Asset management and disposal (sanitize, destroy, certify)

Asset management means knowing what hardware, software and data the organization has, where it is, who owns it and what state it is in, from purchase to disposal. It underpins almost every other control: you cannot patch, monitor, back up or protect assets you do not know exist. Disposal is the last and often-forgotten stage, and it is where data breaches quietly happen, when old drives, phones and printers leave the building still full of sensitive data. Security+ tests the asset lifecycle and the precise meanings of sanitization, destruction and certification.