What is a NIST CSF Profile? 5 Steps to Building Your First Organizational CSF Profile

Cybersecurity has evolved from a purely technical issue into a core business risk, necessitating the active involvement of executive leadership (C-Suite). In this context, the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) has emerged as the global standard framework. However, to transform this theoretical framework into strategic action, organizations require a pivotal tool: the NIST CSF Organizational Profiles.

This article defines CSF Profiles, explains why they are mandatory for optimizing cybersecurity investments, and provides a detailed 5-step guide for your organization to begin building its first Profiles.

What are NIST CSF Profiles? Why Can't They Be Applied Generically? 

A Simple Definition for Managers 

An Organizational CSF Profiles is a mechanism that describes the current and/or target cybersecurity posture of an organization based on the Outcomes found in the CSF Core.

Put simply, Profiles act as a strategic map that helps managers:

• Understand: Clearly identify the current cybersecurity position and the level it needs to reach.
• Prioritize: Focus resources and budgets on the most specific and critical actions.
• Communicate: Provide a common language to discuss cybersecurity risks and capabilities with relevant stakeholders

Differences Between Current Profiles and Target Profiles

Each Organizational Profilea include one or both of the following components: 

Why Does Your Business Need to Build a CSF Profiles Right Now? 

In a volatile market where cyber threats grow increasingly complex, building CSF Profiles is more than a technical task—it is a strategic move to protect core values and drive business growth.

Optimizing Investment Efficiency and Protecting Profits 

Instead of scattered and disjointed investments, the CSF Profiles allow leadership to focus resources on the most critical areas. 

• Transforming Costs into Strategic Investment: Clearly identifying priority categories based on actual risks helps optimize IT budgets and improve the ROI of cybersecurity activities.
• Ensuring Business Continuity: Minimizing financial damage from disruptions protects cash flow and brand reputation against cyberattack risks. 

Standardizing According to International Standards – Gaining Competitive Advantage and Expanding Markets

Adopting the NIST CSF framework provides businesses with a "passport" to the global arena. 

• Enhancing Credibility with International Partners: Standardizing processes according to global standards helps businesses easily pass rigorous security audits from partners and multinational corporations (MNCs).
• Ready for Scalability: A standardized cybersecurity process serves as the foundation for businesses to replicate operational models rapidly while maintaining good control over emerging risks. 

Synchronizing Governance – Accelerating Decision-Making Speed

The CSF Profiles act as a "linguistic bridge," converting dry technical parameters into valuable management data. 

• C-Suite Perspective: Provides a panoramic view of system health and Risk Appetite, enabling the CEO/Board of Directors to make decisions based on factual data.
• IT Management Perspective: Transforms business objectives into specific technical actions, ensuring the IT team remains closely aligned with the organization's development strategy.
  

Core Goal: The CSF Profiles are not merely a compliance document; it is a roadmap that helps businesses mitigate risks and establish a distinct competitive advantage, creating a prerequisite for rapid expansion and sustainable development in the digital age.  

5 Steps to Building Your First NIST CSF Profiles 

Building a NIST CSF Profiles is a strategic risk management process that integrates cybersecurity into core business decisions. Below is a detailed description of each step according to the NIST CSF 2.0 guidelines: 

Step 1: Scope the Organizational Profile 

This foundational step ensures that security efforts align with the organization’s goals, mission, and risk appetite. 

• Identify Business Objectives and Priorities: Senior leadership (C-Suite) must clarify which business functions are mission-critical and require the highest level of protection. The Profiles scope will prioritize assets and systems that directly support these functions. 
• Scoping: 
  • The Profiles can apply enterprise-wide or only to a specific part (e.g., the supply chain, a major digital transformation project, or an Operational Technology - OT system)
  • Businesses also need to define the assumptions and the Regulatory & Risk Context that will govern this Profile.
• Integrate Governance (GOVERN): This step establishes senior management involvement, ensuring cybersecurity priorities are guided by the GOVERN function of the CSF Core, focusing on overall strategy, policy, and risk oversight.

Step 2: Gather the Information 

This step involves collecting internal data and external context to establish a baseline for measurement. 

• Internal Information: 
  
  • Existing policies and procedures: Gather current documents regarding cybersecurity, IT, risk management, and data management
  • Risk Appetite:  Understand the level of risk the organization is willing to accept (Risk Appetite). This directly influences the selection of Outcomes for the Target Profile. 
• External Context (Regulatory and Compliance: 
  • List legal requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, Decrees/Circulars of the Vietnamese Government) and industry standards (e.g., ISO 27001, PCI DSS) that the organization must follow
  •  Link these requirements directly to CSF Core Outcomes through Informative References to ensure the Profile meets compliance obligations. 
    

Step 3: Create Current Profiles 

This step evaluates the actual cybersecurity capabilities of the organization at the present time.  

• As-Is Assessment: The IT/Cybersecurity team identifies the extent to which CSF Core Outcomes (within the GOVERN, IDENTIFY, PROTECT, DETECT, RESPOND, and RECOVER functions) are being implemented. 
• Mapping Outcomes: Using CSF Outcome descriptions, the organization documents the controls, processes, and technologies currently applied to meet each Outcome. 
  
  • For example, for Outcome GV.AM-01 (Asset Governance), the organization records whether it is using an automated asset management tool (Asset Management Tool) or is only managing it manually using spreadsheets.
• Determine CSF Tier: Based on the Current Profile, the organization can preliminary assess its current CSF Tier (e.g., Tier 1 - Partial to Tier 4 - Adaptive) to reflect the rigor of its cybersecurity risk management. 

Step 4: Conduct Gap Analysis 

This step transforms the Current Profiles into an action roadmap by comparing it with the Target Profile. 

• Create Target Profile: Based on business objectives, risk information, and the Current Profiles, leadership and IT experts agree on the desired future Outcomes. The Target Profile idealizes the capabilities needed to manage risk acceptably. 
  
  • Note: The Target Profile must be realistic and Achievable; it does not necessarily require reaching the highest level for every Outcome. 
    
• Perform Gap Analysis: Compare each Outcome of the Current Profile with the Target Profile. The difference between the two profiles constitutes the cybersecurity Gap. 
  • Example: 
    • Current Profiles: Outcome PR.AC-01 (Access Control) is only met by static passwords.
    • Target Profiles: Outcome PR.AC-01 requires Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
    • Gap: Missing MFA implementation; requires investment in technology and processes.
• Cost-Benefit Analysis: Analyze whether the risk reduction achieved by filling each Gap is worth the cost, resources, and complexity of implementation. 

Step 5: Implement the Action Plan

This step converts analysis results into specific projects and initiatives. 

• Prioritize Actions: Based on risk severity and the cost-benefit analysis (Step 4), actions to fill Gaps are prioritized. Actions that mitigate high risks at a reasonable cost are prioritized first.
• Develop a Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M): Build a detailed plan including:
  
  • Specific actions (e.g., "Implement MFA for 80% of privileged users").
  • Responsible parties (Owner).
  • Expected completion dates (Milestones).
  • Necessary resources (budget, technology).
• Implementation and Continuous Improvement: Implement the plan and periodically re-evaluate the Current Profiles (e.g., quarterly or annually) to reflect improvements. This process is an Iterative Cycle, ensuring the organization continuously progresses toward the Target Profiles and adjusts them as the business/risk context changes.

Begin Your Cybersecurity Maturity Journey with NetGuardX

Building NIST CSF Profiles is a vital starting point, helping your organization move from reactive responses to a proactive and adaptive risk management strategy. By establishing Current Profiles and Target Profiles, an organization can measure its position, understand investment needs, and communicate risk effectively at all levels.

However, implementing and maintaining cybersecurity controls according to the Target Profiles—especially reaching higher CSF Tiers; requires significant resources, deep expertise, and 24/7 continuous operation. This is when the role of a Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) partner becomes essential.

Simplify your cybersecurity journey with NetGuardX

NetNam understands that medium and large enterprises need a security solution designed not only for compliance but for adaptation (Adaptive).

NetGuardX is designed closely following the NIST CSF 2.0 standard, supporting not only operations but also helping organizations evolve along the Cybersecurity Maturity roadmap:

1. Transforming Profiles into Action: Providing comprehensive defense and security services to fill the Gaps identified in your Profiles.
2. 24/7 Security System Operation: Ensuring the DETECT, RESPOND, and RECOVER functions are performed continuously, freeing internal IT teams from the burden of operation.
3. Optimizing Costs: Helping you invest in the most suitable solutions and technologies for your Target Profiles, maximizing IT budget efficiency.
   

Please contact NetNam’s experts for a free Current Profiles Assessment and to build a roadmap for enhancing defensive capabilities or achieving certification according to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 that best suits your organization’s target Tier.

NetNam commits to accompanying organizations on the path to becoming an entity with global-standard defensive and risk-response capabilities.

Contact NetNam: 

• Hotline: 1900 1586
• Email: netguardx@netnam.vn
• Website: www.netnam.com
• Comprehensive Cybersecurity Monitoring Service: www.netguardx.netnam.com