IT asset inventory

You probably feel fairly confident in your IT asset inventory. After all, your organization has tools, processes, and personnel dedicated to IT asset management, which includes hardware asset management and software asset management, plus endpoint security. But here’s the uncomfortable question: how sure are you really that you know about every device connected to your network?

You might be surprised. Most organizations are.

It’s not just traditional workstations and laptops you need to track anymore. BYOD policies, remote work, IoT devices, rogue employee setups, and even SNMP-enabled smart appliances quietly connected to your Wi-Fi can open unseen vulnerabilities. Without comprehensive visibility, you’re blind to risk; and you’re not alone.

What IT asset inventory is and why it’s important

At its core, IT asset inventory is the process of cataloging every endpoint, system, and connected device across your organization’s network. This includes everything from corporate-owned laptops and mobile phones to virtual machines, routers, printers, and beyond.

But in today’s hybrid and remote-first IT landscape, endpoints are no longer neatly contained within the four walls of your office. Devices come and go. Employees log in from personal laptops and smartphones. Contractors connect for brief periods. Shadow IT emerges when employees adopt unsanctioned hardware or software to “get work done faster.”

Without frequent and methodical updates to your asset inventory, your IT environment can quickly become outdated and inaccurate.

According to Gartner, “IT asset discovery tools are essential to keeping a current and complete inventory of assets for operations, security and cost management.”

Do you have visibility of every connected device?

Security professionals often repeat the mantra: “You can’t protect what you don’t know exists.” Nowhere is this more true than in endpoint security.

Unmanaged devices are one of the most common sources of cyber risk today. They introduce vulnerabilities by:

  • Bypassing patch management schedules
  • Operating outside of compliance policies
  • Housing sensitive data on unsecured machines
  • Opening entry points for malware or unauthorized access

These devices are difficult to detect using traditional inventory processes, but their impact on your risk profile is significant and shouldn’t be underestimated.

Malware, data breaches and ransomware, oh my!

A study by Ponemon Institute found that 68% of organizations have faced one or more endpoint attacks that led to data breaches or IT infrastructure compromises. And separate studies from Microsoft found that unmanaged devices are 71% more likely to be infected by malware and are involved in 92% of ransomware attacks! Yet many of those same organizations believed they had adequate endpoint visibility.

That’s the disconnect: IT and security leaders think they know their environment. The reality regarding their IT asset inventory is often much more fragmented.

Manual inventories don’t cut it anymore

Many organizations still rely on manual processes to build and maintain device inventories. These are typically spreadsheet-based efforts, periodic audits, or scripts that pull data from active directories or known endpoints.

While these methods provide some value, they are inherently flawed:

  • They miss transient or temporary devices
  • They’re labor-intensive and error-prone
  • They quickly become outdated
  • They offer little to no visibility into BYOD or rogue IT

And when auditors request proof of patch compliance or security teams need to isolate at-risk devices, these gaps become painful liabilities.

Ask yourself: how many times have you been surprised by a device you didn’t know existed until it caused a problem?

Auditors are asking harder questions

Compliance demands are only growing. Whether it’s HIPAA, SOX, PCI-DSS, or internal governance mandates, regulators increasingly expect you to provide real-time visibility into your IT environment, including full IT asset inventories.

When audits fail, the consequences can be significant, ranging from fines or regulatory penalties to the loss of customer trust, damage to your brand reputation, higher insurance premiums, and costly remediation efforts.

In many cases, these failures aren’t the result of malicious activity but rather the product of visibility gaps. An unmanaged laptop, an unauthorized server, or a missed virtual machine with sensitive data can all create serious vulnerabilities.

The good news is that these blind spots are preventable with regularly scheduled discovery.

Device discovery must be routine and deliberate

Traditional IT asset inventory methods were designed for static environments. Today’s IT is anything but static. Devices join and leave your network constantly.

That’s why routine, scheduled discovery efforts, backed by strong cross-team communication, are essential.

Develop a cadence for inventory checks. Combine input from network logs, user reports, audit trails, and infrastructure scans to form a clearer picture of your environment. Use available data sources creatively to spot trends and anomalies—such as unexpected IP addresses, unrecognized MAC addresses, or VPN access logs tied to unknown devices.

Don’t underestimate the scope of the problem

Most organizations do. A study by Kolide revealed that 48% of companies let unmanaged devices access protected resources. In the same survey, they also found that the typical tech stack can’t stop unmanaged devices.

That’s a staggering admission and it shows that this isn’t a minor oversight. It’s a systemic issue.

When you lack visibility, you lose control. When you lose control, you invite risk.

What you can do today

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to enhance the visibility of your IT asset inventory and bring control back to your environment.

  1. Audit your current inventory methods. Identify what tools and processes you’re using and where the gaps are.
  2. Assess your shadow IT exposure. Consider surveys, interviews, or log reviews to identify unapproved software or hardware in use.
  3. Expand your discovery methods. Use scheduled network scans, log correlation, and periodic endpoint checks.
  4. Integrate with your security stack. Ensure that discovered assets are tied into your hardware asset management, software asset management, patch management, threat detection, and policy enforcement systems.
  5. Establish regular review cycles. IT asset management isn’t a one-time project. Make it a recurring function tied to your security and compliance initiatives.
  6. Make visibility a KPI. Track the percentage of managed vs unmanaged endpoints and make it part of your operational scorecard.

Security, compliance and efficiency all start with visibility

You can’t fix what you can’t see. And in today’s fast-moving threat landscape, unmanaged devices are low-hanging fruit for attackers.

But visibility doesn’t just help you reduce risk; it also helps you optimize operations. When you have an accurate view of every connected device in your IT asset inventory, you can:

  • Improve patch compliance rates
  • Streamline license and IT asset management
  • Support zero trust initiatives
  • Cut down on unnecessary spending
  • Increase audit success rates

So, ask yourself: how many unmanaged devices are on your network right now? If you’re not sure, now is the time to do something about it.

Know What You Own: Mastering IT Asset Management with KACE SMA

Watch this on-demand webinar to see how the Quest® KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) delivers real-time visibility, automates asset tracking, and keeps you compliant.

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About the Author

Jillian Salamon

Jillian Salamon has been with Quest Software for 17 years. She is a Senior Solutions Consultant responsible for the KACE Product Portfolio. ITSM, ITAM, Endpoint Management and mobile devices management is her specialization and passion. Jillian was born, raised and currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA. Go Steelers!

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