Federal housing law
Internal Revenue Manual Part 2. Information Technology
Federal housing law as enacted — verbatim and citable.
- Edition
- 2026-10-03
- Last updated
- 2026-10-04
- Jurisdiction
- United States
Official source: Internal Revenue Manual (https://www.irs.gov/irm/part2/irm_02-149-001), retrieved 2026-10-03. U.S. Government work (17 U.S.C. § 105).
Part 2. Information Technology¶
Chapter 149. IT Asset Management¶
Section 1. Asset Management Policy¶
2.149.1 Asset Management Policy¶
Manual Transmittal¶
Purpose¶
(1) This transmits revised IRM 2.149.1, Information Technology (IT) Asset Management (AM) Policy.
Material Changes¶
(1) IRM 2.149.1, was updated for editorial changes to:
update organization name change
update abbreviations and acronyms in the following section Acronyms IRM 2.149.1.1.6.2
update Chief Information Officer
Effect on Other Documents¶
IRM 2.149.1 dated September 29, 2022 is superseded.
Audience¶
The IT Asset Management Policy is applicable to all employees enterprise-wide responsible for managing IT equipment, including Asset Management’s stakeholders, customers, asset owners, contractors, and vendors.
Effective Date¶
(08-06-2026)
Kaschit Pandya,Chief Information Officer
Program Scope and Objectives¶
These policies define the Asset Management (AM) process and apply to all areas managing information technology assets.
Purpose: This document describes the formal Information Technology (IT) policy for implementing the requirements of the Information Technology (IT) Asset Management Policy process. It provides the purpose, scope, authority, and mandates for institutionalizing this process. This policy establishes authority and responsibility for the performance of IT asset management throughout the IRS. It also establishes policies and procedures for management and control of hardware and software assets (TIER 3) throughout their lifecycle.
Audience: The AM Policy is applicable to all employees enterprise-wide responsible for managing IT equipment, including AM’s stakeholders, customers, asset owners, contractors, and vendors.
Policy Owner: The office of AM within Information Technology, EUDS, Hardware & Logistics.
Program Owner: Information Technology, EUDS, Hardware & Logistics, Program Director is responsible for overseeing and managing IT assets enterprise-wide that meets the established criteria set forth in this IRM.
Primary Stakeholders: All organizations, business units and employees including contractors who have inventory responsibilities are considered stakeholders and must abide by the criteria set forth in this IRM.
Program Goals: AM is the process responsible for tracking and reporting the value and ownership of financial assets throughout their lifecycle. AM is part of ITIL Process. An IT asset is property or equipment that is part of the IT infrastructure, including hardware and software for IT and telecommunications data and voice that is in use, in reserve storage, or is awaiting disposal. All IRS organizations (including contractors) developing, maintaining, and controlling IT assets shall adhere to the mandates of this policy and all associated AM procedures.
Background¶
EUDS is responsible for the development, implementation and maintenance of this directive. Approval of this directive, including updates, rests with the Associate Chief Information Officer (ACIO) for EUDS. All proposed changes to this directive must be submitted to the Information Technology, EUDS, Hardware & Logistics, Asset Management organization.
These policies define the Asset Management process and apply to all areas managing information technology assets.
Responsibilities¶
EUDS is responsible for the development, implementation and maintenance of this directive. Approval of this directive, including updates, rests with the Information Technology, EUDS, Hardware & Logistics, Asset Management organization. All proposed changes to this directive must be submitted to EUDS.
Program Management and Review¶
Policies outline a set of plans or courses of action that are intended to influence and determine decisions or actions of a process. Policies provide an element of governance over the process that provides alignment to business vision, mission and goals.
ProcessManagement
Statement:
The AM Process will have a single Process Owner and a separate Process Manager, responsible for implementation and ensuring adherence to the process. The process will be reviewed regularly to ensure that it continues to support the business requirements of the enterprise. The process will be designed and developed based on ROI to the business. Process metric will be focused on providing relevant information as opposed to merely presenting raw data.
People
Statement:
Roles and responsibilities for the process must be clearly defined and appropriately staffed with people having the required skills and training. The mission, goals, scope and importance of the process must be clearly and regularly communicated by upper management to the staff and business customers of IT. All IT staff (direct and indirect users of the process) shall be trained at the appropriate level to enable them to support the process.
Rationale:
It is imperative that people working in, supporting, or interacting with the process in any manner understand what they are supposed to do. Without that understanding the Asset Management Process will not be successful.
Process
Statement:
Modifications to the Asset Management Process must be approved by the Process Owner. The design of the process must include appropriate interfaces with other processes to facilitate data sharing, escalation and workflow. The process must be capable of providing data to support real-time requirements as well as historical/trending data for overall process improvement initiatives. The process must be fully documented, published and accessible to the various stakeholders of the process. The process will be reviewed on a periodic basis in order to ensure it continues to support organizational goals and objectives (continuous improvement). The process must include Inputs, Outputs, Controls, Metrics, Activities, Tasks, Roles and Responsibilities, Tool and Data requirements along with documented process flows. The process will be kept straight forward, rational, and easy to understand.
Rationale:
The process must meet operational and business requirements.
Technology andTools
Statement:
All tools selected must conform to the enterprise architectural standards and direction. Existing in-house tools and technology will be used wherever possible, new tools will only be entertained if they satisfy a business need that cannot be met by current in-house tools. The selection of supporting tools must be process driven and based on the requirements of the business. Selected tools must provide ease of deployment, customization, and use. The selected tools must support heterogeneous platforms. Automated workflow, notification and escalation will be deployed wherever possible to minimize delays, ensure consistency, reduce manual intervention and ensure appropriate parties are made aware of issues requiring their attention. The tools used by this process are the following:
Hardware Asset Management Repositories
Software Asset Management Repositories
Rationale:
Technology and tools should be used to augment the process capabilities, not become an end themselves.
Program Controls¶
Process controls summarized in below table, represents the policies and guiding principles on how the process will operate. Controls provide direction over the operation of processes and define constraints or boundaries within which the process must operate:
Name
Description
GAO, CFO and TIGTA Audits
Formal inspection and verification to check whether a standard or set of guidelines is being followed, that records are accurate, or that efficiency and effectiveness targets are being met.
Asset Management Policies
Policies and regulations that provide guidance for managing the IT Asset Management program.
Security Policies
Policies to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of IT assets.
Annual Inventory Certification Plan
Annual overview of hardware asset management objectives, guidelines, and activities necessary to meet IRS’ annual financial audits and deliverables, including certifying the accuracy and completeness of IRS’ authoritative inventory system.
Governance
Governance ensures that policies and strategy are actually implemented and that required processes are correctly followed.
Terms/Definitions/Acronyms¶
Definitions of Asset Management’s terms and acronyms.
Terms and Definitions¶
The definitions listed below are some commonly used terms and are provided as an aid to understanding IT Asset Management.
Term
Definition
Agreed Life
An asset is designed to perform a function at an acceptable level for a predetermined amount of time according to the manufacturer’s lifecycle. It ensures that the defined services for the asset are met to provide the level of service required by the customer, in terms of quality and reliability.
Annual Inventory Certification Plan
Annual overview of hardware asset management objectives, guidelines, and activities necessary to meet IRS’ annual financial audits and deliverables including certifying the accuracy and completeness of IRS’ authoritative inventory system.
Artifact
A work product created by a process or procedure step, e.g., plans, design specifications, etc.
Asset
Any resource or capability. Assets of a service provider include anything that could contribute to the delivery of a service. Assets can be one of the following types: management, organization, process, knowledge, people, information, applications, infrastructure, and financial capital.
Audit
Formal inspection and verification to check whether a standard or set of guidelines is being followed, that records are accurate, or that efficiency and effectiveness targets are being met. An audit may be carried out by internal or external groups.
Certification
Issuing a certificate to confirm compliance to a standard. Certification includes a formal audit by an independent and accredited body.
Depot
A centralized storage area for In Stock IT equipment.
Entry Criteria
The elements and conditions (state) necessary to trigger the beginning of a process step.
Exit Criteria
The elements or conditions (state) necessary to trigger the completion of a process step.
Hardware Asset
Property meeting certain financial and security criteria that is part of the information technology infrastructure and represents a physical piece of computing electronic equipment.
Incident
The Enterprise Service Desk logs and tracks reported incidents. The incident will be assigned to a service provider for resolution.
Information Technology (IT)
The use of technology for the storage, communication, or processing of information. The technology typically includes computers, telecommunications, applications and other software. The information may include business data, voice, images, video, etc. Information Technology is often used to support business processes through IT services.
Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
A set of best practice guidance for IT service management. ITIL consists of a series of publications giving guidance on the provision of quality IT services, and on the processes and facilities needed to support them.
IT Asset
Property or equipment that is part of the information technology infrastructure, including hardware and software for IT and telecommunications data and voice that is in use, in reserve storage, or is awaiting disposal.
IT Asset Lifecycle
A series of states connected by allowable transitions. The set of business practices that join financial, contractual, and inventory functions to support the management from acquisition to disposition for hardware and software found in the IT environment.
IT Asset Plan
A tactical plan for managing an organization's infrastructure and assets to deliver an agreed standard of service.
IT Equipment Profile
The standardized list of IT equipment given to each employee based upon their occupation in the IRS.
Knowledge Article
Shared information or instructions contained in a centralized database.
License Position
An organization view, which identifies whether software is under-licensed (at risk of a compliance audit) or over-licensed (wasting money on unnecessary software purchases), assisting in managing license compliance.
Move/Add/Change Form
A form used to document the status (location/assignment/user) of any piece of hardware (IT asset). It is used to update the repository.
Process
A structured set of activities designed to accomplish a specific objective. A process takes one or more defined inputs and turns them into defined outputs. A process may include any of the roles, responsibilities, tools, and management controls required to reliably deliver the outputs. A process may define policies, standards, guidelines, activities, and work instructions if they are needed.
Process Owner
A role responsible for ensuring that a process is fit for purpose. The process owner’s responsibilities include sponsorship, design, change management, and continual improvement of the process and its metrics. This role is often assigned to the same person who carries out the process manager role, but the two roles may be separate in larger organizations.
Quality Reviews
Quality reviews ensure compliance to asset management policies.
RACI
(Responsible - Accountable - Consulted - Informed) This model is used to help define roles and responsibilities, instructions for the activities used in the Hardware Asset Management procedures.
Recipient
The point of contact (POC) receiving the IT asset.
Request for Change (RFC)
A formal proposal for a change to be made (work request). An RFC includes details of the proposed change, and may be recorded on paper or electronically.
Rogue Asset
An unmanaged asset which appears amidst a population of managed assets. This can happen as a result of non-compliance with the policies concerning asset control and barcoding.
Service Request
A request from a user for information, or advice, or for a standard change or for access to an IT service. For example to reset a password, or to provide standard IT services for a new user. Service requests are usually handled by Enterprise Service Desk, and do not require an RFC to be submitted.
Software Asset
Property meeting certain financial and security criteria that is part of the information technology infrastructure and software installed on personal computers, laptops, desktops, servers, mainframes, network and mobile devices.
TIER 3 Software (Micro)
Personal computers such as Desktop PC, Laptop PC, etc.
Tool
Job aid for a specific purpose, e.g., checklist, template, application, etc.
Acronyms¶
The abbreviations and acronyms include an alphabetical listing of some commonly used terms in IT Asset Management. The abbreviations and acronyms include an alphabetical listing of some commonly used terms in IT Asset Management.
Acronyms
Definition
ACIO
Associate Chief Information Officer
AM
Asset Management
ARM
Asset Management Reports
CIO
Chief Information Officer
CFO
Chief Financial Officer
CMMI
Capability Maturity Model Integrated
COE
Common Operating Environment
EOL
End of Life
EUDS
End User Digital Services
FMSS
Facilities Management and Security Services (formerly Real Estate and Facilities Management (REFM)
GAO
Government Accountability Office
H&L
Hardware & Logistics
IRM
Internal Revenue Manual
IRS
Internal Revenue Service
IT
Information Technology
ITIL
Information Technology Infrastructure Library
ITSM
IT Service Management
PD
Process Description
PMI
Project Management Institute
POC
Point of Contact
RACI
(Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed) This model is used to help define roles and responsibilities, instructions for the activities used in the Hardware Asset Management procedures
RFC
Request For Change
ROI
Return On Investment
SAM
Software Asset Management
TIGTA
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration