NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Corner: A Free Place to Start

At a glance

• What it is: a free collection of small-business cybersecurity guidance from NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
• Where to start: the Cybersecurity Basics page, then the Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 Small Business Quick Start Guide.
• What it isn't: a certification, a compliance checklist or legal advice. It's guidance you can use at your own pace.

If you run a small business, you've probably heard that you should "follow NIST." That can sound like a lot. NIST publishes long technical documents written for big organizations and federal agencies.

The good news is that NIST also runs a site built for you: the Small Business Cybersecurity Corner. It's free, it's written for smaller organizations, and it gathers guidance from NIST and other government and nonprofit sources in one place. Here's what's on it and how to use it without getting overwhelmed.

What the Small Business Cybersecurity Corner offers

The site is organized into a handful of sections:

• Cybersecurity Basics: a short list of first steps, such as turning on multi-factor authentication, backing up data and keeping software updated.
• Quick Start Guides: short introductions to some of NIST's bigger frameworks. NIST says these are meant to help small organizations get started, not to replace the full publications.
• Guidance by Topic: pages on subjects such as phishing, ransomware, multi-factor authentication, cloud security, cyber insurance, supply chain and responding to a cyber incident.
• Guidance by Sector: resources for the health and manufacturing sectors.
• Training, videos and a glossary for you and your staff.
• Small Business Cybersecurity Support Programs Finder: a tool to find nonprofit-hosted programs in your region that offer cybersecurity help to small businesses.
• Community of Interest: regular calls and webinars where NIST shares updates with the small-business community.

One thing worth knowing: much of the content links to resources from other contributors, such as federal agencies and nonprofits. NIST notes that listing an organization isn't an endorsement.

Where to start

If you only read two things, make them these:

1. The Cybersecurity Basics page. It's short and practical, and it points to the most common problems small businesses face.
2. The NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0: Small Business Quick Start Guide. NIST describes it as a way for small and medium businesses with modest or no cybersecurity plans to kick-start their cybersecurity risk management. It introduces the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 without asking you to read the full framework first.

After that, use Guidance by Topic to go deeper on whatever matters most to your business right now.

Five practical first steps

These steps come straight from NIST's Cybersecurity Basics page. None of them needs special tools or a big budget.

1. Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) everywhere it's offered. NIST recommends requiring it for employees on every account that supports it, and phishing-resistant MFA where possible. Start with email, banking and admin accounts. NIST's multi-factor authentication page explains how it works in plain terms, and our guide to setting up MFA walks through it step by step.
2. Use strong passwords and change the defaults. Require strong passwords, consider a password manager, and replace any default manufacturer passwords on routers, cameras and other devices.
3. Back up your data, and test the backups. NIST's basics list includes regular backups plus measures to protect and test them. A backup you've never restored is a guess.
4. Keep software updated and protected. Update and patch software when new versions come out, and keep antivirus software installed and current.
5. Train your team, and plan for a bad day. NIST lists basic cybersecurity training for employees, plus learning how to protect against phishing and ransomware. Its Responding to a Cyber Incident page collects resources for what to do if something goes wrong, including where to report cybercrime.

What NIST's guidance is, and isn't

The Small Business Cybersecurity Corner is free, voluntary guidance from a federal agency. Using it doesn't give you a certification, and it doesn't by itself prove you meet any law, contract or insurance requirement. If you have specific compliance obligations, check the exact requirements with the agency, customer or insurer involved, or talk to a qualified professional.

What it does give you is a trustworthy, no-cost place to learn the basics and pick your next step. For more free government resources from CISA, the FTC and the SBA, see our guide to free government cybersecurity resources.

NIST sources used in this article

• Small Business Cybersecurity Corner (NIST)
• Cybersecurity Basics
• NIST Small Business Quick-Start Guides
• NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 for Small Business
• Small Business Cybersecurity Support Programs Finder

Want a second set of eyes?

Reading guidance is one thing. Knowing how your own business measures up is another. Our free Security Checkup is a quick way to see where you stand. If you'd like help turning NIST's basics into a short, prioritized plan for your business, request a service and we'll take it from there.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Hawkcrest Cyber is an independent consultancy and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NIST. Resource names and descriptions are as shown on NIST's website on October 28, 2026.