Maintain accurate and up to date inventories of assets across dynamic cloud environments is correct because integrating automated asset discovery with cloud service providers is intended to continuously track resources so the organization can spot unmanaged or exposed assets as the environment changes.

Automated discovery yields near real time visibility into resource types, metadata, locations, and relationships and this visibility feeds an up to date inventory that supports vulnerability management, configuration monitoring, and access control. Keeping inventories current is the key way to reduce unmanaged exposure as cloud environments scale and change.

Cloud Asset Inventory is incorrect because it is the name of a product rather than a statement of the main purpose. A product may implement discovery but the question asks why you integrate automated discovery with providers, not to name a specific tool.

Reduce the total number of cloud resources to simplify administration is incorrect because discovery itself does not remove resources. Discovery reveals what exists so that teams can prioritize cleanup and governance, but deleting or consolidating resources requires separate remediation actions.

Eliminate the need for operating system and software patching is incorrect because finding assets does not remove the need to patch them. Discovery helps you find vulnerable systems, but you still must apply patches or other mitigations after identification.

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