The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), is responsible for promoting innovation and industrial competitiveness in the U.S. The agency developed NIST 800-171 to protecting unclassified information in nonfederal information
systems and organizations. Other compliance requirements and cybersecurity framework regularly use NIST as the standard model, including DFARS and CJIS.

NIST is headquartered in Maryland and maintains laboratories focused on communications, engineering, information technology, material measurement, and physical measurement.