In a resource information providing system in which resource information providing apparatuses which periodically collect pieces of resource information of a management target apparatus and stores the pieces of information in a cache are hierarchized, when an elapsed time specifying request specifying maximum allowable elapsed time with respect to the resource information is input from a request source which requests the resource information, the resource information providing apparatus obtains the maximum elapsed time from acquisition of the resource information by the management target apparatus until arrival thereof to the request source and determines whether it is exceeding the maximum allowable elapsed time input from the request source or not. If it is exceeding, the resource information providing apparatus shortens the collection interval thereof by the time obtained by subtracting the maximum allowable elapsed time from the maximum elapsed time.