1. Purpose
The Cloud Asset Inventory is used to maintain an accurate record of cloud accounts, subscriptions, projects, services, resources, data stores, identities, security configurations, and other cloud assets used by the organization.
Cloud environments can change rapidly. New resources may be created, modified, or deleted without being reflected in a traditional IT asset register.
The Cloud Asset Inventory provides visibility into:
- What cloud assets the organization uses.
- Where those assets are located.
- Who owns them.
- What information they process or store.
- How critical they are.
- Which security controls protect them.
- Which risks are associated with them.
- Whether they are production, development, or test resources.
- Which third parties or cloud providers are involved.
The inventory supports the organization’s Information Security Management System (ISMS), risk assessment, access management, vulnerability management, incident response, business continuity, and internal audit activities.
2. Scope
The inventory should cover cloud assets within the organization’s ISMS scope.
Depending on the environment, this may include:
- Cloud accounts.
- Organizations and management accounts.
- Subscriptions.
- Projects.
- Regions.
- Virtual machines.
- Containers.
- Kubernetes clusters.
- Databases.
- Object storage.
- Virtual networks.
- Firewalls and security groups.
- Load balancers.
- APIs.
- Serverless functions.
- IAM users, roles, and policies.
- Encryption keys.
- Secrets.
- Logging services.
- Monitoring services.
- Backup resources.
- Security services.
- CI/CD resources.
- DNS and certificates.
- Cloud-based SaaS applications.
- Third-party cloud integrations.
Not every temporary or low-risk resource necessarily needs the same level of inventory detail. The approach should be proportionate to the organization’s environment and risks.
3. Cloud Asset Inventory Principles
3.1 Maintain Current Visibility
The inventory should reflect the actual cloud environment rather than only the resources originally deployed.
3.2 Assign Ownership
Important cloud assets should have an identified owner and, where appropriate, a technical custodian.
3.3 Identify Environment
Resources should be distinguishable as:
- Production
- Development
- Testing
- Staging
- Disaster Recovery
- Sandbox
3.4 Link Assets to Information
Where relevant, identify the information processed or stored by the resource.
3.5 Link Assets to Risk
Critical cloud resources should be traceable to relevant information security risks.
3.6 Monitor Changes
Cloud assets should be reviewed when resources are created, modified, transferred, or removed.
4. Cloud Asset Inventory — Main Register
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Cloud Asset ID | Unique internal identifier |
| Cloud Provider | AWS, Azure, GCP, etc. |
| Account / Subscription / Project ID | Cloud environment identifier |
| Resource ID | Provider resource identifier |
| Asset Name | Name of the resource |
| Asset Type | EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda, VPC, etc. |
| Environment | Production, Development, Test, etc. |
| Region | Cloud region |
| Business Purpose | Why the resource exists |
| Application / Service | Application or business service supported |
| Asset Owner | Accountable internal owner |
| Technical Custodian | Technical team responsible for operation |
| Information Processed | Type of information handled |
| Classification | Public, Internal, Confidential, Restricted |
| Criticality | Critical, High, Medium, Low |
| Internet Exposure | Public, Private, Restricted |
| Authentication / Access Method | IAM, SSO, service account, etc. |
| Encryption | Encryption status and method |
| Logging / Monitoring | Applicable monitoring and logging |
| Backup | Backup requirement and status |
| Related Risk ID | Relevant risk register reference |
| Related Security Control | Applicable security control |
| Third-Party Dependency | Relevant external dependency |
| Lifecycle Status | Active, Suspended, Retired |
| Last Reviewed | Date |
| Review Status | Current / Review Required |
| Evidence / Reference | Supporting evidence or link |
5. Cloud Account / Subscription Register
Before documenting individual resources, maintain visibility over the organization’s cloud accounts or equivalent environments.
| Account ID | Provider | Account Name | Environment | Owner | Purpose | Region | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWS-001 | AWS | Production | Production | CTO | SaaS production | Mumbai | Active |
| AWS-002 | AWS | Development | Development | Engineering Lead | Application development | Mumbai | Active |
| AWS-003 | AWS | Security | Security | Security Lead | Central security services | Mumbai | Active |
| AWS-004 | AWS | DR | Disaster Recovery | CTO | Recovery environment | Singapore | Active |
The examples above are illustrative. Actual account IDs, regions, and environments should reflect the organization’s architecture.
6. AWS Cloud Asset Inventory Example
For an AWS SaaS environment, the inventory may contain:
| Asset ID | AWS Resource | Type | Environment | Owner | Classification | Criticality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWS-001 | Production Account | AWS Account | Production | CTO | Confidential | Critical |
| AWS-002 | SaaS Application Server | EC2 | Production | Engineering | Confidential | Critical |
| AWS-003 | Customer Database | RDS | Production | Data Owner | Confidential | Critical |
| AWS-004 | Customer Documents | S3 | Production | Data Owner | Confidential | High |
| AWS-005 | Application API | API Gateway | Production | Engineering | Confidential | Critical |
| AWS-006 | Application Functions | Lambda | Production | Engineering | Confidential | High |
| AWS-007 | Production Network | VPC | Production | Cloud Lead | Internal | Critical |
| AWS-008 | Encryption Key | KMS | Production | Security Lead | Restricted | Critical |
| AWS-009 | Application Secrets | Secrets Manager | Production | Security Lead | Restricted | Critical |
| AWS-010 | Audit Logs | CloudTrail | Production | Security Lead | Confidential | High |
| AWS-011 | Monitoring | CloudWatch | Production | Cloud Lead | Internal | High |
| AWS-012 | Backup Repository | AWS Backup | Production | Cloud Lead | Confidential | Critical |
7. Cloud Asset Categories
A practical inventory should group resources into meaningful categories.
7.1 Compute
Examples:
- EC2
- ECS
- EKS
- Lambda
- Azure Virtual Machines
- Azure Functions
- Google Compute Engine
Record:
- Owner
- Environment
- Operating system/runtime
- Application
- Network location
- Criticality
- Patch responsibility
7.2 Storage
Examples:
- Amazon S3
- EBS
- Azure Blob Storage
- Google Cloud Storage
Record:
- Data stored
- Classification
- Access permissions
- Encryption
- Public exposure
- Retention
- Backup
- Owner
7.3 Databases
Examples:
- Amazon RDS
- DynamoDB
- Aurora
- Azure SQL
- Cloud SQL
Record:
- Database type
- Application
- Data classification
- Environment
- Encryption
- Backup
- Recovery requirements
- Administrative access
- Owner
7.4 Network Resources
Examples:
- VPC
- Subnets
- Security Groups
- Network ACLs
- Firewalls
- Load balancers
- VPN
- Transit Gateway
Record:
- Network purpose
- Environment
- Internet exposure
- Connected systems
- Owner
- Security requirements
7.5 Identity and Access Resources
Examples:
- IAM users
- IAM roles
- IAM policies
- Identity providers
- Service accounts
- Privileged roles
Record:
- Purpose
- Owner
- Privilege level
- Associated system
- Authentication method
- Review frequency
- Last review
Privileged identities should receive particular attention because compromise may affect multiple cloud resources.
8. Security Services
Record relevant security and monitoring services, such as:
- CloudTrail
- CloudWatch
- GuardDuty
- Security Hub
- AWS Config
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud
- Microsoft Sentinel
- Google Security Command Center
- SIEM integrations
- EDR integrations
- Vulnerability scanning services
Example:
| Security Asset | Owner | Purpose | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| CloudTrail | Security Lead | Cloud activity logging | Trail configuration |
| GuardDuty | Security Lead | Threat detection | Findings |
| Security Hub | Security Lead | Security posture monitoring | Security findings |
| AWS Config | Cloud Lead | Configuration monitoring | Configuration history |
9. Encryption and Key Management Assets
Encryption keys should be inventoried or otherwise governed through an approved key-management process.
Record, where appropriate:
- Key ID
- Key purpose
- Owner
- Application
- Data protected
- Environment
- Key type
- Rotation requirements
- Access permissions
- Status
- Retirement date
Example:
Asset: AWS KMS customer-data encryption key
Classification: Restricted
Owner: Security Lead
Purpose: Protect customer database and associated storage
Access: Restricted to approved services and administrators
Keys and secrets should not be exposed in the inventory itself. Record references or identifiers rather than actual secret values.
10. Secrets and Credentials
The inventory should identify the existence and ownership of important secrets without storing the actual secret values.
Examples:
- Database credentials
- API keys
- Application secrets
- Service credentials
- Signing keys
- Tokens
Record:
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Secret ID | SEC-001 |
| Purpose | Production database connection |
| Application | SaaS API |
| Owner | Engineering Lead |
| Custodian | DevOps |
| Storage | Approved secrets manager |
| Classification | Restricted |
| Rotation | Risk-based / defined schedule |
| Status | Active |
Never record actual passwords, API keys, tokens, or private keys in the inventory.
11. Cloud Data Inventory
For important cloud resources, identify what information is processed or stored.
| Resource | Information | Classification | Data Owner | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RDS Customer DB | Customer account information | Confidential | Data Owner | AWS region |
| S3 Documents | Customer documents | Confidential | Data Owner | AWS region |
| CloudWatch Logs | Application/security logs | Confidential | Security Lead | AWS region |
| S3 Public Website | Public content | Public | Marketing | AWS region |
| HR SaaS | Employee information | Restricted | HR | SaaS Provider |
This information can also support privacy assessments, data-flow mapping, and regulatory compliance activities.
12. Internet Exposure
The inventory should identify whether important cloud assets are externally accessible.
Recommended values:
- Public Internet
- Private
- Restricted
- Internal Only
Example:
| Resource | Exposure | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Application Load Balancer | Public | Customer-facing application |
| RDS Database | Private | Backend database |
| S3 Customer Bucket | Private | Customer information |
| API Gateway | Public | Customer API |
| Admin Interface | Restricted | Authorized administrative users |
Internet exposure should be considered during risk assessment and security testing.
13. Environment Classification
Every relevant cloud resource should be associated with an environment.
| Environment | Typical Purpose |
|---|---|
| Production | Live customer/business operations |
| Development | Application development |
| Test | Security and functional testing |
| Staging | Pre-production validation |
| Disaster Recovery | Recovery operations |
| Sandbox | Experimentation or temporary work |
Production and non-production environments should be distinguishable to reduce accidental access, configuration, and deployment errors.
14. Cloud Asset Ownership
Each important cloud asset should have an accountable internal owner.
Example:
Customer Database
- Asset Owner: CTO / Data Owner
- Technical Custodian: Cloud Team
- Application Owner: Engineering Lead
- Risk Owner: CTO
- Classification: Confidential
- Criticality: Critical
AWS Security Logging
- Asset Owner: Security Lead
- Technical Custodian: Cloud Team
- Classification: Confidential
- Criticality: High
The cloud provider does not replace the organization’s internal ownership responsibilities.
15. Cloud Asset Lifecycle
Cloud assets should be managed throughout their lifecycle.
Request → Approve → Create → Configure → Secure → Monitor → Review → Modify → Retire → Dispose
Before creating a significant cloud resource, consider:
- Business requirement.
- Owner.
- Environment.
- Data classification.
- Security requirements.
- Network exposure.
- Access requirements.
- Logging.
- Backup.
- Cost responsibility.
- Risk.
- Compliance requirements.
16. Cloud Asset Change Management
Cloud resources may change frequently. Significant changes should be subject to appropriate change management.
Examples:
- Creating a new production database.
- Opening a firewall/security-group port.
- Making an S3 bucket publicly accessible.
- Changing IAM privileges.
- Moving customer data to another region.
- Disabling logging.
- Changing encryption configuration.
- Changing backup settings.
The organization should determine which changes require formal approval based on risk and its change-management process.
17. Automated Discovery
Where practical, the organization should use cloud-native or existing tools to support inventory accuracy.
For AWS, examples include:
- AWS Config
- AWS Resource Explorer
- AWS Organizations
- AWS Systems Manager
- CloudTrail
- Service-specific resource inventories
For Azure, relevant capabilities may include:
- Azure Resource Graph
- Azure Resource Manager
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud
For GCP, relevant capabilities may include:
- Cloud Asset Inventory
- Cloud Resource Manager
- Security Command Center
These tools can help discover technical resources, but they do not replace ownership, classification, business context, or risk assessment.
18. Cloud Asset Reconciliation
The organization should periodically compare the formal inventory with the actual cloud environment.
Reconciliation Process
Cloud Discovery → Compare With Inventory → Identify Unknown Resources → Identify Missing Resources → Assign Owners → Classify → Assess Risk → Update Inventory → Close Findings
Example:
Cloud discovery identifies an S3 bucket not present in the inventory.
The organization should determine:
- Who created it?
- What business purpose does it serve?
- What information does it contain?
- Is it public or private?
- Who owns it?
- What classification applies?
- Does it create a security risk?
- Should it remain active?
- Does it need to be added to the inventory or removed?
19. Unidentified or Unowned Cloud Assets
An unknown or unowned cloud resource should be treated as a governance issue.
Possible statuses:
- Under Investigation
- Owner Identified
- Risk Assessment Required
- Approved
- Remediation Required
- Scheduled for Removal
- Removed
Example:
Unknown EC2 Instance
→ Identify creator
→ Identify purpose
→ Identify data
→ Assign owner
→ Assess exposure
→ Review security configuration
→ Add to inventory or decommission
20. Cloud Asset Risk Linkage
Important cloud resources should be linked to the organization’s risk register.
Example:
Cloud Asset: Production RDS Database
Risk: Unauthorized access to customer data
Initial Risk: High/Critical depending on methodology
Existing Controls:
- IAM controls
- Network restrictions
- Encryption
- MFA for privileged users
- Monitoring
- Access reviews
- Backup
Risk Owner: CTO
Related Asset: AWS-003
Related Control: Applicable ISO 27001 controls identified through the organization’s risk treatment and SoA process.
21. Backup and Recovery Information
For critical cloud assets, record:
- Backup enabled.
- Backup frequency.
- Retention.
- Backup owner.
- Recovery Point Objective (RPO).
- Recovery Time Objective (RTO).
- Backup location.
- Recovery testing status.
- Related business continuity requirements.
Example:
| Asset | Backup | RPO | RTO | Recovery Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production RDS | Enabled | 4 hours | 8 hours | Quarterly |
| Customer S3 Data | Enabled | 24 hours | 12 hours | Periodic |
| Production Application | AMI/Deployment Backup | 4 hours | 4 hours | Periodic |
The values above are examples and should be determined by business requirements and risk.
22. Cloud Security Configuration Evidence
The inventory should not contain every configuration detail. Instead, it should reference appropriate evidence.
Examples:
| Asset | Evidence |
|---|---|
| AWS Account | AWS Organizations record |
| EC2 | Instance configuration |
| RDS | Database configuration |
| S3 | Bucket policy/configuration |
| IAM | Access review |
| KMS | Key configuration |
| CloudTrail | Trail configuration |
| GuardDuty | Security findings |
| Backup | Backup configuration and restore test |
| Security Group | Approved network configuration |
This keeps the inventory manageable while maintaining traceability.
23. Cloud Asset Review Frequency
Review frequency should be risk-based.
An example approach:
| Asset | Suggested Review |
|---|---|
| Production accounts | Monthly/quarterly |
| Critical production resources | Monthly/quarterly |
| Privileged IAM resources | Monthly/quarterly |
| Security services | Monthly |
| General cloud resources | Quarterly |
| Development resources | Quarterly |
| Sandbox resources | Periodic |
| Unknown resources | Immediate investigation |
These are example frequencies, not universal ISO requirements.
Automated discovery can supplement periodic manual review.
24. Cloud Asset Retirement
Before removing a cloud resource, consider:
- Business approval.
- Data retention.
- Data migration.
- Backup requirements.
- Access removal.
- Credential revocation.
- Dependency assessment.
- Security logging.
- Contractual requirements.
- Regulatory requirements.
- Secure deletion.
Retirement Workflow
Identify → Approve → Check Dependencies → Preserve Required Data → Remove Access → Decommission → Verify Deletion → Update Inventory → Retain Evidence
25. Audit Evidence
Potential evidence includes:
- Cloud Asset Inventory.
- Cloud account/subscription list.
- Automated discovery reports.
- AWS Config or equivalent records.
- Cloud resource lists.
- Asset ownership records.
- Classification records.
- IAM/access reviews.
- Security configuration records.
- Vulnerability reports.
- Backup and recovery evidence.
- Change records.
- Cloud security monitoring.
- Asset retirement records.
- Risk register references.
- Internal audit results.
An auditor may select a cloud asset from the inventory and trace:
Cloud Resource → Owner → Information → Classification → Risk → Security Controls → Evidence
26. Common Mistakes
1. Only Recording Cloud Accounts
Knowing that the organization has an AWS account is not enough. Important resources within that account also need appropriate visibility.
2. Ignoring Temporary Resources
Temporary development or testing resources can still expose sensitive information.
3. No Ownership
A resource created by a developer should not remain without an accountable owner.
4. Ignoring Cloud Logs and Backups
Logs and backups may contain sensitive information and should be considered assets.
5. Storing Secrets in the Inventory
Never store passwords, API keys, tokens, or private keys in the inventory.
6. Manual Inventory Only
A rapidly changing cloud environment can quickly make a manually maintained spreadsheet inaccurate.
7. No Reconciliation
The organization should periodically compare its documented inventory with the actual cloud environment.
27. Startup-Friendly Implementation
A startup can begin with a simple approach.
Step 1
List all cloud providers.
Step 2
List all accounts, subscriptions, and projects.
Step 3
Identify production and non-production environments.
Step 4
Identify critical resources:
- Databases
- Storage
- Compute
- IAM
- Network
- Secrets
- Encryption
- Logging
- Backup
Step 5
Assign owners.
Step 6
Classify information.
Step 7
Identify internet exposure and critical dependencies.
Step 8
Link important assets to risks.
Step 9
Use cloud-native discovery where practical.
Step 10
Periodically reconcile the inventory with the actual cloud environment.
A spreadsheet can be sufficient for an early-stage organization. As the environment grows, cloud-native discovery, CMDB/GRC, CSPM, or asset-management capabilities can be introduced where they provide practical value.
28. Minimum Cloud Asset Inventory
For a small SaaS startup, the following fields provide a practical minimum:
| Asset ID | Provider | Account | Resource | Type | Environment | Region | Owner | Classification | Criticality | Exposure | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWS-001 | AWS | Production | Customer DB | RDS | Production | India | CTO | Confidential | Critical | Private | Active |
| AWS-002 | AWS | Production | Customer Files | S3 | Production | India | Data Owner | Confidential | High | Private | Active |
| AWS-003 | AWS | Production | SaaS API | API Gateway | Production | India | Engineering | Confidential | Critical | Public | Active |
| AWS-004 | AWS | Production | Encryption Key | KMS | Production | India | Security | Restricted | Critical | Restricted | Active |
| AWS-005 | AWS | Production | Audit Logs | CloudTrail | Production | India | Security | Confidential | High | Restricted | Active |
29. Relationship With Other ISMS Documents
The Cloud Asset Inventory should connect with the broader ISMS.
Information & Asset Inventory
↓
Identifies organizational assets
Cloud Asset Inventory
↓
Provides detailed visibility of cloud resources
Asset Ownership Register
↓
Assigns accountability
Asset Classification Procedure
↓
Determines protection requirements
Risk Assessment / Risk Register
↓
Evaluates cloud-related risks
Access Control
↓
Controls cloud identities and privileges
Vulnerability Management
↓
Identifies and manages technical weaknesses
Security Architecture Review
↓
Assesses cloud architecture and security design
Backup & Recovery
↓
Protects availability and recoverability
Incident Management
↓
Responds to cloud security events
Internal Audit
↓
Verifies implementation and effectiveness
30. Quick Audit Checklist
- All relevant cloud providers are identified.
- Cloud accounts/subscriptions/projects are documented.
- Production and non-production environments are distinguishable.
- Important cloud resources are inventoried.
- Asset owners are assigned.
- Technical custodians are identified.
- Information processed or stored is identified.
- Classification is documented.
- Criticality is assessed.
- Internet exposure is identified.
- Privileged identities are governed.
- Encryption and secrets are appropriately managed.
- Logging and monitoring resources are identified.
- Backup and recovery requirements are documented.
- Relevant risks are linked.
- Cloud inventory is periodically reconciled with actual resources.
- Unknown or unowned resources are investigated.
- Retired resources are removed appropriately.
- Supporting evidence is available for audit sampling.
31. Final Principle
A useful cloud inventory should answer:
What cloud resources do we have?
Where are they?
What do they support?
What information do they process?
Who owns them?
How critical are they?
Who can access them?
How are they protected?
What risks do they create?
Are they still required?
The practical lifecycle is:
Discover → Identify → Assign Owner → Classify → Assess Risk → Secure → Monitor → Reconcile → Review → Retire