Summary
The Hardware Asset Management (HWAM) Capability provides organizations visibility into the hardware devices operating on their network(s), so they can manage and defend them in an appropriate manner. It also provides a view of device management responsibility such that prioritized defects can be presented to the assigned party for mitigation actions and risk acceptance decisions. It is important to note that how well the devices are managed is measured in other capability areas. HWAM is a critical component in a mature CDM capability because if a device is not known, it cannot be managed by the HWAM identifies devices that are present on the network and compares them with the desired state inventory to determine if they are authorized. Some devices are network-addressable, and others are removable and connected to one or more network-addressable devices, such as USB drives. The means the process for identifying the actual devices will vary, depending on the automated capabilities available and which ‘type’ of device it is.