Adrian's KB

Asset Management (ITAM)

2 min read

Note

This note covers key practices and tools related to IT asset management (ITAM), risk classification, and posture management in hybrid IT environments.

Why Manage Assets?

  • Gain full visibility of all cloud and on-premises service assets.
  • Enable automated discovery of new or modified assets.

Core Steps in Asset Management

  1. Inventory: Catalog asset type, location, and owner.
  2. Risk Assessment: Categorize assets based on risk (Low, Medium, High).
  3. Ownership Assignment: Ensure each asset has a clear owner and accountable party.
  4. Access Controls: Enforce role-based access to sensitive assets.
  5. Monitoring and Auditing: Continuously track asset status and activity.

Key Domains and Tools

  • A. IT Asset Management (ITAM): Manages the lifecycle and inventory of IT assets.
  • B. Configuration Management Database (CMDB): Maintains information on asset configurations and relationships.
  • C. Network Scanners & Discovery Tools: Identify active systems and services.
  • D. Vulnerability Scanners: Assess assets for security exposures.

Common Asset Types

  • Servers
  • Databases
  • Applications
  • Load Balancers
  • Storage Buckets
  • Network Components

Asset Lifecycle Management

  1. Planning: Define procurement needs and lifecycle expectations.
  2. Acquisition: Procure assets following governance standards.
  3. Deployment: Configure and onboard assets into managed environments.
  4. Maintenance: Conduct regular updates and health checks.
  5. Disposal: Decommission and securely dispose of assets.

Posture Management Process

  1. Monitor: Track real-time asset and security metrics.
  2. Evaluate: Assess compliance with internal and external policies.
  3. Report: Generate actionable insights and summaries.
  4. Remediate: Address non-compliant or risky configurations.
  5. Implement & Enforce: Apply required controls and policies.
  6. Review & Update: Continuously improve posture management.

Tip

Integrating asset management with posture evaluation allows for proactive security enforcement and governance in dynamic environments.

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