Need help finding a proper WISP TEMPLATE for small family business

Thanks for the guidance! That's really helpful. I was worried we needed something super comprehensive, but focusing on the essentials sounds more manageable. Do you have any recommendations for where to find a template that's appropriately sized for a micro-business? Also, should we be concerned about differences in requirements between states?

For a micro-business, I'd recommend starting with the NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Corner resources. They have guidance that's appropriately scaled. While there are some templates available through industry associations, most are designed for larger organizations and would need significant paring down. State requirements do vary, with Massachusetts, New York, and California having some of the most stringent regulations. If your sister has customers in multiple states, I generally advise creating a WISP that meets the strongest requirements (typically Massachusetts) which will usually satisfy other states as well. The core elements remain the same, but the implementation details might vary.

Did it actually help with the practical implementation stuff too? I'm looking at a WISP template right now but it's the "how to actually do this in real life" part that's confusing me. Like, what counts as "appropriate security measures" for a tiny office?

I'm skeptical about using AI for legal compliance documents. How can you be sure the template it provides meets all regulatory requirements? Did you have a lawyer review it afterward? These aren't just guidelines, they're legal documents with potential liability if inadequate.

The tool actually does provide implementation guidance for each section. It gave me practical examples of what "appropriate security measures" would look like specifically for a small office - things like locking file cabinets, password policies that make sense for small teams, and encryption recommendations for our level of operation. It wasn't just theoretical. Regarding the legal compliance concern, I completely understand your skepticism. I actually did have my business attorney review the final document. What I appreciated was that the system cited the specific regulations each section was addressing, which made the legal review much more efficient and less expensive. It's definitely not a complete replacement for legal advice, but it gave me a solid foundation to work from.

How does this actually work? Do they just call the IRS for you? Couldn't your assistant do that? Seems weird to use a service for something so basic.

This sounds like complete BS. Nobody gets through to the IRS that quickly. I've been on hold for 3+ hours multiple times this year alone. If this actually worked, every tax professional in America would be using it.

It's not just calling for you - they have some system that navigates all the IRS phone trees and waits on hold, then when they actually reach a human, they call you to connect. So your phone isn't tied up for hours. I had my assistant try multiple times but she'd get disconnected after being on hold for too long. No BS at all - I was skeptical too, but after trying for weeks to get through normally (and yes, being on hold for hours only to get disconnected), I was desperate. Not saying it's always 45 minutes, but compared to my previous attempts, it was night and day. I think they have some way of staying in the queue more effectively than just calling directly. The cost was worth it to me just to not have to listen to the hold music for hours while trying to get other work done.

Thank you so much! I'll send you a message right away. When you implemented it, what was the most challenging part for a very small operation? And did you find any particular resources helpful for the risk assessment portion?

The most challenging part was definitely creating reasonable security controls for customer data without breaking the bank. Simple things like implementing password managers and enabling two-factor authentication gave us big security improvements without major costs. We also created a very basic security training that takes about 20 minutes to go through with new employees. For the risk assessment, NIST has a publication called "Small Business Information Security: The Fundamentals" (NISTIR 7621) that was incredibly helpful. It has a straightforward approach to identifying your most important information assets and the realistic threats to those assets. Much more practical than the enterprise-focused guides I found elsewhere.

Great question about applicability. A WISP is legally required in some states (like Massachusetts) for any business that collects personal information of residents, regardless of size. In other states, requirements vary. However, even when not strictly required by law, many client contracts and cyber insurance policies now require a documented security program. So it really depends on what kind of information the business handles, where their customers are located, and what contractual obligations they have. Since the original poster mentioned it's required for a new client, that's likely a contractual requirement rather than a statutory one.