What is ITAM?
IT asset management (ITAM) is a set of business practices that manage and optimize an organization's technology assets throughout their lifecycles – including hardware, software, networks, and connected devices. ITAM’s goal is to facilitate operational efficiency, improve financial performance, manage risk, and ensure compliance.
How ITAM strengthens your cybersecurity
Incident
response
Risk mitigation
IT system roles
Hardware
management
Security controls
IT asset prioritization
Quickly identify and locate devices and their owners, facilitating visibility, swift responses, and root cause analysis.
Reduce threats and security risks stemming from rogue, obsolete, or misconfigured assets.
Associate and map in-use software to avoid application and purchase redundancy and maintain licensing compliance.
Identify legacy software versions, unpatched software, and other vulnerabilities that can pose a security risk.
Software management
Confirm network-connected devices are compliant and properly configured. Identify obsolete, stolen, or lost assets.
Track changes in your IT landscape and protect assets and their operational functionalities by mapping IT networks and identifying security controls.
Categorize and prioritize IT assets by operational functionalities, criticality, and sensitivity to ensure your incident response minimizes organizational risk and damage.
The importance of IT asset management (ITAM) in cybersecurity
8 steps for improving cybersecurity with ITAM
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
Identify all the IT assets within your organization, including end-user devices, servers, software applications, and network systems.
Categorize the identified assets based on their type, owner, location, and criticality to your organization.
Analyze the assets for any known vulnerabilities, through either automated vulnerability scanners or manual checks.
Assess the impact and likelihood of the identified vulnerabilities being exploited. Prioritize vulnerabilities based on risk.
Mitigate the vulnerabilities either by patching, changing configurations, or compensating controls.
Verify the effectiveness of your remediation steps and reassess the risk.
Continually manage the assets throughout their lifecycle from procurement and usage to maintenance and disposal.
Verify the effectiveness of your remediation steps and reassess the risk.
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2
3
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5
6
7
8
Cyberattacks are more dangerous and more common than ever.
Top 5 possible outcomes of a cyberattack:
IT leaders report surging data security threats:
Loss of revenue
Loss of critical operating data
Loss of IP
Erosion of customer trust
Source:
Vulnerability identification
Asset classifaction
Asset identification
Risk assessment
Remediation
Verification
Lifecycle management
Continuous monitoring
Reputational damage
90%
38%
20%
faced significant data security and governance challenges
experienced a security breach in 2021
predict an increase in the volume or complexity of attacks
Top Global Data Security Trends Report. SalesForce.
Conclusion
Need help getting started?
Implementing an effective ITAM system is crucial for any organization's overall cybersecurity strategy, enabling proactive security measures, reducing your attack surface, and enhancing incident response capabilities.
With a robust ITAM strategy in place, you can safeguard your valuable data, protect against cyberthreats, and maintain a strong defense posture in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape.
38%
20%
38%
predict an increase in the volume or complexity of attacks
Implementing an effective ITAM system is crucial for any organization's overall cybersecurity strategy, enabling proactive security measures, reducing your attack surface, and enhancing incident response capabilities.
With a robust ITAM strategy in place, you can safeguard your valuable data, protect against cyberthreats, and maintain a strong defense posture in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Need help getting started?
NIST Special Publication 1800-5A. IT Asset Management. National Institute of Standards and Technology. Michael Stone, Leah Kauffman, Chinedum Irrechukwu, Harry Perper, Devin Wynne. September 2018.
Source:
Top Global Data Security Trends Report. SalesForce.
SHI’s ITAM experts make it easy to identify the steps you need to take to improve your asset management processes.
Contact us to learn more.
SHI’s ITAM experts make it easy to identify the steps you need to take to improve your asset management processes.
Contact us to learn more.
Source:
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