The Nerdio Modern Work CIS© Policy Baselines feature is now CIS Certified! This milestone builds on our unique partnership with the Center for Internet Security (CIS), which began in April 2024. Together, we’re helping MSPs and enterprise organizations secure cloud workloads in Azure through the use of CIS© Hardened Images. These specialized Azure images are preconfigured to meet 98% of CIS Security Benchmarks for Windows 11 and Windows Server operating systems right out of the box.
CIS© Benchmarks are built on hundreds of meticulously crafted security policies, designed specifically for Windows desktop and server operating systems. Developed by top industry experts, these best practices undergo a rigorous review process to ensure they meet the highest standards of security before becoming part of the official CIS Benchmarks.
CIS Hardened Images make it easier to enhance security on Azure VMs compared to manually applying settings across multiple environments, but there is still a gap for securing physical endpoints managed by legacy RMM tools or Microsoft Intune. Nerdio addresses this challenge with our CIS Policy Baselines, a key feature of our Modern Work capabilities. These baselines significantly reduce the attack surface of physical and virtual endpoints by providing a set of Intune policies designed to disable specific risky features.
What does it mean to be CIS Certified?
CIS is synonymous with uncompromising security standards, and its name doesn’t go on just any product. Earning CIS Certification for Nerdio wasn’t about meeting the minimum—it was about exceeding expectations. To achieve this, we worked closely with CIS’ internal product teams and subjected our solution to a rigorous testing and verification process. This ensured full compliance with CIS Benchmarks before earning the official Certified Solution designation.
The certification process was no small task. Our team painstakingly adjusted hundreds of policies on Windows 10 and Windows 11 endpoints to bring their compliance levels all the way down to 0% against CIS Benchmarks—not an easy feat, considering a default OS is 24% compliant out of the box. Once the systems were stripped down, we applied Nerdio’s CIS Policy Baseline to bring compliance back up to 90% on each OS type. And we didn’t stop there—we repeated this process over and over to ensure our product delivered consistent, reliable results.
View Nerdio’s certification on the CIS website.
Why does CIS certification matter?
As a Nerdio customer, you need solutions that are not just promised but proven. The CIS stamp of approval is hard-earned and guarantees that Nerdio’s CIS Policies, built on CIS’ own intellectual property, deliver industry-leading security to endpoints without compromise. Security isn’t the place to cut corners. That’s why Nerdio went the extra mile to validate our solution, ensuring it meets the highest standards. In a market where some vendors illegally use CIS intellectual property, it’s more important than ever to choose solutions that are officially sanctioned and adhere to CIS Benchmarks.
Building a stronger and safer future with Nerdio and CIS
Nerdio and CIS are just getting started. With more solutions planned for 2025, our partnership is driving CIS’ mission to create a safer connected world. By developing and delivering best-practice security tools, we’re making it easy for organizations to protect their cloud and hybrid environments against today’s cyber threats. With Nerdio, adopting these critical security practices is effortless.
