# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CP-7(6) — Inability To Return To Primary Site - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cp-7-6-inability-to-return-to-primary-site - 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(6)`·high·Component: **Contingency Planning** ## What this control requires > Plan for scenarios where returning to the primary processing site is impossible, including long-term strategies for transitioning to alternate sites. This control supports the Continuity Planning capability within the Contingency Planning family. > > — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control CP-7(6) ### In plain English Plan for scenarios where returning to the primary processing site is impossible, including long-term strategies for transitioning to alternate sites. 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(6)) 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. - **Long-Term.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Control.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Plan.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Alternate.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** management, primary site, capability, policy. ## Evidence to collect - **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document. Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Inability To Return To Primary Site. ## 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) 164.308(a)(5)(i)** — Security Awareness and Training](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-308-a-5-i-security-awareness-and-training) - [**BSI C5:2020 SP-01** — Documentation, communication and provision of policies and instructions](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sp-01-documentation-communication-and-provision-of-policies-and-instructions) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.5.5** — Contact with authorities](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-5-contact-with-authorities) - [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC2.3** — External Communication on Internal Control Matters](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/cc2-3-external-communication-on-internal-control-matters) - [**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) ## Related controls in NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 - [**Control CP-7** — Alternate Processing Site](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cp-7-alternate-processing-site) - [**Control CP-2(6)** — Alternate Processing And Storage Sites](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cp-2-6-alternate-processing-and-storage-sites) - [**Control CP-7(2)** — Accessibility](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cp-7-2-accessibility) - [**Control CP-7(4)** — Preparation For Use](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cp-7-4-preparation-for-use) - [**Control CP-1** — Policy And Procedures](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cp-1-policy-and-procedures) - [**Control CP-4(2)** — Alternate Processing Site](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cp-4-2-alternate-processing-site) ## 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(6)` Topics: governance riskpolicy 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.