, making a robust, carefully planned Cybersecurity Risk Management Program (CRMP) a strategic necessity. 

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 is a globally recognized standard that helps organizations strengthen cybersecurity through a flexible, business-oriented approach, particularly through the recommendations on program development in the framework’s Govern function.  But the direction in CSF 2.0 is high-level, leaving it to organizations to find their own path to compliance. 

Now, SAFE has contributed a new guide intended to both educate CISOs and GRC leaders on the concepts in CSF 2.0 but also to take specific steps to build their CRMP using the SAFE platform for managing enterprise, third-party and emerging risk. 

Download the guide now: 

How to Use SAFE to Mature Your Cybersecurity Risk Management Program with NIST CSF 2.0

The guide builds on the white paper published by the FAIR Institute on using Factor Analysis of Information Risk (FAIR) to build a CRMP. It leverages the definitions of the implementation tiers of the NIST CSF 2.0 GOVERN framework and focuses on how the SAFE platform can help organizations build a continuous, data-driven CRMP.

Sections of the guide include: 

WHAT: A CRMP establishes a structured, risk-driven framework that systematically identifies, assesses, mitigates, and monitors cybersecurity risks, integrating with organizational objectives and regulatory requirements to provide a repeatable process for safeguarding critical systems and data.

WHY: A strong CRMP is essential for defending against Cybersecurity threats, ensuring business continuity, and meeting regulatory requirements like NIST CSF, ISO 27001, GDPR, and PCI-DSS. It provides a structured approach to risk management, aligning security efforts with business goals while preventing financial and reputational damage.

WHO: Stakeholders in the CRMP include executives and board members, as well as IT, legal, cyber, and business function or operational teams, all of whom rely on the program’s outputs to align security efforts with their related roles in governance, finance, technical execution, and regulatory adherence.

WHERE: Within an organization, the CRMP operates through the Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) function, supported by risk analysts and operational teams, embedding risk management practices into daily processes and strategic planning across all departments.

HOW: Leveraging the CSF’s Govern function, the CRMP defines implementation tiers that guide organizations in assessing their current governance maturity, establishing risk management policies and enhancing program effectiveness through a structured, scalable roadmap tailored to the organization’s unique risk profile..

WHEN:  The CRMP is a continuous, ongoing process rather than a point-in-time exercise; it incorporates real-time threat monitoring, period risk assessments, and iterative improvements to address dynamic cybersecurity threats and organizational changes effectively.

Shift Right: By leveraging the SAFE Platform, the CRMP advances to a more data-driven and forward-looking approach, allowing for quantification of risk in financial terms and providing an avenue for precise, predictive decision-making designed to optimize outcomes.

Building a Continuous Cyber Risk Management Program with SAFE

The guide walks through the CSF 2.0 Govern subcategories showing in detail how the SAFE platform and risk advisory services fulfill each one by directly implementing a solution or advising. Then the guide explains six steps to take leveraging SAFE to pass each milestone towards a continuous CRMP:

1. Understand current maturity level, using the Tiers in CSF 2.0
2. Set a target date to hit maturity goals. 
3. Task owners for each segment of your plan
4. Define an execution plan in sprints
5. Manage your progress with the SAFE platform 

Tracking improvement in controls on SAFE One platform 

The SAFE platform also supports measurement for cost/benefit analysis so that any proposed step in the compliance process can be tested for the return on investment in risk reduction. 

“With a combination of risk advisory and platform capabilities, the SAFE platform enables you to understand your current state and shift right towards a continuous risk management program,” the guide concludes. 

Download the guide now: 

How to Use SAFE to Mature Your Cybersecurity Risk Management Program with NIST CSF 2.0

Watch our introductory video: See Safe in Action