The 2020 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Cybersecurity Newsletter addresses the benefits of IT asset inventories as a part of HIPAA Security Rule compliance.
A full understanding of IT assets can help organizations know all places where electronic PHI is stored within their IT environments. An IT asset inventory consists of a comprehensive listing of all IT assets with descriptive information to identify the asset (such as vendor, asset name/number, etc.), the version and who is responsible for the asset. Hardware, software and data assets should be included as part of the inventory.
For more information and suggestions for completing an IT asset inventory, refer to the HHS Cybersecurity Newsletter which may be accessed by clicking here.