ITAsMa: Why IT asset management must be part of compliance today

October 28, 2025

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Article by Marcus Belke, Compliance, Risk Management

Marcus Belke

CEO of 2B Advice GmbH, driving innovation in privacy compliance and risk management and leading the development of Ailance, the next-generation compliance platform.

Many risks do not arise in the Cloudbut in the inventory. ITAsMa shows where systems are running, what data they are processing and when they were last checked. This makes IT asset management a control instrument for Data protectionAI governance and audit security.

IT asset management that thinks for itself

Most IT registries know what exists in the company. But they don't know what these systems do. When migrations, patches or new services come into play, many organizations lose track. Because Documentationgovernance and operations live on different islands.

The result: inconsistencies, gaps, misclassifications. And at some point, an audit question comes up that no one can answer clearly.

A practical example shows how routine turns into effort when these connections are missing.

The cloud move that became too expensive

The process was actually routine: a medium-sized company migrates its HR system to the Cloud. IT creates a checklist, data protection checks the provider, the specialist department gives the green light. After four weeks, the project is ticked off: it is cleanly documented, the systems are up and running and the hook can be put on it.

Until an employee accidentally comes across outdated personnel data in the new system. These are data records of former colleagues that were thought to have been deleted long ago. A call to IT brings the first surprise: the data does not originate from the Cloudbut from an old backup of the on-prem system. A storage that should actually be switched off. "Briefly activated for testing" and then forgotten.

The central IT register contains the Server still as "archived". It no longer appears in the data protection directory. There was no alarm, no check was carried out.

The next morning, the project team sits down together. HR, IT and data protection bring three tables, three versions of reality. What began as a routine move becomes a root cause analysis, naturally under time pressure.

The consequences:

Report to the Supervisory authority according to Art. 33 GDPR
Forensic check of all storage locations and backups
Project shutdown for four weeks
Over 80 hours of internal effort for manual matching between IT, data protection and HR

Actually, it was "only" a missing comparison between inventory and Documentation. But precisely this breach is enough to turn a routine project into a reportable event. Because IT and governance were not synchronized.

How IT asset management prevents such cases

ITAsMa automatically monitors dependencies between systems, data and governance objects. When an asset is removed, migrated or replaced, the solution checks in real time:

What processing (RoPA) is involved?
Are personal data affected?
Are there associated AI use cases?
Is a Data protection impact assessment necessary?

The system automatically triggers a workflow if one of these conditions is met.
Approvals are only issued once all relevant checks have been completed.

As soon as one of these conditions is met, ITAsMa automatically starts the appropriate workflow. Approvals are only issued once all checks have been completed. This creates control before an auditor asks for it.

To prevent such incidents from only becoming apparent after the fact, controls must be built into the process itself.

From asset management to process control

ITAsMa therefore makes IT asset management an active part of the governance structure.
Every technical change can be automatically evaluated and documented.

Example:

New cloud environment → automatic data protection check
System shutdown → Check for data backlogs
Update of a module → Tracking of responsible persons and audit trail

This turns an inventory into a monitoring layer that makes risks visible before they become audit-relevant

The mechanics behind it: Workflow engine and verification management

ITAsMa is not an additional software island, but a connecting layer between IT operations, data protection and governance. It uses existing systems, evaluates their data and uses it to build a living inventory that updates itself.

1. Data acquisition and consolidation

ITAsMa imports information from existing sources: CMDBs, asset lists, cloud portals, license management or Active Directory. All assets are brought together in a standardized schema: Responsible personslocation, data types, links and status. This creates a complete picture of the IT landscape without replacing existing tools.

2. Automatic linking with governance objects

Each asset is linked to the relevant governance entries:

Processing activities in the RoPA
AI use cases and model cards in AI governance
Service providers, contracts or AVVs in Vendor Management

The assignment is made via metadata (e.g. data categories, application name, area of responsibility) or via an interface. Result: A digital relationship map between technology and regulatory obligation.

3. Set of rules and event control

As soon as an asset is added, changed or deactivated, ITAsMa checks it according to clear rules:

Are personal data affected?
Does a DPIA need to be created or updated?
Is there an AI system connected that requires a re-audit?
Has the location, provider or risk class changed?

These events automatically trigger workflows: Approvals, reviews or escalations to data protection, security or specialist departments.

4. Workflow engine and verification management

The integrated workflow engine controls the roles involved: IT, data protection, security, legal, specialist departments. Each step is automatically documented, including time stamp, responsibility and result. This eliminates the need for manual follow-up by email. The system knows at all times who has checked, approved or made changes.

5. Reporting and continuous monitoring

Dashboards show in real time:

active systems and affected Data categories
Open or overdue checks
Current risk classifications
History of re-audits and compliance status

Export functions provide audit-ready reports at the touch of a button: for management, supervision or external auditors.

Result: ITAsMa replaces static lists with a dynamic control mechanism. Companies proactively control the life cycle of their systems. And with clear rules, automatic audit trails and traceable governance.

Conclusion: Governance begins in the company

Secure governance is not created on paper, but in practice. ITAsMa creates Transparency and prevents gaps before they become risks. What used to be pure inventory management becomes a strategic control instance:

Systems are automatically synchronized with data protection and AI directories,
Inspections are documented and traceable,
and audits become predictable routines.

Companies that link their IT landscape with governance win twice over:
They reduce effort and Liability and strengthen trust in their systems, processes and data.

Or to put it more simply: Anyone who knows where their data is stored Audit nothing - he can simply show.

Check now how mature your inventory really is.

Discover how ITAsMa Transform your IT asset management into a governance system - automatic, traceable, scalable.

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Marcus Belke is CEO of 2B Advice as well as a lawyer and IT expert for data protection and digital Compliance. He writes regularly about AI governance, GDPR compliance and risk management. You can find out more about him on his Author profile page.