ESSENTIAL 1 Know Your Assets Simply put, an asset is something that is of value to the organisation. Cyber assets involve people, process or technology. They include all staff, as well as hardware, software and network links, such as Internet connections. However, data is often deemed to be the most important asset — a faulty machine can be repaired, a buggy software can be patched and fixed, but the loss of data is often irreversible. Without data, no process can take place and the organisation cannot operate normally. To knowis the first important step. List down all current IT equipment, software or cyber assets owned by your organisation. This is the first line of defence. With this inventory list, you will know which specific asset is connected or unconnected to your organisation, and to quickly detect unapproved hardware or software in your IT network. This is one way to keep attackers from using an unapproved device or software to break into your network. By being able to effectively detect cyber assets in such a manner, the organisation’s response and/or recovery to a cyber-attack would be elevated.