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August 24, 2026
Information system mapping: turning ANSSI’s 5 steps into an operational plan
ANSSI proposes a pragmatic, incremental and sustainable approach to information system mapping. Here is how to turn it into a concrete working plan.
01 SECTION / CYBERCORIA
Information system mapping
Understand an information system through its objects, flows and, above all, its dependencies.
STARTING POINT
ANSSI methods, architecture, inventories, dependencies, repository governance and cybersecurity use cases.
A useful map is not a collection of diagrams. It is a living repository connecting business activities, applications, data, infrastructure, third parties and risks.
Questions we are trying to answer
- Where should an information system mapping initiative start?
- What level of detail is genuinely useful?
- How should inventory, dependencies and criticality be connected?
- How can the map stay current?
01 / Information system mapping
A useful map is a dependency model, not a collection of drawings
Inventory is the starting point, but value appears when objects are connected: a business activity depends on an application, and that application depends on identities, data, infrastructure and sometimes third parties. This structure makes impact explainable and produces views that can be reproduced rather than merely illustrated.
02 / Information system mapping
The right level of detail depends on the decision
A map built for an audit, disaster recovery or architecture review does not require exactly the same granularity. Cybercoria favours an incremental approach: define the questions, select the necessary objects, document relationships, then organise how the repository will stay current.
03 / Information system mapping
Quality is measured by how quickly the map answers real questions
A strong map helps teams find critical components, owners, flows and dependencies without reconstructing the environment during every incident. Articles in this section therefore distinguish inventory, relationships, views and data governance.
ANALYSES
1 publication
PUBLICATION CRITERION
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