What's Ahead for the NIST Small Business 

Cybersecurity Program in 2024?

This webinar is being recorded

January 10, 2024

2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. EST 
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Welcoming Remarks

Daniel Eliot

Lead for Small Business Engagement

Applied Cybersecurity Division

National Institute of Standards and Technology

daniel.eliot@nist.gov
Celebrating 50+ Years

We cultivate trust by advancing 

cybersecurity & privacy standards & 

guidelines, technology, & 

measurement science.

Celebrating 50+ Years in Cybersecurity

nist.gov
Helping the Nation’s Small Business Community Identify, 

Assess, Manage, and Reduce their Cybersecurity Risks

www.nist.gov/itl/smallbusinesscyber
How are we Defining Small Business?

• The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of 

Advocacy generally defines a small business as an 

independent business having fewer than 500 

employees. 

• Of 33.2 million small businesses, 27.1 million (81.7%) 

are run by a single owner and have no employees.

• For those with employees:

• In 2020, small firms averaged 11.7 employees. 

New firms (less than 2 years old) averaged 6 

employees, while firms older than 20 years 

averaged 60 employees. 

https://advocacy.sba.gov/2023/03/07/frequently-asked-questions-about-small-business-2023/
Facing the Facts

• Cybersecurity has become a fundamental risk that must be addressed 

alongside other business risks.

• Size often doesn’t matter to a threat actor. 

• Small businesses can be more agile and innovative in response to 

cybersecurity risks. 

• Most small business owners and employees are not cybersecurity 

experts. 

• There are actionable steps smaller organizations can take to begin 

managing cybersecurity risks.
Parallel Tracks

The Fundamentals

Critical and Emerging Technologies

Outreach and Education

Engaging with NIST

Small 

Business 

Ecosystem

NIST
Initial Goals for 2024

Education: 

✓Understanding NIST—who we are and how we support U.S. innovation and industrial 

competitiveness.

✓Working with NIST subject matter experts from across our diverse research portfolio to develop 

cybersecurity resources, communication materials, and collateral tailored for the SMB community. 

Engagement: 

✓Deepening/expanding our SMB-focused work and relationships across the federal government. 

✓Deepening/expanding NIST’s relationship with small business-focused resource partners who are the 

‘boots-on-the-ground.’ 

✓Deepening/expanding our work with the SMB community directly.

✓Getting NIST more involved in SMB-focused events—both attending them, speaking at them, and 

hosting them.

✓Creating more opportunities to listen to the SMB community to better understand their 

needs/challenges.

✓Highlighting opportunities for the SMB community to get more involved in NIST’s work. 
What’s Coming? 

• NIST SMB Cybersecurity COI SubGroups

• NIST-hosted SMB events

• Going out into the SMB community to 

engage

• CSF 2.0 in 2024

• Development of topical fact sheets on 

key NIST technology/research areas
The NIST

Small Business 

Community of 

Interest (COI)

Convening companies, trade associations, and others who can share business 

insights, expertise, challenges, and perspectives to guide our work and assist 

NIST to better meet the cybersecurity needs of small businesses.

Join Here: www.nist.gov/itl/smallbusinesscyber/about-contact-us/subscribe

Over 7,000 individuals have already joined the full COI!
NIST SMB COI Sub-Groups

Subgroup Definition Meeting Dates How to Join

SMB Owners/

Operators

This Community of Interest subgroup is a forum for SMB 

owners and operators to communicate their cybersecurity 

needs and challenges directly to NIST; gain access to 

education, information, and resources they can use in their 

business; and collaborate on projects that will promote 

stronger cybersecurity resilience across the SMB 

community.

View the COI Charter

February 14, 2024

April 17, 2024

July 17, 2024

October 17, 2024

Email:

NIST-SMB-Owners+subscribe@list.nist.gov

SMB Vendors 

and Resource 

Partners

This Community of Interest subgroup is a forum for SMB 

service/product vendors and resource partners (such as 

SBDCs, SCORE, etc.) to share best practices and resources 

for SMB outreach, receive technical guidance and 

education from NIST researchers, and collaborate on 

projects that will promote stronger cybersecurity resilience 

across the SMB community.

View the COI Charter

February 21, 2024

April 24, 2024

July 24, 2024

October 24, 2024

Email:

NIST-SMB-Vendors+subscribe@list.nist.gov

Learn More Here: https://www.nist.gov/itl/smallbusinesscyber/get-engaged
Upcoming 

Events in 

2024

Public Webinars

(all 2:00-2:45 ET)

• March 20: CSF 2.0 for SMB

• May 2: Manufacturing Extension 

Partnership (MEP) Cybersecurity 

Services

• August 15: Open topic

Register Here: https://www.nist.gov/itl/smallbusinesscyber/events

SMB Owner/Operator 

COI Subgroup Calls

• February 14, 2024

• April 17, 2024

• July 17, 2024

• October 17, 2024

SMB Vendor/Resource 

Partner COI Subgroup Calls

• February 21, 2024

• April 24, 2024

• July 24, 2024

• October 24, 2024
Events in 

January

2024

Out in the Community

• January 24: Path to Prosperity Event in Little 

Rock, AK https://www.usda.gov/path-to-prosperity

• January 30: DAF CISO's Blue Cyber “Cybersecurity Resources Lollapalooza” Ten 

Agencies offer their services to US Small Businesses www.sbir.gov/events

• Have an event you'd like us to participate in? Email: smallbizsecurity@nist.gov
Cybersecurity Framework

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) helps organizations reduce their 

cybersecurity risks and is widely recognized as foundational to securing 

organizations & technology.

• CSF 2.0 to be published in 2024.

• Recently, we made SMB-focused resources 

based on the CSF 2.0 easier to find on the NIST 

Small Business Cybersecurity Corner website.

• As NIST publishes new SMB resources for the 

CSF 2.0, they will be housed here.

www.nist.gov/itl/smallbusinesscyber
nccoe.nist.gov 

www.nist.gov/itl/smallbusinesscyber
Guidance by Topic

✓ All-Purpose Guides ✓ Phishing

✓ Choosing A 

Vendor/Service 

Provider

✓ Privacy

✓ Cloud Security ✓ Protecting Against 

Scams

✓ Government 

Contractor 

Requirements

✓ Ransomware

✓ Developing Secure 

Products

✓ Securing Data and 

Devices

✓ Employee Awareness ✓ Securing Network 

Connections

✓ Multi-Factor 

Authentication

✓ Telework
Short Videos

www.nist.gov/itl/smallbusinesscyber/videos

Short videos that also 

include a companion 

PDF handout.
Small Business Case Studies

1-page case studies, each 

including:

• Brief scenario

• Impact to business

• Lessons learned

• Discussion questions

• And related resources

More to come! 

www.nist.gov/itl/smallbusinesscyber/cybersecurity

-basics/case-study-series
How Can You Participate? 

Attend our events: https://www.nist.gov/itl/smallbusinesscyber/events

Become an active participant in one of our COI sub-groups:

https://www.nist.gov/itl/smallbusinesscyber/about-contact-us/subscribe

Send questions, comments, project ideas or request a speaker for your 

event: smallbizsecurity@nist.gov

Submit comments on our publications: 

csrc.nist.gov/publications/drafts-open-for-comment

Become a collaborator on an NCCoE project:

https://www.nccoe.nist.gov/seeking-collaborators
Other NIST SMB Opportunities

NIST SBIR/STTR Program: 

• https://www.nist.gov/tpo/small-business-innovation-research-program-sbir

• https://www.sbir.gov/

NIST Cybersecurity and Privacy Stakeholder Engagement

• https://www.nist.gov/cybersecurity/cybersecurity-privacy-stakeholder-engagement
https://www.nist.gov/itl/smallbusinesscyber

smallbizsecurity@nist.gov

Daniel.eliot@nist.gov 

Questions?