Every time you log on to the Internet, you put your IT systems and the data you handle at risk. At the same time, it’s also impossible to run a successful business without going online, so a key element of modern business management is a strong cybersecurity risk management program. Why? Because the only people in the cybersecurity field working harder than software engineers are the criminals trying to find a new way to breach the latest network security measures.

NIST is the abbreviated name of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It’s one of many federal agencies under the U.S. Department of Commerce, and is one of the oldest physical science laboratories in the United States. As a non-regulatory government agency, NIST was originally founded to enable greater industrial competitiveness in the United States. Its focus stems from the mantra, “One cannot manage what is not measured.

NIST compliance is mandatory for federal contractors, but there is a lot of confusion around it. Without it, chances of getting those big projects in the government are significantly skewed. So what is NIST compliance exactly?

In 2019, the hospitality industry suffered 13 percent of all data breaches, ranking third highest among targeted industries. It was two years later when NIST released SP 1800-27: Securing Property Management Systems to help hoteliers secure their Property Management Systems (PMS) and associated patron data.