# CIS 2.1 — Establish and Maintain a Software Inventory

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/a_gen_cis_21_78bcbc6c62-cis-21-establish-and-maintain-a-software-inventory
- Section: [Solutions](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions) › [AWS Checks New Version](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/62000112673) › [Identify](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/folders/f_gen_62000112673_identify)
- Last updated: 2026-05-30
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

CIS · Control 2.1 · Priority: critical · Component: Identify

### What this control covers

Establish and maintain a detailed inventory of all licensed software installed on enterprise assets. The software inventory must document the title, publisher, initial install/use date, and business purpose for each entry; where appropriate, include the Uniform Resource Locator (URL), app store(s), version(s), deployment mechanism, and decommission date. Review and update the software inventory bi-annually, or more frequently.

### Why it matters

Risk is the language an executive team understands; this control connects technical reality to board-level decisions and budget allocation.

### How to implement

#### AWS

Codify the policy intent as **SCPs, AWS Config conformance packs, and Security Hub standards** so the cloud enforces what the document says.

#### Azure

Codify in **Azure Policy initiatives** (built-in regulatory compliance for CIS, ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA) and assign at management-group level.

#### GCP

**Cloud Asset Inventory** exports a daily snapshot of every resource and IAM policy to BigQuery; combine with **Org Policy** for tag enforcement.

#### GitHub

**Dependabot** security updates + version updates, plus **CodeQL** for SAST and a renovate bot for major-version drift management.

#### On-premises

Maintain a policy library with a documented review cadence (annual minimum); store in your GRC tool with attestation tracking. Map each policy to controls so an audit pull cites the exact policy clause.

### Evidence to collect

-   `policy_document` — A signed, version-controlled policy stating leadership intent and the named owner.

Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Establish and Maintain a Software Inventory.

### Quick checklist

-   Establish And Maintain — Software Inventory / Uniform Resource Locator
-   Document — Software Inventory / Uniform Resource Locator

### Related articles on this site

-   [NIST 800-171 3.4.1 Establish and maintain baseline configurations and inventories of organizational systems (including hardware, software, firmware, and documentation) throughout the respective system development life cycles.](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229280-nist-800-171-3-4-1-establish-and-maintain-baseline-configurations-and-inventories-of-organizational-s)
-   [CMMC 2.0 CM.2.061 Establish and maintain baseline configurations and inventories of organizational systems (including hardware, software, firmware, and documentation) throughout the respective system development life cycles.](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229465-cmmc-2-0-cm-2-061-establish-and-maintain-baseline-configurations-and-inventories-of-organizational-sy)
-   [NIST 800-171 3.4.8 Apply deny-by-exception (blacklisting) policy to prevent the use of unauthorized software or deny-all, permit-by-exception (whitelisting) policy to allow the execution of authorized software.](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229287-nist-800-171-3-4-8-apply-deny-by-exception-blacklisting-policy-to-prevent-the-use-of-unauthorized-s)
-   [NIST 800-171 3.4.9 Control and monitor user-installed software.](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229288-nist-800-171-3-4-9-control-and-monitor-user-installed-software-)

## 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.