Critical Technology Asset Register and Control Matrix
Governance Control: Critical Asset Controls
1. Purpose
Document [ORGANIZATION]'s critical technology assets, their business impact classifications, assigned controls ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability, and the schedule for control review and testing.
2. Scope
This register covers all technology assets classified as critical based on their role in supporting essential business functions, the sensitivity of data they process, and the impact of their compromise or unavailability.
3. Register Content
3.1 Critical Asset Identification Criteria
A technology asset is classified as critical if any of the following criteria are met:
The asset supports a business process with a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of [CUSTOMIZE: 4 hours or less]
The asset processes, stores, or transmits data classified as [CUSTOMIZE: Confidential or Restricted]
The compromise or unavailability of the asset would result in regulatory non-compliance
The asset has been identified as a key dependency for [CUSTOMIZE: 3 or more] other business-critical systems
The asset is customer-facing and its disruption would directly impact [CUSTOMIZE: service delivery / revenue generation]
Asset criticality shall be reviewed during the annual business impact analysis and updated when significant changes occur to business processes or technology architecture.
3.2 Critical Asset Register
The following information shall be maintained for each critical technology asset:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Asset ID | Unique identifier from the enterprise asset inventory |
| Asset Name | Descriptive name of the asset |
| Asset Type | Server, database, application, network device, cloud service, etc. |
| Business Function Supported | The critical business process(es) the asset supports |
| Data Classification | Highest classification of data processed/stored/transmitted |
| Business Impact Rating | Critical / High / Medium based on BIA results |
| Risk Owner | Named individual accountable for risk decisions about this asset |
| Technical Owner | Named individual responsible for technical management |
| RTO / RPO | Recovery Time and Recovery Point Objectives |
| Location / Environment | Physical location, cloud region, or hosting environment |
| Dependencies | Upstream and downstream system dependencies |
3.3 Control Matrix - Confidentiality
The following controls shall be implemented for critical assets to ensure confidentiality:
| Control | Requirement | Review Frequency | Test Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access Control | Role-based access with least privilege; privileged access via PAM | [CUSTOMIZE: Quarterly] | Access review audit |
| Encryption at Rest | AES-256 or equivalent for all data classified [CUSTOMIZE: Confidential+] | [CUSTOMIZE: Annually] | Configuration scan |
| Encryption in Transit | TLS 1.2+ for all data in transit; mutual TLS for system-to-system | [CUSTOMIZE: Quarterly] | Protocol scan |
| Data Loss Prevention | DLP rules for sensitive data types on all egress paths | [CUSTOMIZE: Monthly] | DLP rule testing |
| Network Segmentation | Critical assets isolated in dedicated network segments with controlled access | [CUSTOMIZE: Semi-annually] | Penetration test |
3.4 Control Matrix - Integrity
The following controls shall be implemented for critical assets to ensure integrity:
| Control | Requirement | Review Frequency | Test Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Change Management | All changes through approved change management process with rollback plan | [CUSTOMIZE: Per change] | Change audit |
| File Integrity Monitoring | FIM deployed on critical system files, configurations, and binaries | [CUSTOMIZE: Continuous] | FIM alert review |
| Input Validation | Application-level input validation and output encoding for all user inputs | [CUSTOMIZE: Per release] | Application security testing |
| Database Integrity | Database integrity constraints, audit trails, and backup verification | [CUSTOMIZE: Monthly] | Integrity check scripts |
| Code Signing | All deployed code and updates are digitally signed and verified | [CUSTOMIZE: Per deployment] | Deployment audit |
3.5 Control Matrix - Availability
The following controls shall be implemented for critical assets to ensure availability:
| Control | Requirement | Review Frequency | Test Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redundancy | Active-active or active-passive redundancy for all Tier 1 critical assets | [CUSTOMIZE: Semi-annually] | Failover test |
| Backup and Recovery | Automated backups per defined RPO; tested restoration at least [CUSTOMIZE: quarterly] | [CUSTOMIZE: Quarterly] | Restoration test |
| Disaster Recovery | DR capability in geographically separate location; tested [CUSTOMIZE: annually] | [CUSTOMIZE: Annually] | DR exercise |
| Capacity Management | Monitoring for capacity utilization with alerts at [CUSTOMIZE: 80%] threshold | [CUSTOMIZE: Monthly] | Capacity report review |
| DDoS Protection | DDoS mitigation for internet-facing critical assets | [CUSTOMIZE: Annually] | DDoS simulation |
| Patch Management | Critical patches applied within [CUSTOMIZE: 72 hours]; high within [CUSTOMIZE: 30 days] | [CUSTOMIZE: Monthly] | Patch compliance scan |
3.6 Review and Testing Schedule
The critical asset register shall be reviewed at least [CUSTOMIZE: semi-annually] by [CUSTOMIZE: IT Operations and Cyber Risk] to ensure accuracy and completeness.
All controls shall be tested according to the frequencies defined in the control matrices above. Testing shall be conducted by or validated by [CUSTOMIZE: second line / internal audit] at least annually.
Testing results shall be documented in [CUSTOMIZE: GRC tool/system] with findings tracked to remediation.
Annual control effectiveness summary for critical assets shall be reported to [CUSTOMIZE: Executive Risk Committee / Board] as part of the annual cyber risk report.
4. Compliance
Compliance with this register is mandatory for all personnel and functions within its scope. Compliance will be monitored through periodic audits, management review, and second line of defence oversight.
Exceptions to this register must be documented with a business justification, approved by [CUSTOMIZE: CISO/Executive Risk Committee], and reviewed at least annually.
5. Review and Revision
This register shall be reviewed at least annually by [CUSTOMIZE: CISO/Document Owner] and updated as necessary to reflect changes in the threat landscape, regulatory requirements, organizational structure, or risk appetite.
All revisions shall be documented with version number, date, author, and description of changes.
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