A complete list of all cloud resources an organization owns or uses.
1-min read
What It Is
A cloud asset inventory is a real-time catalog of cloud-based resources across providers such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and SaaS platforms. It spans virtual machines, containers, databases, storage buckets, APIs, serverless functions, networking components, and identity configurations. Cloud environments grow quickly, and without visibility, many assets become forgotten or misconfigured.
Why It Matters
An incomplete cloud inventory leads to:
- Shadow IT from resources deployed outside governance
- Misconfigured storage such as public S3 buckets
- Unpatched or outdated workloads with exposed vulnerabilities
- Unknown external endpoints that expand the attack surface
- Compliance failures because owners and data flows are unclear
Attackers actively search for unmonitored cloud assets.
How To Reduce Risk
- Maintain automated, real-time discovery across every cloud account
- Track the owner, purpose, and lifecycle of each resource
- Remove unused buckets, VMs, and APIs quickly
- Enforce cloud configuration baselines and guardrails
- Use external scanning to identify exposed cloud assets from the attacker’s view
Related Terms
- Shadow IT
- Misconfigured Cloud Storage
- Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC)
- Attack Surface Management