Compliance Basics: Decoding NIST, Security Standards, and Smarter Systems

This session is part of the Compliance Basics series from the US Government Tech Meetup—short, practical sessions designed to make federal compliance frameworks more understandable and actionable for tech, security, and operations teams.

Compliance Basics: Decoding NIST, Security Standards, and Smarter Systems
NIST frameworks like 800-53, 800-171, and the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) are more than checklists—they’re foundational tools for building secure, scalable systems in government and regulated industries.

In this session, you’ll learn how NIST standards are applied in real-world cloud environments and why they matter for tech teams—not just compliance officers. We’ll walk through how to translate policy into action, improve security posture, and align cross-functional teams around a common risk language.

Key takeaways include:

• How to integrate NIST controls into Azure and Snowflake environments
• What NIST-aligned risk assessments look like in practice
• How to build compliance playbooks and governance frameworks
• Ways to train teams on NIST within Agile workflows
• How to connect technical controls to measurable business impact

This session is designed for cloud architects, project managers, IT leaders, and anyone navigating compliance in public-sector or enterprise environments.

Speaker: Rena Cummings
Rena Cummings is a seasoned technical project manager with over 8 years of experience leading cloud, data, and cybersecurity initiatives across sectors like healthcare, aviation, and fintech. She has managed NIST-based risk programs, modernized legacy systems, and led secure cloud deployments using Azure and Snowflake. Rena holds certifications in cybersecurity, Scrum, and Azure, and earned dual master’s degrees in Technology and Project Management.

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