An asset owner ensures assets are inventoried, properly classified and protected, defines and reviews access restrictions and classifications, reviews locations of where assets and data are being used, and ensures proper handling of an asset. This describes which role?

• A. Asset owner
• B. System administrator
• C. Data steward
• D. IT security analyst

Answer: (A)

The function described centers on accountability for assets throughout their lifecycle—keeping an accurate inventory, ensuring assets are properly classified and protected, defining and reviewing who can access them, monitoring where assets and data are used, and ensuring proper handling. This is the hallmark of an asset owner, who is responsible for asset management and governance, including classification, protection, access controls, and safe handling.

System administrators focus on the technical setup, maintenance, and operation of systems, not the overarching ownership and governance of assets. Data stewards handle data quality, definitions, and metadata governance—not the broad asset ownership and protection responsibilities described here. IT security analysts concentrate on monitoring, threat detection, and implementing security controls, rather than owning asset management and usage oversight.