# BSI C5:2020 AM-02 — Acceptable Use and Safe Handling of Assets Policy

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/am-02-acceptable-use-and-safe-handling-of-assets-policy
- Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [BSI C5:2020 (Cloud Computing Compliance Criteria)](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020) › Asset Management (AM)
- Last updated: 2026-06-05
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

**BSI C5:2020**·Criterion `AM-02`·high·Component: **Asset Management**

## What this control requires

> Documents policies per SP-01 for asset lifecycle management, covering acquisition, maintenance, decommissioning, classification, secure configuration, malware protection, and data deletion. Ensures safe handling to prevent unauthorized access or compromise of cloud customer data.
> 
> — BSI C5:2020, Criterion AM-02

### In plain English

Documents policies per SP-01 for asset lifecycle management, covering acquisition, maintenance, decommissioning, classification, secure configuration, malware protection, and data deletion. In practice, this means you can prove you risk management policy-level controls on a defined cadence.

## Why it matters

BSI C5 is the default cloud-security baseline German public-sector buyers and many DAX-listed enterprises expect; gaps here directly block procurement in the DACH region and frequently appear as must-have items in EU public-tender documents.

This control is rated **high**. Auditors expect a named owner, a remediation SLA, and a tooling artefact that evidences continuous operation.

## What an auditor looks for

A C5 attesting auditor (under ISAE 3000 / IDW PS 860) tests both the design and — for a Type 2 — the operating effectiveness over the attestation period. For each criterion they look for both the Basic and any in-scope Additional objectives.

Within **Asset Management**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Criterion AM-02) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles.

## How to implement

#### Cloud Posture

**CSPM.** Run Wiz / Prisma / Defender for Cloud / Security Command Center over every account; auto-ticket findings above your accepted-risk threshold.

#### Configuration Management

**Policy-as-code.** Codify the control as Service Control Policies (AWS), Azure Policy initiatives, or Organisation Policy (GCP) so the platform enforces what the document promises.

**IaC.** Gate Terraform / Pulumi / CloudFormation changes with Checkov / tfsec / OPA so misconfigurations never reach production.

**Drift.** Run a CSPM (Wiz / Prisma / Defender for Cloud / Security Command Center) over every account and route findings to a single risk register.

#### Policy Management

**Docs.** Keep each policy in version-controlled Markdown alongside the code that implements it; ship a signed PDF snapshot at each annual review and link the SHA into the SoA.

### Operational checklist

-   **Risk.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Asset.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Acceptable Use.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Protection.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Data.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Scope:** management policy, protection, - configuration, cloud customer data.

## Evidence to collect

-   **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document.

Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Acceptable Use and Safe Handling of Assets Policy.

## Common pitfalls

-   Treating CSPM findings as a backlog instead of a hot queue: findings older than the policy SLA accumulate until the auditor asks why.
-   Manual cloud-console changes that never make it back to Terraform — drift accumulates until the next outage forces a reconciliation.
-   Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced.

## How it maps to other frameworks

Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit.

-   [**NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-9** — Configuration Management Plan](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cm-9-configuration-management-plan)
-   [**NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.14.8** — Information Management and Retention](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-14-8-information-management-and-retention)
-   [**CIS Controls v8 3.12** — Segment Data Processing and Storage Based on Sensitivity](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/3-12-segment-data-processing-and-storage-based-on-sensitivity)
-   [**HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164) 164.308(a)(7)(ii)(A)** — Contingency Plan - Data Backup Plan](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-308-a-7-ii-a-contingency-plan-data-backup-plan)
-   [**GDPR Article 72** — Procedure](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-72-procedure)

## Related controls in BSI C5:2020

-   [**Criterion AM-06** — Asset Classification and Labelling](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/am-06-asset-classification-and-labelling)
-   [**Criterion OPS-23** — Managing Vulnerabilities, Malfunctions and Errors - System Hardening](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/ops-23-managing-vulnerabilities-malfunctions-and-errors-system-hardening)
-   [**Criterion AM-03** — Commissioning of Hardware](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/am-03-commissioning-of-hardware)
-   [**Criterion SP-03** — Exceptions from Existing Policies and Instructions](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sp-03-exceptions-from-existing-policies-and-instructions)
-   [**Criterion OIS-05** — Contact with Relevant Government Agencies and Interest Groups](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/ois-05-contact-with-relevant-government-agencies-and-interest-groups)
-   [**Criterion OIS-06** — Risk Management Policy](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/ois-06-risk-management-policy)

## References

-   [Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI) — BSI C5:2020](https://www.bsi.bund.de/EN/Topics/CloudComputing/Compliance_Criteria_Catalogue/Compliance_Criteria_Catalogue_node.html)
-   Catalogue identifier: `Criterion AM-02`

Topics: governance riskcloud postureconfiguration managementpolicy management

## Related compliance guidance

- [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Configuration checks like this one are the technical half of a SOC 2 / ISO 27001 programme — the guide shows where they fit, what else an auditor expects, and how to evidence them.
- [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): ISO 27001 Annex A.8 (technological controls) is where cloud hardening evidence lands; the guide shows how to run the ISMS around it.
