April 18, 2024

NIST 800-53 vs. ISO 27002

NIST 800-53 and ISO 27002 are both digital security standards developed to help organisations effectively manage information security policies and procedures. Despite their common goals, these two standards also have key differences, which can help organisations determine which, if either, of these standards they should adhere to.

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What is ISO 27002?

ISO 27002 is a security standard developed by the International Organisations for Standardisation. ISO 27002 is designed to work with ISO 27001. While ISO 27001 provides the framework and requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and improving an information security management system (ISMS), ISO 27002 provides the guidelines, best practices, and controls for implementing, maintaining and improving ISMS in an organisation.

NIST 800-53 Overview

NIST 800-53 is an information security standard that provides a catalogue of security and privacy controls for federal information systems, agencies, and contractors that want to work with the US government. It provides the framework and best practices for these entities, which are required to adhere to the standard. Other organisations that are not required to meet this standard can choose to implement NIST 800-53 controls to protect their information systems.

ISO 27002 vs. NIST 800-53: Similarities

Both ISO 27002 and NIST 800-53 have similarities, which include:

Both standards take a risk management approach to information security.
Both provide security controls and best practices for implementation.
Both provide guidelines for the implementation of security measures.
Both provide guidelines for identifying, responding to, and assessing cybersecurity incidents.
Both provide guidelines for auditing security controls.
Any organisation can adhere to either standard to bolster its information security management.

ISO 27002 vs. NIST 800-53: Differences

The key differences between ISO 27002 and NIST 800-53 are:

NIST 800-53 is a US government standard for information security controls, while ISO 27002 is an international standard that provides guidelines on implementing and maintaining ISMS.
NIST 800-53 is mandatory for federal information systems, agencies, and third-party government contractors in the US, while ISO 27002 is voluntary to display a commitment to information security.

Learn more about NIST 800-53 and ISO standards

If your organisation is required to implement either NIST 800-53 or ISO standards, you can learn more about each in our information hubs.

Learn more about these commonly used standards and how Hicomply can help you meet compliance with each.

Risk Management

Compliance Reporting

Policy Management

Incident Management

Audits and Assessments

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Risk Management

Identify, assess, and mitigate security risks with an integrated risk register.Hicomply’s automated risk management software maps controls across ISO 27001, SOC 2, and NIST frameworks — helping teams track risk treatment plans, assign ownership, and monitor real-time compliance status.Build a resilient ISMS that reduces audit findings and demonstrates continuous improvement.

Compliance Reporting

Generate instant, audit-ready compliance reports across multiple frameworks — from ISO 27001 and SOC 2 to GDPR, DORA, and NHS DSPT.Automated evidence collection and built-in dashboards provide a single source of truth for your compliance posture, saving weeks of manual work during audits.

Policy Management

Centralise, version, and publish all your information security policies in one place.Hicomply automates approvals, reminders, and distribution, ensuring your ISMS documentation stays current and aligned with frameworks like ISO 42001 and NIST CSF.Say goodbye to outdated PDFs — manage policies dynamically and maintain full traceability.

Incident Management

Capture, investigate, and resolve security incidents with structured workflows and automated evidence trails.Hicomply integrates with ticketing tools like Jira, Zendesk, and Azure DevOps to streamline incident response and link findings to risk and control updates — a key step for SOC 2 Type II readiness.

Audits and Assessments

Simplify internal and external audit preparation with built-in audit templates and automated task assignments.
Hicomply’s audit management platform aligns with ISO 27001, ISO 9001, and ISO 14001, giving teams a clear overview of control effectiveness, audit evidence, and corrective actions — all from one dashboard.