Is NIST working exclusively with Microsoft on baseline security settings?
No. NIST is currently working with a number of IT vendors on standardizing security settings for a wide variety of IT products and environments. NIST does this through the NIST Security Configuration Checklists Program for IT Products. The NIST process for creating, vetting, and making security checklists available for public use is documented in NIST SP 800-70 – Security Configuration Checklists Program for IT Products: Guidance for Checklists Users and Developers. If IT vendors would like to standardize additional security settings with NIST, please contact checklists@nist.gov.
