- Editable cybersecurity documentation that is focused on NIST 800-53 Moderate alignment.
- Compliance-focused policies and standards that come with a wealth of free resources.
- Affordable solution that is designed to be efficient and scalable. Written to be business-friendly.
- One-time purchase - no subscription or software to install. Comes with editable Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel documentation.
Don't Write It From Scratch.
If a federal assessor reviewed your program today, could you show documented NIST 800-53 controls? With what you have right now, would your policies and standards hold up to a FedRAMP, RMF, or CMMC review, or are they incomplete, outdated, or scattered across your team?
For most teams, building NIST 800-53 documentation from scratch means months of senior staff time mapping controls across the Low and Moderate baselines. The NIST 800-53 R5 Moderate Cybersecurity & Data Protection Program (CDPP) gives you a running start: editable policies, control objectives, standards, and metrics aligned to the NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 Moderate baseline, with coverage that supports NIST 800-171 and CMMC 2.0 Levels 1-2. The templates get you roughly 80 to 90 percent of the way there. From there you tailor the details to your environment and move toward audit readiness in far less time than writing it yourself.
The Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and the Department of Defense Information Assurance Risk Management Framework (RMF) rely on the NIST 800-53 framework, so vendors to the US federal government must meet those same requirements in order to pass these rigorous certification programs. Additionally, for NIST 800-171, Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Information Systems and Organizations, NIST 800-53 is called out as the best practices for government contractors to secure their systems. That further helps strengthen NIST 800-53 as a best practice within the US, especially for any government contractors. We have a section that describes NIST 800-171 and Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) if you are interested in that subject.
NIST 800-53 includes what both ISO 27002 and NIST CSF addresses, as well as a whole host of other requirements. NIST 800-53 is the basis for the controls found in NIST 800-171 / CMMC. NIST 800-53 is commonly found in the financial, medical and government contracting industries. One great thing about NIST 800-53, and it applies almost universally to all NIST 800-series publications. As with other NIST publications, it is freely available, at no cost to the public - http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPs.html.
The NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline version of the CDPP is ideal for organizations that need to demonstrate alignment with NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 Moderate Baseline for compliance, contractual obligations, customer assurance, or audit purposes. Unlike framework-agnostic templates, every policy and standard in this product is structured around the NIST 800-53 taxonomy, so cross-references and audit responses are direct.
What Is The NIST 800-53 Moderate Baseline CDPP?
Is your company looking for a NIST 800-53 policy and standard document? The NIST 800-53 rev5 Low & Moderate Baseline-based Cybersecurity & Data Protection Program (CDPP-LM) is our leading set of NIST-based cybersecurity policies and standards. This is a comprehensive, editable, easily implemented document that contains the policies, control objectives, standards and guidelines that your company needs to establish a world-class IT security program. Being Microsoft Word documents, you have the ability to make edits, as needed. For companies that need to be compliant with NIST 800-171, the CDPP-LM provides coverage for NIST 800-53 rev5 low & moderate baseline controls so you could implement the CDPP-LM for your NIST 800-171 compliance needs (CMMC 2.0 Levels 1-2).
When you look at NIST 800-53 as it compares to other cybersecurity frameworks, it is on the more robust side of the spectrum, based on the topics it covers. NIST 800-53 rev5 consists of 20 different families of cybersecurity and privacy controls. The NIST 800-53 rev5 Low & Moderate CDPP has a security policy for each of these 20 families of controls and standards to address the LOW & MODERATE baseline controls of this framework. You can see examples of the NIST 800-53 CDPP's policies and standards below, as well as a product walkthrough video.
This product is intended for medium and large organizations, government agencies, and any organization whose primary regulatory or contractual driver is alignment with NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 Moderate Baseline. If your organization needs to address multiple frameworks simultaneously, consider the SCRP (Security, Compliance & Resilience Program) instead, which covers 200+ frameworks.
- Defense Contractors (CMMC, RMF, etc.);
- Government Contractors (FedRAMP, RMF, etc.);
- Technology Businesses (e.g., MSPs, CSPs, etc.);
- General Business (large);
- Retail (large);
- Healthcare (large); and
- Insurance (large).
- Smaller Businesses.
There Is No Software To Install
This product is a one-time purchase of editable Microsoft Office documentation templates. There is no software to install, no agent to deploy, no account to provision, and no cloud environment to configure. If your organization can open and edit Microsoft Word or Excel files (or compatible tools like OpenOffice and Google Workspace), you can use this product.
Microsoft Word & Excel
Delivered as fully editable .docx and .xlsx files. Compatible with Word 2016 and newer, Microsoft 365, OpenOffice, LibreOffice, and Google Docs/Sheets.
Email Delivery
Documentation is delivered via email download link within 1 to 2 business days of purchase. There is no installer, no license server, and no activation step.
One-Time Purchase
A single-entity license is included with purchase. There is no recurring subscription requirement, although an optional update subscription is available to stay current as frameworks evolve.
This deployment model is intentional. Cybersecurity documentation benefits from being in the organization's own hands, inside the organization's own version control and document management systems, rather than locked inside a vendor's SaaS tool. Once delivered, this product belongs to the buyer.
What Problems Does The CDPP Solve?
Most organizations face one or more of the following challenges when trying to align with NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 Moderate Baseline. The NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline version of the CDPP was designed specifically to address them.
Lack Of In-House Security Experience
Writing security documentation is a skill that many good cybersecurity professionals simple are not proficient at and avoid the task at all cost. Tasking your security analysts and engineers to write comprehensive documentation means you are actively taking them away from protecting and defending your network, which is not a wise use of their time. The NIST-based CDPP is an efficient method to obtain comprehensive NIST 800-53 based security policies and standards for your organization!
Compliance Requirements
Nearly every organization, regardless of industry, is required to have formally-documented security policies and standards. Requirements range from PCI DSS to HIPAA to NIST 800-171. The CDPP is designed with compliance in mind, since it focuses on leading security frameworks to address reasonably-expected security requirements. The CDPP maps to several leading compliance frameworks so you can clearly see what is required!
Audit Failures
Security documentation does not age gracefully like a fine wine. Outdated documentation leads to gaps that expose organizations to audit failures and system compromises. The CDPP's standards provides mapping to leading security frameworks to show you exactly what is required to both stay secure and compliant.
Vendor & Customer Requirements
It is very common for clients and partners to request evidence of a security program and this includes policies and standards. The CDPP provides this evidence!
How Does The CDPP Solve These Problems?
The NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline version of the CDPP addresses each challenge above with specific, measurable outcomes.
Clear Documentation
The CDPP provides comprehensive documentation to prove that your security program exists. This equates to a time saving of hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars in staff and consultant expenses!
Time Savings
The CDPP can provide your organization with a semi-customized solution that requires minimal resources to fine tune for your organization's specific needs.
Audit-Defensible Format
Documentation is written to withstand scrutiny by external assessors and NIST 800-53 auditors. Footnotes provide authoritative source references throughout.
Alignment With Leading Practices
The NIST-based CDPP is written to align your organization with NIST 800-53 rev5!
What Is Included With The CDPP?
The NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline version of the CDPP is delivered as editable Microsoft Office documents. Purchase includes a single-entity license, the first year of product updates, and all of the following content components.
Microsoft Word Version
Cover page and executive summary template, policy sections aligned to NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 Moderate Baseline structure, supporting standards for each policy domain, guidelines, parameters, recommended defaults, and footnoted references to the NIST 800-53 source controls. Revision history and change management structure are included.
Microsoft Excel Version
Full NIST 800-53 Rev 5 Moderate Baseline control catalog with mappings to provide cross-walk mapping from NIST 800-53 Rev 5 Moderate Baseline to the CDPP's policies and standards, as well as other common laws, regulations and frameworks.
NIST 800-53 Integration Content
Direct mapping to current NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 Moderate Baseline, cross-reference matrix to other major frameworks where applicable, assessment-ready language and structure, and evidence requirements identified per control.
Optional: Pairs With CSOP (NIST 800-53 Version)
The NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline version of the CDPP covers policies and standards. For step-by-step procedures with 1-to-1 mapping to the NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline version of the CDPP's standards, the companion NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline version of the Cybersecurity Standardized Operating Procedures (CSOP) is sold separately and is frequently bundled.
Cost Savings Estimate
When you look at the costs associated with either (1) hiring an external consultant to write cybersecurity documentation for you or (2) tasking your internal staff to write it, the cost comparisons paint a clear picture that buying from ComplianceForge is the logical option. Compared to hiring a consultant, you can save months of wait time and tens of thousands of dollars. Whereas, compared to writing your own documentation, you can potentially save hundreds of work hours and the associated cost of lost productivity. Purchasing the NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline version of the CDPP from ComplianceForge offers these fundamental advantages when compared to the other options for obtaining quality cybersecurity documentation:
Internal Staff Cost
For your internal staff to generate comparable documentation, it would take them an estimated 600 internal staff work hours, which equates to a cost of approximately $38,000 in staff-related expenses. This is about 6 to 12 months of development time where your staff would be diverted from other work.
The NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline version of the CDPP is approximately 5% of the cost for your internal staff to generate equivalent documentation.
External Consultant Cost
If you hire a consultant to generate this documentation, it would take them an estimated 500 consultant work hours, which equates to a cost of approximately $95,500. This is about 4 to 8 months of development time for a contractor to provide you with the deliverable.
The NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline version of the CDPP is approximately 2% of the cost for an external consultant to generate equivalent documentation.
Product Examples
Some of our customers ask whether we have a "nist policy template" or a "cybersecurity policy template". The short answer to this question is yes, we do, but we first have to clarify which framework they are trying to comply with, as each framework is different. This version of the Cybersecurity & Data Protection Program (CDPP) is based on the NIST 800-53 rev5 framework. It contains cybersecurity policies and standards that align with NIST 800-53 (including NIST 800-171 & CMMC requirements). You get fully-editable Microsoft Word and Excel documents that you can customize for your specific needs. To understand the differences between the NIST 800-53, ISO 27002 and NIST CSF versions of the CDPP, please visit here for more details.
Below are PDF examples of what you would expect from our Microsoft Word and Excel documentation, so you can see the quality and structure of the NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline version of the CDPP.
Below is a PDF example containing a sample of what you would receive upon purchasing the CDPP.
Below is a PDF example containing crosswalk mappings pertinent to NIST 800-53 Rev 5 Moderate baseline .
How Much Customization Is Remaining?
Given the difficult nature of writing templated cybersecurity documentation, ComplianceForge aims for approximately a 90% solution because it is impossible to write a 100% cookie-cutter document that can be equally applied across every organization. ComplianceForge did the heavy lifting, and the remaining work is to fine-tune the NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline version of the CDPP with the specific information that only your organization knows.
In practice, the remaining customization is essentially filling in the blanks and following the guidance provided to identify the who, what, when, where, why, and how for your specific environment. Typical customization tasks include adding your company name and logo, tailoring parameters such as review cadences and thresholds, naming specific owner roles, and removing sections that do not apply to your organization.
Professional Services
ComplianceForge offers optional professional services to customize purchased documentation. Professional services are not required to customize ComplianceForge documentation. However, some clients want our subject matter expertise to help customize their documentation to meet their specific business needs. If you have any questions about our professional services, please contact us at:
We offer the following professional service bundles:
5-Hour Bundle
This includes five (5) hours of professional services, which may be beneficial for companies that need some guidance on getting started with how to tailor their documentation.
10-Hour Bundle
This includes ten (10) hours of professional services, which may be beneficial for companies that need additional guidance on tailoring their documentation to meet their compliance requirements.
20-Hour Bundle
This includes twenty (20) hours of professional services, which may be beneficial for companies that need robust services, beyond just 10 hours, to assist in tailoring their documentation to meet their compliance requirements.
Purchased professional service hours expire 120 days (4 months) from the time of purchase if unused. Hours are intended to supplement, not replace, your own customization work, since only your organization knows the exact details to tailor your documentation. For questions regarding scoping a professional services engagement or configuring a custom package, contact ComplianceForge directly through the Contact Us page.
Why The CDPP Is Specifically Built For NIST 800-53
The NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline version of the CDPP differs from broad, multi-framework products like the SCRP because it is intentionally specialized for NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 Moderate Baseline. Every policy heading, every standard, and every metric uses the language and structure of NIST 800-53 so that auditors, assessors, and internal stakeholders see exactly what they expect.
To understand the NIST SP 800-53 R5 CDPP-LM, we took the controls from NIST SP 800-53 R5 and transformed those controls into a viable set of policies and standards that are directly tied to NIST SP 800-53 R5. The twenty (20) families of controls found in NIST SP 800-53 R5 equate to the twenty (20) policies in the Cybersecurity & Data Protection Program (CDPP) and this creates a comprehensive cybersecurity framework, since the standards in the CDPP-LM map directly to the low, moderate and high controls in NIST SP 800-53 R5. To help organize the CDPP to make it easier for readers, the CDPP-LM organizes the families of NIST SP 800-53 R5 according to FIPS 199 Management, Operational & Technical categories:
Pairs Directly With The CSOP
The NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline version of the CDPP answers the what and why questions for NIST 800-53 compliance through policies and standards. The matching NIST 800-53 Moderate Baseline version of the Cybersecurity Standardized Operating Procedures (CSOP) answers the how question with step-by-step procedures that map 1-to-1 to the NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline version of the CDPP's standards.
Buying both as a bundle is the most common configuration for organizations that want a complete documentation set. Procedures are not optional from an audit standpoint, since auditors need to verify that standards are actually implemented in operational practice, and procedures are the documented evidence of that implementation.
CISO & Executive Reporting Benefits
The NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline version of the CDPP includes metrics that are designed for executive reporting. CISOs need to communicate program health in language that executives understand, and the NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline version of the CDPP's metrics are structured to roll up from individual control performance to executive-level dashboards.
This is particularly important for organizations subject to NIST 800-53 oversight, where leadership accountability is increasingly explicit. The metrics provided are mapped to common reporting cadences such as monthly, quarterly, and annual, and identify suggested owners, target thresholds, and escalation criteria.