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11/06/2026 10:34 pm
TL;DR: Cloud asset management software now overlaps with identity governance because the same tools that inventory cloud resources also track SaaS access, licenses, renewals, and deprovisioning workflows, according to Zluri. That makes the category less about asset lists and more about controlling access, lifecycle, and audit readiness across human and non-human identities.
NHIMG editorial — based on content published by Zluri: IT Teams Top 12 Cloud Asset Management Software [2026 Updated]
By the numbers:
- Zluri uses nine discovery methods to find 100% of SaaS apps and licenses in your organization.
- Only 5.7% of organisations have full visibility into their service accounts.
- 97% of NHIs carry excessive privileges, increasing unauthorised access and broadening the attack surface.
Questions worth separating out
Q: How should teams use cloud asset management data in IAM programmes?
A: Teams should use cloud asset management data as input to entitlement governance, not as a separate inventory exercise.
Q: Why does cloud asset management matter for non-human identities?
A: Cloud asset management matters for non-human identities because service accounts, API keys, and integrations often sit outside standard human access workflows.
Q: What do organisations get wrong about SaaS renewal and access governance?
A: They often treat renewals as a finance problem instead of an identity decision.
Practitioner guidance
- Map cloud asset tools to identity workflows Link discovery, license tracking, and renewal alerts to access review, joiner-mover-leaver, and offboarding processes so asset data drives governance decisions.
- Use usage monitoring to target entitlement cleanup Prioritise applications with low or declining usage for license downgrade, removal, or recertification, especially where SaaS spend and access are no longer aligned.
- Treat deprovisioning as a control, not a ticket outcome Require evidence that app access was removed across directories, SSO, and direct integrations before an offboarding case is closed.
What's in the full article
Zluri's full article covers the operational detail this post intentionally leaves for the source:
- Feature-by-feature comparisons of 12 cloud asset management platforms for teams doing vendor selection.
- Product-specific discovery, usage monitoring, and renewal workflows that go beyond the governance lens in this post.
- The article's own feature checklists and customer ratings for evaluating operational fit.
- Zluri's positioning and implementation context for its SaaS discovery and lifecycle capabilities.
👉 Read Zluri’s roundup of the top 12 cloud asset management tools →
Cloud asset management and identity governance: are your controls keeping up?
Explore further
12/06/2026 6:45 am
Cloud asset management is increasingly an identity governance control plane. The article is framed as software selection, but its operational content is really about who can see, use, renew, and retire access to cloud resources. That expands the category from inventory into lifecycle governance, where asset visibility becomes a proxy for identity visibility. Practitioners should treat these tools as governance infrastructure, not just procurement support.
A few things that frame the scale:
- Only 5.7% of organisations have full visibility into their service accounts, according to Ultimate Guide to NHIs.
- 79% of organisations have experienced secrets leaks, with 77% of these incidents resulting in tangible damage.
A question worth separating out:
Q: How can security teams reduce shadow access in cloud estates?
A: Security teams should combine discovery across SSO, directories, direct app integrations, and finance systems, then compare that view with actual usage and ownership. Shadow access usually persists because no single system owns the full lifecycle. A consolidated governance view makes it easier to find unused apps, abandoned licences, and overdue removals.
👉 Read our full editorial: Cloud asset management is becoming identity asset management
