Getting compliant with NIST SP 800-53 requires a significant investment of time, money, and effort. It’s not something you can check off overnight, and the costs can add up quickly. 

But the good news is it doesn’t have to be a long, painful process, especially if you take advantage of automation to streamline manual work, reduce costs, and simplify the entire journey.

How long does NIST SP 800-53 compliance take without automation?

The timeline for achieving NIST SP 800-53 compliance depends on multiple factors, including your organization's size, current cybersecurity maturity, and available resources. Generally, it can take anywhere from several months to over a year. 

Here’s how the process typically unfolds:

Gap analysis and remediation (1-6 months)

The first step is comparing your current compliance posture against NIST 800-53 requirements so you know exactly where you stand. This process includes assessing your systems, policies, and procedures to pinpoint weaknesses. 

Once you identify those gaps, you’ll need to create a remediation plan to address them. Depending on your impact level and the number of control baseline requirements you need to check against, this process can take anywhere from one to six months. This typically includes deploying new security measures, training employees on new NIST 800-53 policies and procedures, and documenting security processes and controls.

Pre-assessment (4-6 weeks)

Before undergoing a formal NIST 800-53 security assessment, most organizations conduct an internal or third-party readiness assessment. This step helps ensure that all controls have been implemented correctly and that no major gaps remain, so organizations know they are fully prepared before going into a formal assessment. 

A pre-assessment typically takes 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the size of your organization, the complexity of your security environment, and the impact level of your systems. 

Security assessment (3 - 6 months)

The final step is a formal assessment to validate NIST 800-53 compliance. This assessment is performed by independent assessors who evaluate your security controls, policies, and overall cybersecurity posture against NIST 800-53 requirements.

Depending on your organization’s size, complexity of your systems and controls, and required impact level, this step can take anywhere from 3-6 months. If the assessor finds any issues, you may need additional time to address them before receiving full compliance approval.

How much does NIST SP 800-53 compliance cost without automation?

Like the time it takes to achieve compliance, the total cost of NIST 800-53 varies significantly based on the organization’s size, system complexity, impact level requirements, and security maturity. Higher impact levels require more security controls, controls are often more complex to implement and validate, and larger organizations may incur higher costs due to more extensive systems and data. 

Cost breakdown by NIST 800-53 impact level

When budgeting for NIST 800-53 compliance, one of the biggest questions is how much it’s going to cost. The answer depends largely on your impact level. Organizations classified under Low, Moderate, or High impact will have different security requirements, implementation timelines, and associated costs. To help you gauge your potential budget, we’ll break down typical costs for each impact level so you can better plan for your compliance journey.

Low Impact

If your organization only needs to meet low-impact requirements, you’ll have fewer security controls to implement. That means this is typically the fastest and least expensive way to get compliant with NIST 800-53.

• In-House Assessment: Approximately $30,000 to $35,000
• Third-Party Assessment: Approximately $10,000 to $20,000
• Remediation Costs: If issues are found during an assessment, remediation can cost between $35,000 and $115,000 
• Continuous Monitoring: $6,500 - $13,000 per year
• Employee Training: Basic security awareness training

Moderate impact systems

A step up from low impact, moderate impact systems require additional security measures, making the process more expensive and time-consuming.

• In-House Assessment: Higher due to increased control requirements
• Third-Party Assessment: More expensive than low-impact assessments
• Remediation Costs: Moderate—includes advanced security tools like intrusion detection systems
• Continuous Monitoring: Higher than low-impact systems
• Employee Training: More detailed training on specific threats and security policies

High impact systems

If your organization operates high-impact systems, you’ll need the most stringent security controls. These environments often handle highly sensitive data, so compliance costs are significantly higher.

• In-House Assessment: Much higher due to added complexity
• Third-Party Assessment: Substantially more expensive
• Remediation Costs: High—includes top-tier security controls like advanced threat protection, data loss prevention, and a SIEM tool
• Continuous Monitoring: Highest cost due to extensive requirements
• Employee Training: Specialized training on handling sensitive data and responding to advanced threats

In addition to assessments, remediation, and monitoring, there are several other compliance-related expenses to consider:

• Consulting fees: Hiring compliance consultants can provide expert guidance but also adds significant costs, often ranging from $100 to $300 per hour, depending on the level of expertise and project scope.
• Compliance solutions: Investing in compliance automation and GRC platforms typically ranges from $10,000 to $60,000, depending on the features and scalability required.
• Documentation and reporting: Developing policies, maintaining detailed documentation, collecting evidence, and compiling compliance reports takes time and often requires additional resources.
• Control testing and validation: More extensive testing processes are required for higher impact levels, adding costs for penetration testing, security audits, and validation procedures.

Why automating NIST 800-53 is a more efficient approach to compliance

Achieving NIST 800-53 compliance is a complex, resource-intensive process that requires ongoing monitoring, documentation, and assessments. Fortunately, compliance automation tools like Secureframe can significantly streamline the process, reduce costs, and make ongoing compliance less resource-intensive.

In a survey conducted by UserEvidence, Secureframe users reported a range of benefits, including:

• 95% saved time and resources obtaining and maintaining compliance
• 89% sped up time-to-compliance for multiple frameworks
• 85% unlocked annual cost savings
• 71% improved visibility into security and compliance posture
• 97% strengthened their security and compliance posture

Let’s explore the many ways automation makes NIST 800-53 compliance faster, more efficient, and more cost-effective.

Saves time and resources

Without automation, NIST 800-53 compliance requires extensive manual work, including:

• Collecting and updating documentation for security controls
• Performing and maintaining detailed risk assessments
• Tracking security control implementation across departments
• Writing and maintaining policies such as the System Security Plan (SSP) and Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M)
• Monitoring system configurations and access control logs

By automating these tasks, Secureframe significantly reduces the workload on internal teams, allowing organizations to achieve compliance with NIST 800-53 up to 70% faster. 

Speeds up time-to-compliance for multiple frameworks

If your organization also needs to comply with CMMC, NIST 800-171, FedRAMP, or CJIS, automation can make cross-framework compliance much easier. Secureframe maps overlapping security controls across frameworks, eliminating redundant tasks like duplicating risk assessments, implementing repeat controls, and collecting and managing separate audit evidence for different compliance standards. 

This means that organizations expanding their compliance programs to include NIST 800-53 don’t have to start from scratch. Secureframe shows exactly where existing security measures align with new requirements, reducing duplication and saving time.

Unlocks cost savings

NIST 800-53 compliance requires coordination across IT, security, risk management, compliance, HR, and leadership teams. Traditionally, managing compliance across these functions means hiring consultants, dedicating internal resources, and paying for third-party audits, all of which can quickly become expensive.

Secureframe’s in-house compliance experts bring decades of experience across NIST 800-53, FISMA, FedRAMP, and other federal security frameworks. Their expertise helps organizations navigate complex security requirements and establish a more robust cybersecurity posture, eliminating the need for expensive consulting engagements. By streamlining compliance activities, organizations can also significantly lower costs associated with documentation, reporting, security monitoring, and control validation.

Strengthens your security and compliance posture

With Secureframe, organizations can get a real-time view of where they stand in meeting NIST 800-53 requirements. By automating control tracking and evidence collection, compliance teams can identify security gaps early and address them before an audit or assessment. Through continuous monitoring and real-time dashboards, organizations gain:

• A holistic view of compliance posture
• Automated alerts for security control failures
• Centralized evidence collection and reporting
• Audit-ready documentation for assessments

This level of visibility helps teams proactively address security risks and ensures that NIST 800-53 compliance is maintained over time.

Thousands of companies trust Secureframe to automate compliance

Achieving NIST 800-53 compliance requires a serious investment of time, money, and effort. But with the right strategy and the right tools, you can significantly streamline the process, reduce costs, and unlock the benefits of compliance faster. 

If you’re looking for a way to simplify federal compliance and lift the burden from your team, schedule a demo to see the power of Secureframe’s automation in action.