# CIS 5.1 — Establish and Maintain an Inventory of Accounts

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/a_gen_cis_51_d30a639e9b-cis-51-establish-and-maintain-an-inventory-of-accounts
- 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 5.1 · Priority: critical · Component: Identify

### What this control covers

Establish and maintain an inventory of all accounts managed in the enterprise. The inventory must include both user and administrator accounts. The inventory, at a minimum, should contain the person's name, username, start/stop dates, and department. Validate that all active accounts are authorized, on a recurring schedule at a minimum quarterly, 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.

#### Google Workspace

Enforce **2-Step Verification** (preferably hardware keys for admins) for the entire org, set session length to ≤ 12 hours, and disable less-secure-app access. Use **Context-Aware Access** levels to restrict admin sign-in by IP/device posture. Provision and de-provision users via **SCIM** from your HRIS so leavers lose access on day one.

#### GitHub

Require **SSO + SCIM** from your IdP on the organisation; enforce **2FA** org-wide and use **fine-grained PATs** (or, better, GitHub Apps) instead of classic tokens. Restrict **outside collaborators**, require signed commits on protected branches, and use **OIDC** from Actions to short-lived AWS/GCP/Azure credentials rather than stored secrets.

#### Zoho Mail

Make **two-factor authentication** mandatory for all users (TOTP, OneAuth, or YubiKey) in _Admin Console → Security_. Configure **SAML SSO** against your IdP and disable password-based logins for admins. Use **role-based privileges** (Admin / Spam Moderator / Mail Account Admin) and review the _Login history_ report monthly for anomalies.

#### 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 an Inventory of Accounts.

### Quick checklist

-   Establish And Maintain — Administrator / User
-   Validate — Administrator / User

### Related articles on this site

-   [NIST 800-171 3.5.3 Use multifactor authentication for local and network access to privileged accounts and for network access to non-privileged accounts.\[24\] \[25\].](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229291-nist-800-171-3-5-3-use-multifactor-authentication-for-local-and-network-access-to-privileged-accounts)
-   [NIST 800-171 3.5.4 Employ replay-resistant authentication mechanisms for network access to privileged and non-privileged accounts.](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229292-nist-800-171-3-5-4-employ-replay-resistant-authentication-mechanisms-for-network-access-to-privileged)
-   [CMMC 2.0 IA.3.083 Use multifactor authentication for local and network access to privileged accounts and for network access to non-privileged accounts.](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229476-cmmc-2-0-ia-3-083-use-multifactor-authentication-for-local-and-network-access-to-privileged-accounts-)
-   [CMMC 2.0 IA.3.084 Employ replay-resistant authentication mechanisms for network access to privileged and non-privileged accounts.](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229477-cmmc-2-0-ia-3-084-employ-replay-resistant-authentication-mechanisms-for-network-access-to-privileged-)

## 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.