Building a Security Program from Scratch
A ninety-day sequence for a business with nothing written down yet — cheapest, highest-impact work first.
Published · v1.0.0 · 2026-08-01
Checklist
A fast, honest look at your current security posture across identity, devices, data, people, and response.
Version v1.0.0 · Last reviewed 2026-08-01 · Document owner: ComplianceAnvil Content Team
Mark an item complete only if it is true today for everyone, not just for you. The value of this checklist is an accurate starting point.
Progress is saved in this browser only. It is not a compliance record.
Written from these public, authoritative publications. ComplianceAnvil paraphrases and summarizes them; it does not reproduce copyrighted control text.
NIST · 2.0
Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0(opens in a new tab)Link last confirmed 2026-02-01
CISA
Secure Our World — Small Business Resources(opens in a new tab)Link last confirmed 2026-02-01
Federal Trade Commission
Start with Security: A Guide for Business(opens in a new tab)Link last confirmed 2026-02-01
Complete every section, acknowledge, and pass the knowledge check.
This certificate recognizes completion of educational training material only. It is not a professional certification, accreditation, license, compliance assessment, audit result, or attestation of compliance with any law, regulation, or contract requirement. ComplianceAnvil is not a certification authority, accreditation body, assessor, or law firm.
Version v1.0.0 · Document owner: ComplianceAnvil Content Team
This resource is educational readiness material. ComplianceAnvil is not a certification authority, assessor, or law firm, and this content is not legal advice or a compliance assessment.
Matched on shared frameworks, topics, and program packs.
A ninety-day sequence for a business with nothing written down yet — cheapest, highest-impact work first.
Published · v1.0.0 · 2026-08-01
Score yourself honestly across six areas and turn the two lowest into a short plan.
Published · v1.0.0 · 2026-08-01
The thirty-day baseline: the controls that stop the majority of small-business incidents, ordered by impact.
Published · v1.0.0 · 2026-08-01
What employees may and may not do with company systems, data, devices, and AI tools.
Published · v1.0.0 · 2026-08-01
Proof that backups exist, run, and have actually been restored at least once.
Published · v1.0.0 · 2026-08-01
Practice building an inventory from a realistic ten-person business, then apply the same pattern to your own.
Published · v1.0.0 · 2026-08-01
Resources tell you what good looks like. A Program Pack does the work with you — generated documentation, tracked controls, training, and evidence in one workspace.