Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) is a standardized method of describing and identifying classes of applications, operating systems, and hardware devices present among an enterprise's computing assets. CPE can be used as a source of information for enforcing and verifying IT management policies relating to these assets, such as vulnerability, configuration, and remediation policies. IT management tools can collect information about installed products, identify products using their CPE names, and use this standardized information to help make fully or partially automated decisions regarding the assets.