This specification defines an Information Model to represent one or several assets. It does not define, where the Information Model should be deployed. In some cases, the asset itself might provide a Server, and this Server might provide asset management related information about the asset as defined in this specification. Other assets might not have any electronics and no capability to even run a Server, and any Server providing information about the asset is running outside the asset.

Independent of that, even if the asset provides a Server, not all asset management related information has to be provided by that Server, and some information might be provided by some higher-level system potentially aggregating the information of many assets. For example, the information when the next maintenance activity is planned might not be known by the asset but only by some higher-level asset management systems.