NERC · NORTH AMERICA
NERC CIP (Critical Infrastructure Protection)
Mandatory cyber standards for the North American bulk power system.
The practitioner view
Working with NERC CIP (Critical Infrastructure Protection)
- 01
What NERC CIP (Critical Infrastructure Protection) is
Mandatory cyber standards for the North American bulk power system. It is issued by NERC and applies across NORTH AMERICA. Our assessors work against it directly, so what follows is the practitioner view rather than a restatement of the text.
- 02
Who it binds
Applicability turns on what you process and who regulates you, not on your size. If NERC sets your rules, or a customer contract names NERC CIP (Critical Infrastructure Protection), you are in scope. We map that boundary first, because an over-drawn scope is the single most expensive mistake in any programme.
- 03
What an assessor looks for
Evidence that the control operated, not that it was written down. Expect sampling across the period, interviews with the control owners, and a request for the artefacts that prove the control ran on the days it was supposed to. Policies without operating evidence are the most common finding we raise.
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How to get ready
Scope it, assess the gap against the current version, remediate in priority order, then collect evidence continuously rather than in the fortnight before the audit. Evidence lag is what slips dates, not the controls themselves.
Free tools
Put a number on it before you call anyone
- FreeGuided readiness estimateA short set of questions returning a readiness score, your top gaps, an indicative cost and a timeline.Open it
- FreeCompliance cost calculatorSize, infrastructure and current readiness turned into an indicative range and timeline.Open it
- FreeAll free toolsCalculators and checkers covering cost, scope, penalty exposure, breach cost and readiness.Open it
Related
More in regional and national frameworks
- SAMA Cyber Security FrameworkSAUDI CENTRAL BANK (SAMA) · SAUDI ARABIAMandatory cybersecurity framework for financial institutions in Saudi Arabia.
- Saudi NCA Essential Cybersecurity Controls (ECC)NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY AUTHORITY (SAUDI ARABIA) · SAUDI ARABIASaudi Arabia's mandatory Essential Cybersecurity Controls for national entities.
- UAE Information Assurance (NESA / SIA)UAE CYBERSECURITY COUNCIL / SIA · UNITED ARAB EMIRATESThe UAE's Information Assurance standards for government and critical entities.
- Qatar National Information Assurance (NIA)QATAR (NCSA) · QATARQatar's National Information Assurance standard for information security.
- MAS TRM (Singapore)MONETARY AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE · SINGAPORETechnology Risk Management guidelines for Singapore financial institutions.
- APRA CPS 234 (Australia)APRA (AUSTRALIA) · AUSTRALIAInformation security prudential standard for APRA-regulated entities.
Not sure where to start?
Book a 30-minute call with a senior engineer. We will walk through your current posture, the frameworks that bind you, and what a realistic programme looks like.