CIS

CIS Security, or the Center for Internet Security, is a nonprofit organization that was formed in October 2000. It aims to help individuals, businesses, and governments protect themselves against pervasive cyber threats. The organization is headquartered in East Greenbush, New York, US, and has a mission to develop, validate, and promote timely best practice solutions that aid in securing IT systems and data.

The CIS community includes IT security practitioners from around the globe, working together to safeguard public and private organizations against cyber attacks. They champion the CIS best practices, such as the CIS Controls and CIS Benchmarks, which are globally recognized as effective tools for streamlining compliance efforts and strengthening cyber defenses.

The CIS Controls are a prioritized, simplified set of best practices that organizations can use to strengthen their cybersecurity posture. They are designed to be easy to understand and cost-effective for small to mid-size organizations. The CIS Controls consist of 18 top-level controls, which are further broken down into specific and unique actions called Safeguards. These Safeguards guide the implementation of the controls and provide a clear path to improving an organization's security.

Additionally, the CIS Benchmarks are more than 100 configuration guidelines across over 25 vendor product families, aimed at helping organizations secure their IT systems against cyber threats. The CIS Benchmarks and the CIS Controls are regularly updated to keep pace with evolving technology and cyber threats.

CIS also operates the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) and the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), which provide a platform for sharing cyber threat intelligence and best practices among state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as the elections community.

In summary, CIS Security is a globally recognized nonprofit organization that works to protect against cyber threats through the development and promotion of best practices, such as the CIS Controls and CIS Benchmarks, and by fostering a community of IT security professionals dedicated to improving cybersecurity worldwide.