Cybersecurity asset management (CAM) is the process of recognizing, assessing and safeguarding network resources that may be vulnerable to security risks or vulnerabilities. CAM plays a significant role in modern IT security operations as well as providing the basis for efficient policy enforcement.
Assets can take many forms, from traditional devices like PCs and servers to specialized IoT, IIoT and OT devices, software-defined resources and cloud services. If any of these resources become vulnerable or compromised, it could pose a threat to your entire network.
Defining the Purpose of IT Assets
IT assets, whether tangible (hardware) or intangible (software), have a limited lifespan. This is known as an asset lifecycle and ITAM practices proactively manage each stage of this process to extract maximum value from these resources.
To achieve optimal security, efficiency and performance from IT equipment, tracking needs to be done. This includes keeping track of software patches and upgrades, monitoring network security settings and properly disposing old hardware.
With an automated system that collects all relevant information about IT assets, it’s simple to identify and locate any IT asset, quickly refer them for support if required, comprehend their dependencies, and make informed decisions regarding redeployment or retirement. This approach reduces the effort IT teams need to spend supporting users while freeing them up to focus on other priorities.
Another advantage of ITAM is that it helps organizations manage their software licenses to adhere to end user licensing agreements. Doing this helps companies avoid costly penalties, costs and fines.
Additionally, it allows them to keep track of their renewal dates and gauge how many employees are using licensed software applications. This helps them plan ahead for future licensing payments, while also protecting employees from being locked out of critical resources if the license expires unexpectedly.
The purpose of IT assets is to enable businesses to run efficiently and deliver value to their customers. The most efficient way to accomplish this is through effective IT asset management processes. With an established framework in place, your organization will be better prepared to tackle digital transformation initiatives as well as cybersecurity threats.
Defining the CIA Triad of Confidentiality
The CIA Triad of Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability is an information security framework designed to assist cybersecurity professionals create policies for protecting data and other assets. These principles form the cornerstone of most security systems and are essential in improving an organization’s overall security posture, adhering to complex regulations and guaranteeing business continuity in case of a data breach or other attack.
The triad was initially proposed in 1976 by the U.S. Air Force and quickly spread as a model in commercial computing as well. Though its origins are obscure, its principles can be traced back as far as modern computing itself and draw inspiration from multiple sources.
Utilizing the triad as a framework for crafting and enforcing security policies requires information security teams to consider how confidentiality, integrity and availability intersect or conflict with one another. Doing this makes it simpler to prioritize security initiatives for specific sets of data or the entire organization at large.
Enforcing data encryption can help maintain confidentiality, but it also restricts access and reduces availability. Encrypted data is only visible to those with permission to view it; conversely, allowing access without authentication leads to more disclosure.
When confidentiality, integrity and availability are addressed with proper controls, data is secure and trustworthy. When these three pillars of security are breached, organizations suffer security breaches and data leaks.
The CIA Triad of Confidentiality and Integrity is not an all-inclusive approach to security, but it offers a useful framework that helps leaders think through security challenges in an accessible manner. It lays out ways to assess risks and implement solutions – whether for data classification or managing permissions – with ease.
Integrity
Integrity can be a misunderstood concept to some. It’s often mistakenly mistaken for security or quality when in reality it refers to an entirely separate concept.
Integrity in cybersecurity refers to upholding data accuracy and authenticity. It also involves protecting confidentiality, as well as preventing unauthorized access to information.
There are various methods to maintain data integrity, such as encrypting during processing and transit of information. Other measures such as strong authentication mechanisms, version control, auditing and access controls can also help safeguard sensitive information.
Asset managers must guarantee the information they collect is accurate and up-to-date, as well as delete any outdated or unnecessary data that’s no longer useful. Maintaining outdated files can be costly in terms of space consumption and confusion.
Tracking data integrity helps companies avoid loss and corruption of sensitive information. That is why companies should regularly back up their files, utilize encryption, and other measures to prevent unauthorized access.
Data integrity can be undermined by many factors, such as human error or malicious actions. That is why it’s critical to educate employees on data security practices and foster an integrity culture within the organization.
This culture will help ensure everyone understands and upholds data integrity throughout the lifecycle of an IT asset. It also prevents the loss of important business data which can be crucial in making informed decisions.
Integrity is a fundamental element of IT asset management, and if not preserved, the consequences can be dire. With more companies adopting digital processes to manage their resources, understanding how to protect and preserve data integrity is becoming increasingly important.
Access
Assets are tangible items that provide economic benefit to an individual or company, either currently, in the future, or both. This could include physical items like your home, land, cars and computers as well as financial securities such as jewelry and art pieces.
Cybersecurity Professionals must maintain an intimate knowledge of an organization’s IT assets, such as computer systems, servers and networks. Furthermore, they need to be familiar with the cybersecurity tools being developed daily.
Access is a database management program from Microsoft available for free download on its website. With it, users can store information in tables and query data across multiple databases with ease.
Access differs from spreadsheets in that it allows users to create multiple tables and import or export data from other sources, saving time by eliminating the need to reenter information.
This program is primarily used for managing business data, but can also be utilized personally. There are several template databases to get you started and customizable tables, queries, forms and reports can be added to your own database with predefined settings.
Macros are programming constructs that can be linked together to automate repetitive tasks, such as running queries, importing or exporting data, opening forms and closing them, previewing reports or printing them out. Furthermore, macros offer error handling and temporary variable support.
VBA (Visual Basic Applications) is a programming language similar to VB6 that allows developers to craft sophisticated solutions with advanced automation, data validation and error trapping. It supports various database and application features like web deployment, SQL Server integration and multi-user support.
Risk
Cybersecurity professionals must be able to detect and manage risk across IT assets in order to safeguard sensitive data and systems. This necessitates a continuous cybersecurity management process that involves recognizing, assessing, and responding to threats in real-time.
The initial step in addressing risks for your business is assessing which ones need attention based on its risk appetite (also known as tolerance). This decision-making process may take into account several factors, such as how often a threat might occur and whether changing how sensitive information is handled within your organization can help avoid it.
Some risks are straightforward to avoid, while others require more effort and resources to mitigate. Once a company has determined its risk appetite, it can utilize an organized approach for recognizing and remediating vulnerabilities and threats.
Asset management must include defining and implementing a formal risk assessment method to guarantee the organization’s policies and procedures are up-to-date. Standards, guidelines and best practices such as the CIS Critical Security Controls or NIST Cybersecurity Framework can assist companies in creating efficient processes for managing cybersecurity risk effectively.
Assessing risks is a complex undertaking. While the simplest approach might be to divide them into “acceptable” and “unacceptable” categories, this method ignores the uncertainty involved in estimating these values.
Risks can be minimized, shared with or transferred to another party, avoided completely or even terminated. A risk may even be accepted without changing security protocols.
Leaders must create a culture of cybersecurity and risk management within their organization to effectively implement risk management. This requires setting up a governance structure and communicating expectations clearly to employees, thus ensuring appropriate employee involvement, accountability and training. With data breaches costing an average of over $1.1 million per incident, cultivating such an environment of cybersecurity is paramount to protecting against costly damage.
