Asset Identification
Identifying what is of value from a huge volume of intangible assets can be overwhelming.
Having no formal record of your data, information and knowledge assets is like having no record of your financial, physical or human assets.
All information aligns with the business goals we are trying to achieve. This can change over time. So the value of the information used in an organisation will also change over time.
As a starting point, every organisation should have an Information Asset Register. This documents all the information that is considered to be of value and critical to the running of the business. An Information Asset Register, like any other asset register, forms part of your asset protection. You cannot protect something if you do not have an acurate record of what it is you need to protect.

Information assets take many forms, here are just a few.
- plans and designs
- working drawings
- patents and trademarks
- intellectual property
- budgets
- images
- strategic documents
- everyday working documents such as correspondence (including email), spreadsheets, presentations and contracts
- databases such as customer data, financial data and production data
- website content
If you know what Information Assets you have, then are you able to organise them, protect them and value them. Information Assets that are well mananaged and high quality are more valuable than those that are not.