Systems and methods for managing digital assets in a distributed computing environment are described. Meta-data for the digital assets is stored separately from the digital assets. Meta-data for some of the digital assets is copied and stored at a central location. Meta-data for the digital assets is generated by clients of the system. A method for overriding a policy associated with a digital asset on a client computer after determining a centralized policy database is inaccessible includes: selecting, by a management computing device, a first digital asset likely to exist on a client; digitally signing, by the management computing device information corresponding to the first digital asset and information identifying a second digital asset and a policy corresponding to the second digital asset; receiving, by the client, the digitally signed information; and implementing, by the client, the policy corresponding to the second digital asset.