# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CP-7(5) — Equivalent Information Security Safeguards - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cp-7-5-equivalent-information-security-safeguards - Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 Controls](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5) › CP — Contingency Planning - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5**·Control `CP-7(5)`·high·Component: **Contingency Planning** ## What this control requires > Ensure alternate processing sites implement security safeguards equivalent to the primary site, including access controls, monitoring, and encryption. This control supports the Safeguards capability within the Contingency Planning family. > > — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control CP-7(5) ### In plain English Ensure alternate processing sites implement security safeguards equivalent to the primary site, including access controls, monitoring, and encryption. In practice, this means you can prove you policy management-level controls on a defined cadence. ## Why it matters SP 800-53 is the catalogue every U.S. federal authorisation (FedRAMP, FISMA, CMMC) and most regulated industries point at. A missing control surfaces as a Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M) item that an Authorizing Official must approve before the Authority To Operate is granted or renewed. This control is rated **high**. Auditors expect a named owner, a remediation SLA, and a tooling artefact that evidences continuous operation. ## What an auditor looks for A 3PAO (FedRAMP) or Independent Assessor (NIST RMF) tests against NIST SP 800-53A assessment procedures. For each control they expect a documented implementation that addresses every assessment objective (Examine, Interview, Test) and an implementation summary in the System Security Plan. Within **Contingency Planning**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control CP-7(5)) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles. ## How to implement #### Policy Management **Docs.** Keep each policy in version-controlled Markdown alongside the code that implements it; ship a signed PDF snapshot at each annual review and link the SHA into the SoA. ### Operational checklist - **Policy.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Access.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Information.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Security.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Data.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** management, information, encryption, controls, protection, primary site, information security safeguards, access controls. ## Evidence to collect - **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document. Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Equivalent Information Security Safeguards. ## Common pitfalls - Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced. ## How it maps to other frameworks Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit. - [**HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164) 164.310(a)(1)** — Facility Access Controls](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-310-a-1-facility-access-controls) - [**BSI C5:2020 COS-08** — Policies for data transmission](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/cos-08-policies-for-data-transmission) - [**NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.10.6** — Alternate Work Site](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-10-6-alternate-work-site) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.5.1** — Policies for information security](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-1-policies-for-information-security) ## Related controls in NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 - [**Control CP-7(6)** — Inability To Return To Primary Site](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cp-7-6-inability-to-return-to-primary-site) - [**Control MP-8** — Media Downgrading](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/mp-8-media-downgrading) - [**Control CP-7** — Alternate Processing Site](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cp-7-alternate-processing-site) - [**Control CP-9(8)** — Cryptographic Protection](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cp-9-8-cryptographic-protection) - [**Control CP-10(3)** — Compensating Security Controls](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cp-10-3-compensating-security-controls) - [**Control SI-4(10)** — Visibility Of Encrypted Communications](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/si-4-10-visibility-of-encrypted-communications) ## References - [NIST Computer Security Resource Center — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5](https://csrc.nist.gov/Projects/risk-management/sp800-53-controls) - Catalogue identifier: `Control CP-7(5)` Topics: governance riskdata protectioncontinuous monitoringencryption at restpolicy management ## Related compliance guidance - [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: a practical implementation guide for cloud teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5): Start with the full NIST SP 800-53 implementation guide — scope, roadmap, evidence and how the assessment runs. - [NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC: a practical guide to protecting CUI in the cloud](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3): If your obligation is protecting CUI in your own systems for a federal or defence contract, this derived subset — not the full catalogue — is the requirement. - [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Most commercial SaaS already hold a SOC 2 Type 2, and FedRAMP 20x Class A is designed for providers that have one.