Asset discovery is a fundamental cybersecurity process that involves the systematic identification and cataloging of all hardware, software, network devices, cloud resources, data, and applications within an organization's IT environment. This critical practice provides security teams with comprehensive visibility into their digital footprint and potential attack surface, enabling them to identify vulnerabilities, assess the criticality of various components, and prioritize protection efforts effectively.

Rather than being a one-time task, asset discovery is a continuous, dynamic process that employs automated scanning tools, agent-based monitoring, and manual verification to detect newly deployed or unauthorized assets and track changes to existing ones. This ongoing visibility is essential for maintaining an accurate asset inventory, which directly supports security policy enforcement, compliance auditing, and incident response planning. Without precise knowledge of all assets, organizations cannot effectively implement security controls or monitor for anomalies, leaving significant gaps in their defensive capabilities.