The term “BSI baseline protection” refers to the IT baseline protection framework developed by the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). It is a structured framework for establishing, implementing, and continuously improving information security within organizations. IT baseline protection combines organizational, personnel-related, infrastructural, and technical security requirements and serves as a foundation for the systematic implementation of an information security management system (ISMS). Its methodological basis includes in particular BSI Standards 200-1 to 200-4 as well as the IT baseline compendium with its modules and requirements.
Structural analysis and information domain recording: Mapping business processes, applications, IT systems, communication links, and rooms as a basis for IT baseline protection implementation.
Protection needs assessment: Assessing the protection requirements of information, applications, and systems with regard to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Modeling with IT baseline protection modules: Assigning suitable modules and requirements from the IT-Grundschutz Compendium to relevant target objects.
Requirement and measure management: Planning, assigning, tracking, and documenting security measures to implement baseline protection requirements.
IT baseline protection check: Reviewing and documenting which requirements are already fulfilled, where gaps remain, and which measures should be prioritized.
Risk analysis: Supporting the identification and assessment of additional risks, especially where protection requirements are high or very high.
Document and evidence management: Central storage of policies, concepts, test records, implementation statuses, and audit evidence.
Role and task management: Supporting the assignment of responsibilities, for example to information security officers, business units, or measure owners.
Audit and certification preparation: Providing reports and evidence to prepare for internal audits or ISO 27001 certification based on IT baseline protection.
Reporting and dashboards: Evaluating implementation status, open risks, progress of measures, and maturity levels for management and audit purposes.
A public authority documents its information domain in a baseline protection software solution and assigns servers, specialized applications, and network components to the appropriate modules.
A mid-sized company assesses the protection needs of its ERP system and derives prioritized security measures from the results.
An ISMS team performs an IT baseline protection check to document implementation status, gaps, and open measures in a traceable manner.
A hospital supplements standard requirements with a risk analysis for particularly critical systems and processes.
An organization uses the documented evidence and reports from its baseline protection solution to prepare for an audit or certification.