An asset represents anything of value that needs to be protected. In the IT world, assets include data, people, processes, and technology systems. The people who run technology systems and the processes that the organization has developed, such as policies, standards, and guidelines, are important assets worth protecting, just like the data in the technology systems is. Weaknesses in any of these areas can be exploited by threats to harm these assets. Organizations need to protect their assets; otherwise, the businesses become far more difficult to manage or even cease to exist.