Right now, 57% of businesses have no idea where all their IT assets are. That missing contractor laptop? They’re not just lost equipment; they’re open doors for cybercriminals.
With the average data breach costing £4.44 million and taking 292 days to contain, poor IT asset visibility has become one of the most dangerous blind spots in modern cybersecurity.
The Security Crisis Hidden in Plain Sight
IT asset visibility means knowing exactly what devices and systems your organisation owns, where they are, who’s using them, and whether they’re secure. Without it, you’re defending a building without knowing how many doors it has.
The reality is stark: only 43% of organisations know where all their IT assets are, down from 47% the previous year. More than half of UK businesses are operating blind, and attackers know it.
Three Critical Security Risks of Poor Asset Visibility
1. The Unpatched Device Vulnerability
Twenty percent of confirmed breaches began with exploited device vulnerabilities, specifically, forgotten and unpatched devices that became easy targets for attackers.
Even more concerning: 46% of compromised systems with corporate credentials were unmanaged devices hosting both professional and personal credentials. These shadow endpoints create massive blind spots in your security perimeter.
When you don’t know what assets you have, you can’t protect them. That legacy server in the back office? The test environment someone set up two years ago? If they’re not in your inventory, they’re not getting patched, and attackers actively seek out these forgotten systems.
Key breach statistics:
- 20% of breaches exploit device vulnerabilities
- 46% of compromised systems are unmanaged devices
- 292 days average to identify and contain credential-based breaches
- £4.44 million average breach cost globally
2. The Shadow IT Threat
Perhaps the most insidious risk is what you can’t see. Shadow IT, (technology acquired outside of IT’s visibility), has become a critical security vulnerability.
The scale is staggering:
- 41% of employees currently acquire technology without IT’s knowledge (expected to reach 75% by 2027)
- 65% of all SaaS applications in use are unsanctioned shadow IT
- The average company has 975 unknown cloud services running across its organisation
- The security impact? Nearly one in two cyberattacks stem from shadow IT vulnerabilities, with each incident costing an average of £4.2 million to remediate.
3. The Vulnerability Management Gap
Your security team diligently scans known systems. But what about the device issued to a former employee that was never returned?
If a device isn’t in your asset management system (ITAM), it isn’t being monitored. These “ghost” assets often remain connected to the network, running outdated software, creating a silent vulnerability gap.
The Remote Work Multiplier Effect
The distributed workforce has broken traditional network-based discovery. Devices now live in home offices and coffee shops, rarely connecting to the corporate VPN.
This dispersion multiplies every risk: unpatched devices operate outside the perimeter, and lost equipment goes unnoticed for weeks. Manual tracking via spreadsheets is no longer viable in this environment.
The Cost of Poor IT Asset Visibility
The statistics clearly demonstrate that full visibility is non-negotiable for modern businesses:
| Challenge | Impact | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Limited Visibility | Only 43% of organisations have complete IT asset visibility | Flexera 2025 State of ITAM Report |
| Breach Response Time | Average 277 days to identify and contain breaches | IBM 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report |
| Audit Frequency | 62% of companies faced software vendor audits in 2024 | Unisphere Research Survey |
| Audit Costs | 45% spent over £1 million on audits in three years | Unisphere Research Survey |
| Vulnerability Exploitation | 20% of breaches began with device vulnerabilities | 2025 Verizon DBIR |
| Shadow IT Growth | 41% of employees use unsanctioned technology (rising to 75% by 2027) | Gartner Shadow IT Statistics |
Stop Guessing, Start Managing
The technology exists to give you complete, real-time visibility into your IT estate. Don’t wait until a breach, audit failure, or budget crisis forces your hand.
How Novatech Direct2Desk Delivers Complete Visibility
Novatech’s Direct2Desk service provides comprehensive IT asset visibility and lifecycle management designed specifically for UK businesses:
- Live Tracking & Transparency: Dedicated portals and APIs provide real-time tracking of stock levels and full transparency over your entire IT estate, accessible from anywhere.
- Full Lifecycle Management: Secure device collection, certified data wiping, and equipment refresh within seven days, eliminating risks from idle or forgotten devices.
- Automated Workflows: Streamlines asset provisioning, reassignment, and end-of-life processes, freeing your IT staff for higher-value strategic tasks.
- Compliance Support: Built-in reporting for audits and regulatory requirements, ensuring you’re always prepared for vendor audits and compliance reviews.
Ready to gain complete control over your IT assets? Discover how Novatech’s Direct2Desk can transform your IT asset management with real-time visibility and automated lifecycle management.
About Novatech
Novatech has been delivering IT solutions to UK businesses for over 30 years. Our Direct2Desk service helps organisations of all sizes achieve complete IT asset visibility, reduce security risks, and optimise technology investments.
About the Authors:
Novatech’s Team
