Built for the Defense Industrial Base

Turn the Top 10 into action.

Practical playbooks, checklists, crosswalks, and 30/60/90-day plans to strengthen IT, protect operational technology, and secure sensitive defense information.

Build my 30-day plan Score my program First 14 days

Independent resource. Official titles and source guidance remain authoritative.

The recommended sequence

Six stages. Twenty practices. One practical order.

Official numbering remains authoritative. This sequence is our independent recommendation for resource-constrained teams.

Know and control

See every identity and asset you defend.

IT-01IT-02OT-01OT-02

Contain compromise

Keep one breached device from becoming ten.

IT-05OT-03OT-06

Reduce exposure

Close the gaps attackers reach first.

IT-03IT-06OT-05

Recover operations

Prove you can restore before you need to.

IT-09OT-04OT-08

Engineer securely

Build new capability without new risk.

IT-04IT-07IT-08OT-09OT-10

Sustain performance

Keep your people and monitoring sharp.

IT-10OT-07

Recommended implementation sequence by the Brilliant at the Basics Resource Center — not an official DoW ordering.

Beyond the official campaign

The campaign sets priorities. We help carry them out.

Every practice starts from an authoritative source. What we add is an independent implementation layer.

Sequenced action

24-hour, 30-day, and 90-day work with owners.

Validation checks

Ways to prove a practice operates, not just that it was purchased.

Evidence guidance

Governance, configuration, operational, and validation records.

Framework crosswalks

Caveated mappings to NIST, CMMC, CIS, and CSF.

Start with high leverage

Featured implementation guides

Review all 20 practices →

IT-01IT

Phishing-Resistant Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Stop credential phishing from becoming account takeover.

STAGE: 1 · Know and control
EFFORT: Medium
OWNER: Identity admin

Implementation guide availableReview the guide →

OT-02OT

Validated Asset Inventory

A walked-down, verified list of every OT asset.

STAGE: 1 · Know and control
EFFORT: Medium
OWNER: Plant / OT leader

Implementation guide availableReview the guide →

IT-05IT

Logical Segmentation to Limit Adversary Lateral Movement

Contain a compromised account or device to one zone.

STAGE: 2 · Contain compromise
EFFORT: High
OWNER: Network admin

Implementation guide availableReview the guide →

Watch

The resource center in 30 seconds

What the campaign asks for — and how this site helps you carry it out. Silent by design; everything is on screen.

New · Written for beginners

Cloud setup guides for every major platform

Turning on the right settings is where most teams get stuck. These plain-language guides walk you through it — with diagrams and click-by-click checklists — for the ten requirements that matter most.

Open the cloud guides →