What are NIST CSF Tiers and how do they measure cybersecurity maturity?

TL;DR: NIST CSF Tiers are benchmarks that help organizations evaluate and communicate their cybersecurity maturity—ranging from partial (Tier 1) to adaptive (Tier 4)—based on risk awareness, governance, and integration.

As covered in the 6clicks guide Cyber Resilience in 2025: Your Smart Guide to NIST CSF, Tiers provide a structured way to assess and articulate how mature and integrated your cybersecurity practices are across the organization.

Tiers are not compliance levels, but rather indicators of how well cybersecurity risk is understood, managed, and integrated into business decision-making.

They are most useful when used in combination with Organizational Profiles, to help define a clear and actionable roadmap to resilience.

The four NIST CSF 2.0 Tiers

1. Tier 1: Partial

   • Cyber activities are ad hoc or reactive

   • Little risk awareness across the business

   • Minimal oversight or formal governance

2. Tier 2: Risk Informed

   • Some risk management processes exist

   • Security practices are in place but inconsistent

   • Limited integration with enterprise priorities

3. Tier 3: Repeatable

   • Formal cybersecurity policies and processes exist

   • Risk management is proactive and measurable

   • Governance is well-defined and resourced

4. Tier 4: Adaptive

   • Cyber practices are continuously improving

   • Decisions are driven by real-time data and intelligence

   • Governance is fully embedded in strategic decision-making

Why Tiers are useful for cybersecurity maturity

• Benchmarking
  Tiers provide a common language to compare across business units, partners, or regulatory expectations.

• Roadmapping
  Help set realistic and tailored goals for cyber improvement.

• Resource justification
  Show stakeholders where investment is needed and what impact it will deliver.

• Program evolution
  Guide transition from tactical security to strategic resilience.

Need help benchmarking and improving your cybersecurity maturity?
Book a demo with 6clicks today to see how our platform automates Tier assessments, maps maturity to business risk, and tracks improvements over time.