ISO/IEC 27001 Asset Management Audit Checklist for Educational Institutions

An educational institution's asset inventory should include physical assets (e.g., computers, servers, network equipment, mobile devices), information assets (e.g., databases, research data, student records), software assets (e.g., licenses, applications), and human assets (e.g., staff with specialized knowledge or skills).

Asset inventories should be updated regularly, typically on a quarterly basis, with more frequent updates for high-value or rapidly changing assets. A full audit of all assets should be conducted at least annually.

Educational institutions face challenges such as managing shared resources (e.g., computer labs, library materials), tracking assets across multiple campuses or locations, managing diverse research equipment, and dealing with the high turnover of student-used devices.

The checklist includes items to assess processes for asset acquisition, deployment, maintenance, and disposal, ensuring that institutions have proper procedures in place for each stage of an asset's lifecycle, including secure data wiping and environmentally responsible disposal of outdated equipment.

Asset classification is crucial for determining appropriate security controls and handling procedures. This checklist helps institutions evaluate their asset classification schemes, ensuring that assets are categorized based on their sensitivity, criticality, and value to the organization, which informs security measures and access controls.