A method for enumerating an asset includes receiving an enumeration request for enumerating an asset, obtaining a data acquisition (DAQ) definition associated with the enumeration request, translating the enumeration request from an information model format to a DAQ format, wherein the DAQ definition complies with the DAQ format, identifying an actual uniform resource identifier (URI) from the DAQ definition based on the enumeration request, where the URI identifies an enumeration mechanism, triggering a protocol handler associated with the enumeration mechanism, and obtaining information about at least one instance of the asset from the protocol handler.