The capacity to continuously identify and keep track of each asset your company possesses from a single repository is known as Cybersecurity Asset Management. Using this thorough inventory, you may identify any potential security threats or holes that could affect each asset and act right once to look into or fix the problems.
The danger landscape is rapidly expanding as more businesses adopt the cloud. You must be aware of and have insight into all of your environment’s cyber assets if you want to be secure.
The necessity to identify and regulate hardware and software assets is listed as the first two security measures in CIS Critical Controls since asset management is so fundamental to a cybersecurity program.
Accordingly, the NIST Cybersecurity Framework’s first category is asset management. Another illustration is provided by the Security and Exchange Commission’s guidelines, which emphasize the importance of inventorying hardware and software to ensure that the company is aware of where its assets “are located, and how they are protected.”
Why Do We Not All Already Have Asset Management?
We are aware that fundamental hygiene practices like hand washing can stop infections even outside of cybersecurity. However, many people don’t consistently wash their hands, including many medical professionals. And take a look at our diet and exercise routines. Despite knowing what we should be doing, many of us fail to follow through.
We are frequently drawn to exciting-sounding disciplines in cybersecurity, such as threat hunting or red-teaming. Machine learning for malware or anomaly detection is one of the sexiest technologies that draw our attention. Even though we are aware that doing so will enable innovative initiatives like detecting intrusions and combating malware, we find it difficult to take a step back and lay the groundwork for the security program.
The absence of efficient tooling is another factor contributing to the difficulty of Cybersecurity Asset Management. It takes a lot of effort and is frequently manual and error-prone to keep track of IT resources. Asset management must be automated and simple to adopt in order to reach its full potential.
Asset management enables security professionals to be successful with other projects, such as launching a new antivirus agent or enhancing cloud resource management. It improves the effectiveness of the security organization, permits tracking and demonstrating progress, and makes it possible to stop a range of problems before they develop into significant incidents.
Another advantage is gained by those who have integrated Cybersecurity Asset Management in a way that keeps up with the dynamic settings of today. These companies learn that every IT and cybersecurity-related department turns to the asset management system for information on vulnerabilities, threats, incidents, compliance, troubleshooting, and other topics. The formerly unattractive asset management system becomes the center of crucial judgments and inquiries.