What is IMACD?
IMACD is IMAC with a final step for equipment that leaves service. The first four letters cover the normal lifecycle work on user and infrastructure equipment: installing new hardware, moving it, adding to it and changing its configuration. The D covers disposal, or in some contracts decommissioning, which means removing the equipment and handling data, recycling and records.
The meaning of the D varies. Some providers use it for dispose, others for decommission or de-install. It may mean only physical removal, or it may include data erasure, certificates and asset record updates. Check what the contract states, since the data handling is the part with legal and security risk.
Disposal should follow a documented media sanitization method. NIST SP 800-88 describes three categories, Clear, Purge and Destroy, and the choice depends on the sensitivity of the data and the type of media. Local rules on electronic waste also apply, for example WEEE rules in the EU, so ask how recycling is handled in the country of the site.
How it shows up in practice
- Write down which devices will be disposed of, the data method for each, and who signs off that the data is no longer needed.
- Ask for a chain of custody record and, where the contract includes it, a certificate of erasure or destruction per serial number.
- Link disposal to the new install: collect the old device when the new one arrives, so users keep working and nothing is left behind.
- Update the asset register at the end so retired items are marked and licenses are reclaimed.