# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 MA-2(2) — Automated Maintenance Activities - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ma-2-2-automated-maintenance-activities - 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) › MA — Maintenance - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5**·Control `MA-2(2)`·high·Component: **Maintenance** ## What this control requires > Requires scheduling, conducting, and documenting system Maintenance, repair, and replacement actions using organization-defined automated mechanisms. It ensures the generation of up-to-date, accurate, and complete records of all Maintenance activities. This control supports the Automated Maintenance Management capability within the Maintenance family. > > — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control MA-2(2) ### In plain English Requires scheduling, conducting, and documenting system Maintenance, repair, and replacement actions using organization-defined automated mechanisms. 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 **Maintenance**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control MA-2(2)) 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. - **Maintenance.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **System.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Control.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Mechanisms.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** management, actions, organization, system, records, generation, maintenance, replacement. ## Evidence to collect - **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document. Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Automated Maintenance Activities. ## 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)(2)(iv)** — Facility Access Controls - Maintain Maintenance Records](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-310-a-2-iv-facility-access-controls-maintain-maintenance-records) - [**NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.7.1** — Recategorized as NCO.](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-7-1-recategorized-as-nco) ## Related controls in NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 - [**Control MA-6(3)** — Automated Support For Predictive Maintenance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ma-6-3-automated-support-for-predictive-maintenance) - [**Control MA-6(1)** — Preventive Maintenance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ma-6-1-preventive-maintenance) - [**Control MA-6** — Timely Maintenance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ma-6-timely-maintenance) - [**Control MA-6(2)** — Predictive Maintenance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ma-6-2-predictive-maintenance) - [**Control SC-23(3)** — Unique System-Generated Session Identifiers](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-23-3-unique-system-generated-session-identifiers) - [**Control MA-7** — Field Maintenance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ma-7-field-maintenance) ## 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 MA-2(2)` 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.