Building a Digital Asset Inventory

The Problem No One Sees Until It’s Too Late

A marketing director once told me she spent three weeks trying to recover access to her company’s Google Ads account after their previous agency went dark. Three weeks of campaigns paused. Three weeks of revenue lost. All because no one had documented who actually owned the account.

She assumed someone knew. She assumed it was written down somewhere. It was not.

This scenario plays out constantly in businesses of all sizes. A key employee leaves and takes institutional knowledge with them. A vendor relationship ends and suddenly no one knows where the domain is registered. A founder prepares for an exit and discovers that half of their digital accounts are tied to personal emails that do not belong to the company.

The root cause is always the same: no one built a digital asset inventory.

What Is a Digital Asset Inventory?

A digital asset inventory is a comprehensive record of every digital account, platform, credential, and tool your business relies on to operate. It goes far beyond a list of passwords. It documents ownership, access, renewal dates, payment methods, vendor relationships, and recovery information for each asset.

Most businesses have far more digital assets than they realize. When we conduct a Digital Continuity Assessment™ for clients, we typically identify 300 or more individual data points across their digital ecosystem. That includes domains, hosting accounts, email platforms, social media profiles, Google Business listings, analytics tools, CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, ad accounts, SSL certificates, and dozens of subscription services.

Each of these assets represents a potential point of failure if ownership is unclear or access is lost.

Why Spreadsheets and Password Managers Fall Short

Many business owners believe they already have this covered. They point to a Google Sheet with login credentials or a shared 1Password vault. These tools serve a purpose, but they solve only part of the problem.

Password managers store credentials. They do not track who owns the account, what credit card is attached, when the subscription renews, who the vendor contact is, or what happens if the person who set it up leaves the company.

Spreadsheets can theoretically hold all of this information, but they require constant manual updates. They offer no alerts when renewals approach. They provide no audit trail when something changes. And they are often outdated within weeks of creation because no one is responsible for maintaining them.

A true digital asset inventory is not a static document. It is a living system that connects ownership, access, and accountability across every platform your business depends on.

Where to Start Building Your Inventory

Building a digital asset inventory can feel overwhelming, especially for businesses that have operated for years without one. The key is to start with the assets that pose the greatest risk if access is lost.

Begin with Domain Names and DNS

Your domain name is the foundation of your digital presence. If you lose access to your domain registration, you lose your website, your email, and potentially your brand identity. Document where each domain is registered, who has admin access, what email address is associated with the account, and when the registration expires. Verify that the domain is registered to the company, not to an individual employee or former vendor.

Move to Hosting and Website Access

Identify where your website is hosted, who manages the hosting account, and what credentials are required to access the server and content management system. Many businesses discover their hosting is tied to a developer’s personal account with no path to transfer if the relationship ends. Document backup locations, FTP credentials, and any third-party integrations that connect to your site.

Catalog Email and Communication Platforms

Email is the backbone of business communication. Document your email service provider, admin credentials, and who has authority to add or remove users. Include any connected tools like email marketing platforms, calendar integrations, and communication apps like Slack or Microsoft Teams.

Inventory Marketing and Advertising Accounts

Google Ads, Meta Business Suite, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, and other advertising platforms often hold significant historical data and active campaigns. Identify who owns each account, what payment method is attached, and what level of access each team member or agency has. Marketing accounts are among the most common sources of access disputes when vendor relationships change.

Document Analytics and Tracking Tools

Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Tag Manager, and similar tools provide critical business intelligence. These accounts are often set up once and then forgotten until someone needs historical data they cannot access. Verify ownership, ensure the company has admin rights, and document how these tools connect to your website and marketing platforms.

Include Social Media and Directory Listings

Social media profiles and business directory listings like Google Business Profile represent your brand across the digital landscape. Document login credentials, connected email addresses, and who has publishing rights. For multi-location businesses, this can involve dozens of individual listings that each require separate documentation.

Account for SaaS Subscriptions and Tools

Most businesses use a range of software-as-a-service tools for project management, accounting, customer service, scheduling, and other functions. Each subscription represents a recurring cost and a potential access risk. Document the purpose of each tool, who uses it, what payment method is attached, and whether the account is tied to an individual user or a company email.

What to Document for Each Asset

A comprehensive digital asset inventory captures more than login credentials. For each asset, your documentation should include the platform or service name, the purpose it serves in your business, the URL or location of the login page, the email address associated with the account, the username and password storage location, who has admin access, who has user-level access, the payment method on file, the renewal date and billing cycle, the vendor or support contact, recovery options like backup codes or security questions, and any dependencies or integrations with other systems.

This level of detail ensures that anyone who needs to access, transfer, or recover an account has the information they need without relying on the memory of a single individual.

Assigning Ownership and Accountability

Documentation alone is not enough. Every digital asset needs a designated owner within your organization. This is not necessarily the person who uses the tool daily. It is the person responsible for ensuring the account remains accessible, properly licensed, and aligned with company policies.

Ownership assignments prevent the assumption trap where everyone thinks someone else is handling it. They create clear accountability when renewals approach, when access needs to be granted or revoked, and when something goes wrong.

For businesses working with external agencies or contractors, ownership mapping becomes even more critical. The company should always retain admin-level access to any account that carries business data or represents the brand, regardless of who manages day-to-day operations.

Maintaining Your Inventory Over Time

A digital asset inventory is only valuable if it stays current. Build maintenance into your regular business operations. Conduct quarterly reviews to verify that credentials are still accurate, ownership assignments are still correct, and any new tools or platforms have been added to the inventory.

Set calendar reminders for renewal dates, especially for annual subscriptions and domain registrations. Establish a process for updating the inventory when employees join or leave the company. Create clear protocols for adding new tools to ensure they are documented from the start rather than discovered months later.

The goal is to transform digital asset management from a reactive scramble into a proactive system that protects your business continuously.

The Connection to Digital Continuity

Building a digital asset inventory is the foundation of Digital Asset Protection™. It creates the visibility needed to identify risks, the documentation needed to transfer ownership, and the accountability needed to prevent single points of failure.

Businesses that maintain comprehensive inventories recover faster from disruptions, navigate transitions more smoothly, and present cleaner documentation during due diligence. They spend less time chasing down access and more time focusing on growth.

The businesses that do not have inventories discover the gaps only when something breaks. By then, the cost of recovery is measured in lost revenue, delayed deals, and preventable stress.