diff --git a/pkg/policy/controller.go b/pkg/policy/controller.go
index 8ad0e8b124..9cb1247822 100644
--- a/pkg/policy/controller.go
+++ b/pkg/policy/controller.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	informer "github.com/nirmata/kyverno/pkg/clientNew/informers/externalversions/kyverno/v1alpha1"
 	lister "github.com/nirmata/kyverno/pkg/clientNew/listers/kyverno/v1alpha1"
 	client "github.com/nirmata/kyverno/pkg/dclient"
+	"github.com/nirmata/kyverno/pkg/utils"
 	v1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
@@ -61,6 +62,10 @@ type PolicyController struct {
 	pListerSynced cache.InformerSynced
 	// pvListerSynced retrns true if the Policy store has been synced at least once
 	pvListerSynced cache.InformerSynced
+	// Resource manager, manages the mapping for already processed resource
+	rm resourceManager
+	// filter the resources defined in the list
+	filterK8Resources []utils.K8Resource
 }
 
 // NewPolicyController create a new PolicyController
@@ -103,6 +108,10 @@ func NewPolicyController(kyvernoClient *kyvernoclient.Clientset, client *client.
 	pc.pListerSynced = pInformer.Informer().HasSynced
 	pc.pvListerSynced = pInformer.Informer().HasSynced
 
+	// resource manager
+	// rebuild after 300 seconds/ 5 mins
+	pc.rm = NewResourceManager(300)
+
 	return &pc, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/policy/existing.go b/pkg/policy/existing.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..33cf66664b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/policy/existing.go
@@ -0,0 +1,236 @@
+package policy
+
+import (
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/golang/glog"
+	"github.com/minio/minio/pkg/wildcard"
+	kyverno "github.com/nirmata/kyverno/pkg/api/kyverno/v1alpha1"
+	client "github.com/nirmata/kyverno/pkg/dclient"
+	"github.com/nirmata/kyverno/pkg/utils"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured"
+)
+
+func (pc *PolicyController) processExistingResources(policy *kyverno.Policy) {
+	// Parse through all the resources
+	// drops the cache after configured rebuild time
+	pc.rm.Drop()
+
+	// get resource that are satisfy the resource description defined in the rules
+	resourceMap := listResources(pc.client, policy, pc.filterK8Resources)
+	for _, resource := range resourceMap {
+		// pre-processing, check if the policy and resource version has been processed before
+		if !pc.rm.ProcessResource(policy.Name, policy.ResourceVersion, resource.GetKind(), resource.GetNamespace(), resource.GetName(), resource.GetResourceVersion()) {
+			continue
+		}
+		// apply the policy on each
+		glog.V(4).Infof("apply policy %s with resource version %s on resource %s/%s/%s with resource version %s", policy.Name, policy.ResourceVersion, resource.GetKind(), resource.GetNamespace(), resource.GetName(), resource.GetResourceVersion())
+		// post-processing, register the resource as processed
+		pc.rm.RegisterResource(policy.GetName(), policy.GetResourceVersion(), resource.GetKind(), resource.GetNamespace(), resource.GetName(), resource.GetResourceVersion())
+	}
+}
+
+func listResources(client *client.Client, policy *kyverno.Policy, filterK8Resources []utils.K8Resource) map[string]unstructured.Unstructured {
+	// key uid
+	resourceMap := map[string]unstructured.Unstructured{}
+
+	for _, rule := range policy.Spec.Rules {
+		// resources that match
+		for _, k := range rule.MatchResources.Kinds {
+			if kindIsExcluded(k, rule.ExcludeResources.Kinds) {
+				glog.V(4).Infof("processing policy %s rule %s: kind %s is exluded", policy.Name, rule.Name, k)
+				continue
+			}
+			var namespaces []string
+			if k == "Namespace" {
+				// TODO
+				// this is handled by generator controller
+				glog.V(4).Infof("skipping processing policy %s rule %s for kind Namespace", policy.Name, rule.Name)
+				continue
+			}
+			//TODO: if namespace is not define can we default to *
+			if rule.MatchResources.Namespace != "" {
+				namespaces = append(namespaces, rule.MatchResources.Namespace)
+			} else {
+				glog.V(4).Infof("processing policy %s rule %s, namespace not defined, getting all namespaces ", policy.Name, rule.Name)
+				// get all namespaces
+				namespaces = getAllNamespaces(client)
+			}
+			// check if exclude namespace is not clashing
+			namespaces = excludeNamespaces(namespaces, rule.ExcludeResources.Namespace)
+
+			// get resources in the namespaces
+			for _, ns := range namespaces {
+				rMap := getResourcesPerNamespace(k, client, ns, rule, filterK8Resources)
+				mergeresources(resourceMap, rMap)
+			}
+
+		}
+	}
+	return resourceMap
+}
+
+func getResourcesPerNamespace(kind string, client *client.Client, namespace string, rule kyverno.Rule, filterK8Resources []utils.K8Resource) map[string]unstructured.Unstructured {
+	resourceMap := map[string]unstructured.Unstructured{}
+	// merge include and exclude label selector values
+	ls := mergeLabelSectors(rule.MatchResources.Selector, rule.ExcludeResources.Selector)
+	// list resources
+	glog.V(4).Infof("get resources for kind %s, namespace %s, selector %v", kind, namespace, rule.MatchResources.Selector)
+	list, err := client.ListResource(kind, namespace, ls)
+	if err != nil {
+		glog.Infof("unable to get resources: err %v", err)
+		return nil
+	}
+	// filter based on name
+	for _, r := range list.Items {
+		// match name
+		if rule.MatchResources.Name != "" {
+			if !wildcard.Match(rule.MatchResources.Name, r.GetName()) {
+				glog.V(4).Infof("skipping resource %s/%s due to include condition name=%s mistatch", r.GetNamespace(), r.GetName(), rule.MatchResources.Name)
+				continue
+			}
+		}
+		// exclude name
+		if rule.ExcludeResources.Name != "" {
+			if wildcard.Match(rule.ExcludeResources.Name, r.GetName()) {
+				glog.V(4).Infof("skipping resource %s/%s due to exclude condition name=%s mistatch", r.GetNamespace(), r.GetName(), rule.MatchResources.Name)
+				continue
+			}
+		}
+		// Skip the filtered resources
+		if utils.SkipFilteredResources(r.GetKind(), r.GetNamespace(), r.GetName(), filterK8Resources) {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		//TODO check if the group version kind is present or not
+		resourceMap[string(r.GetUID())] = r
+	}
+	return resourceMap
+}
+
+// merge b into a map
+func mergeresources(a, b map[string]unstructured.Unstructured) {
+	for k, v := range b {
+		a[k] = v
+	}
+}
+func mergeLabelSectors(include, exclude *metav1.LabelSelector) *metav1.LabelSelector {
+	if exclude == nil {
+		return include
+	}
+	// negate the exclude information
+	// copy the label selector
+	//TODO: support exclude expressions in exclude
+	ls := include.DeepCopy()
+	for k, v := range exclude.MatchLabels {
+		lsreq := metav1.LabelSelectorRequirement{
+			Key:      k,
+			Operator: metav1.LabelSelectorOpNotIn,
+			Values:   []string{v},
+		}
+		ls.MatchExpressions = append(ls.MatchExpressions, lsreq)
+	}
+	return ls
+}
+
+func kindIsExcluded(kind string, list []string) bool {
+	for _, b := range list {
+		if b == kind {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func excludeNamespaces(namespaces []string, excludeNs string) []string {
+	if excludeNs == "" {
+		return namespaces
+	}
+	filteredNamespaces := []string{}
+	for _, n := range namespaces {
+		if n == excludeNs {
+			continue
+		}
+		filteredNamespaces = append(filteredNamespaces, n)
+	}
+	return filteredNamespaces
+}
+
+func getAllNamespaces(client *client.Client) []string {
+	var namespaces []string
+	// get all namespaces
+	nsList, err := client.ListResource("Namespace", "", nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		glog.Error(err)
+		return namespaces
+	}
+	for _, ns := range nsList.Items {
+		namespaces = append(namespaces, ns.GetName())
+	}
+	return namespaces
+}
+
+func NewResourceManager(rebuildTime int64) *ResourceManager {
+	rm := ResourceManager{
+		data:        make(map[string]interface{}),
+		time:        time.Now(),
+		rebuildTime: rebuildTime,
+	}
+	// set time it was built
+	return &rm
+}
+
+// ResourceManager
+type ResourceManager struct {
+	// we drop and re-build the cache
+	// based on the memory consumer of by the map
+	data        map[string]interface{}
+	mux         sync.RWMutex
+	time        time.Time
+	rebuildTime int64 // after how many seconds should we rebuild the cache
+}
+
+type resourceManager interface {
+	ProcessResource(policy, pv, kind, ns, name, rv string) bool
+	//TODO	removeResource(kind, ns, name string) error
+	RegisterResource(policy, pv, kind, ns, name, rv string)
+	// reload
+	Drop()
+}
+
+//Drop drop the cache after every rebuild interval mins
+//TODO: or drop based on the size
+func (rm *ResourceManager) Drop() {
+	if time.Since(rm.time) > time.Duration(rm.rebuildTime)*time.Nanosecond {
+		rm.mux.Lock()
+		defer rm.mux.Unlock()
+		rm.data = map[string]interface{}{}
+	}
+}
+
+var empty struct{}
+
+//RegisterResource stores if the policy is processed on this resource version
+func (rm *ResourceManager) RegisterResource(policy, pv, kind, ns, name, rv string) {
+	rm.mux.Lock()
+	defer rm.mux.Unlock()
+	// add the resource
+	key := buildKey(policy, pv, kind, ns, name, rv)
+	rm.data[key] = empty
+}
+
+//ProcessResource returns true if the policy was not applied on the resource
+func (rm *ResourceManager) ProcessResource(policy, pv, kind, ns, name, rv string) bool {
+	rm.mux.RLock()
+	defer rm.mux.RUnlock()
+
+	key := buildKey(policy, pv, kind, ns, name, rv)
+	_, ok := rm.data[key]
+	return ok == false
+}
+
+func buildKey(policy, pv, kind, ns, name, rv string) string {
+	return policy + "/" + pv + "/" + kind + "/" + ns + "/" + name + "/" + rv
+}