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Template

Asset Inventory Template

One list of the devices, accounts, and services you are actually responsible for protecting.

Intended audience
Whoever provisions devices and accounts
Difficulty
Beginner
Estimated time
30 minutes
Access
Free
CIS Controls
NIST SP 800-171
All industries

Version v1.0.0 · Last reviewed 2026-08-01 · Document owner: ComplianceAnvil Content Team

What you will be able to do

  • Capture the columns needed to track devices, accounts, and services you are responsible for.
  • Record data sensitivity and compliance scope per asset, not just hardware details.
  • Set a maintenance cadence tied to onboarding, offboarding, purchase, and disposal events.

Columns to capture

  • Asset name and type (laptop, phone, server, SaaS application).
  • Owner and department.
  • Location or hosting.
  • Data sensitivity handled.
  • In scope for compliance: yes or no.
  • Encryption and update status.
  • Acquired date and expected replacement.

Maintenance

Update on every onboarding, offboarding, purchase, and disposal. Review the full list quarterly.

Key takeaways

  • An asset inventory needs to cover devices, accounts, and SaaS applications, not just physical hardware.
  • Recording data sensitivity and whether an asset is in compliance scope helps prioritize which assets need the most attention.
  • Encryption and update status per asset turn the inventory into a working control, not just a list.
  • The inventory should be updated at every onboarding, offboarding, purchase, and disposal event, not on an arbitrary schedule.
  • A full quarterly review catches assets that were missed by the event-driven updates.

Sources

Written from these public, authoritative publications. ComplianceAnvil paraphrases and summarizes them; it does not reproduce copyrighted control text.

How this was written and reviewed

Published
Author
ComplianceAnvil Editorial Team
Technical reviewer
ComplianceAnvil Technical Review Board
Jurisdiction
United States (federal)
First published
2026-08-01
Last reviewed
2026-08-01
Next review due
2027-08-01

Version v1.0.0 · Document owner: ComplianceAnvil Content Team

Important

This template is provided for readiness and educational purposes. Organizations should review and adapt it for their environment.

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Put this into practice

Resources tell you what good looks like. A Program Pack does the work with you — generated documentation, tracked controls, training, and evidence in one workspace.

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