# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-12 — Information Location - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cm-12-information-location - Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 Controls](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5) › CM — Configuration Management - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5**·Control `CM-12`·high·Component: **Configuration Management** ## What this control requires > Identify and document the location of defined information and system components where it is processed/stored. Track users with access and document location changes to ensure visibility and security. This control supports the Inventory capability within the Configuration Management family. > > — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control CM-12 ### In plain English Identify and document the location of defined information and system components where it is processed/stored. In practice, this means you can prove you policy management-level controls on a defined cadence. ## Why it matters SP 800-53 is the catalogue every U.S. federal authorisation (FedRAMP, FISMA, CMMC) and most regulated industries point at. A missing control surfaces as a Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M) item that an Authorizing Official must approve before the Authority To Operate is granted or renewed. 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 3PAO (FedRAMP) or Independent Assessor (NIST RMF) tests against NIST SP 800-53A assessment procedures. For each control they expect a documented implementation that addresses every assessment objective (Examine, Interview, Test) and an implementation summary in the System Security Plan. Within **Configuration Management**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control CM-12) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles. ## How to implement #### 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 - **Policy.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Access.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Information.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Security.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Configuration.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** management, information, system, location, configuration, components, capability, system components. ## Evidence to collect - **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document. - **Infra Scan.** Continuous infrastructure-posture telemetry — AWS Config, Azure Policy compliance, GCP Organisation Policy, Wiz / Prisma findings. Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Information Location. ## Common pitfalls - 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 800-171 Rev. 3 3.4.11** — Information Location](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-4-11-information-location) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.5.1** — Policies for information security](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-1-policies-for-information-security) - [**HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164) 164.308(a)(5)(i)** — Security Awareness and Training](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-308-a-5-i-security-awareness-and-training) - [**BSI C5:2020 SP-01** — Documentation, communication and provision of policies and instructions](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sp-01-documentation-communication-and-provision-of-policies-and-instructions) - [**ISO/IEC 27701:2025 A.3.3** — Information security policies](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27701-2025/a-3-3-information-security-policies) ## Related controls in NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 - [**Control CM-8(8)** — Automated Location Tracking](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cm-8-8-automated-location-tracking) - [**Control CM-12(1)** — Automated Tools To Support Information Location](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cm-12-1-automated-tools-to-support-information-location) - [**Control CM-3(7)** — Review System Changes](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cm-3-7-review-system-changes) - [**Control CM-5(5)** — Privilege Limitation For Production And Operation](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cm-5-5-privilege-limitation-for-production-and-operation) - [**Control CM-8(6)** — Assessed Configurations And Approved Deviations](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cm-8-6-assessed-configurations-and-approved-deviations) - [**Control SA-4(4)** — Assignment Of Components To Systems](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sa-4-4-assignment-of-components-to-systems) ## References - [NIST Computer Security Resource Center — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5](https://csrc.nist.gov/Projects/risk-management/sp800-53-controls) - Catalogue identifier: `Control CM-12` Topics: governance riskpolicy management ## Related compliance guidance - [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: a practical implementation guide for cloud teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5): Start with the full NIST SP 800-53 implementation guide — scope, roadmap, evidence and how the assessment runs. - [NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC: a practical guide to protecting CUI in the cloud](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3): If your obligation is protecting CUI in your own systems for a federal or defence contract, this derived subset — not the full catalogue — is the requirement. - [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Most commercial SaaS already hold a SOC 2 Type 2, and FedRAMP 20x Class A is designed for providers that have one.