Proof of Usefulness Report

Center for Internet Security

Analysis completed on 2/14/2026

+746
Proof of Usefulness Score
Category Standard

The Center for Internet Security (CIS) is a critical pillar of global cybersecurity, offering industry-standard Benchmarks and Controls with immense real-world utility. While the entity itself operates at a massive scale (serving governments and major enterprises), the submission quality is notably poor, featuring vague claims ('most people have used my product') and mislabeled financial metrics. The high score reflects the verified institutional importance of CIS, heavily penalized in the 'Response Quality' and 'Evidence of Traction' categories due to the lazy submission data.

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Score Breakdown

Real World Utility+306.25
Audience Reach Impact+190.00
Technical Innovation+127.50
Evidence Of Traction+118.75
Market Timing Relevance+95.00
Functional Completeness+10.00
Subtotal+847.5
Usefulness Multiplierx0.88
Final Score+746

Project Details

Project URL
Description
The Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS®) makes the connected world a safer place for people, businesses, and governments through our core competencies of collaboration and innovation. We are a community-driven nonprofit, responsible for the CIS Controls® and CIS Benchmarks™, globally recognized best practices for securing IT systems and data. We lead a global community of IT professionals to continuously evolve these standards and provide products and services to proactively safeguard against emerging threats. Our CIS Hardened Images® provide secure, on-demand, scalable computing environments in the cloud. CIS is home to the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center® (MS-ISAC®), the trusted resource for cyber threat prevention, protection, response, and recovery for U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial government entities, and the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center® (EI-ISAC®), which supports the rapidly changing cybersecurity needs of U.S. elections offices.

Algorithm Insights

Market Position
Strong market validation with clear user adoption patterns
User Engagement
Documented reach suggests active user community
Technical Stack
Modern tech stack aligned with sponsor technologies

Recommendations to Increase Usefulness Score

Document User Growth

Provide specific metrics on user acquisition and retention rates

Showcase Revenue Model

Detail sustainable monetization strategy and current revenue streams

Expand Evidence Base

Include testimonials, case studies, and third-party validation

Technical Roadmap

Share development milestones and feature completion timeline