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Data Center Maintenance · Deliverable

Decommission Work Orders with Chain-of-Custody.

Decommission work orders with asset disposal chain-of-custody

Part of Data Center Maintenance. Last reviewed October 2026.

Quick answer

What is Decommission Work Orders with Chain-of-Custody?

A decommission work order with chain-of-custody is a controlled record of removing retired equipment from a data center, listing each asset from rack to final disposal. Deploris engineers verify serial numbers, power down in sequence, remove cabling, hand assets to sanitization or disposal with signed transfers, and give you the evidence trail.

WHAT THE WORK COVERS

What Decommission Work Orders with Chain-of-Custody includes.

  • 01Pre-removal verification of asset tag and serial number against your register, so only approved devices leave
  • 02Documented shutdown confirmation, with your system owner sign-off before power is removed
  • 03Disconnection and removal of power, network and fiber cabling, with orphaned cables recorded
  • 04Drive handling to your policy: on-site wipe aligned with NIST 800-88 guidance or physical destruction by an agreed provider
  • 05De-racking, packing, palletizing and tamper-evident sealing for transport
  • 06Signed custody transfers at each handoff, from rack to carrier to the recycler or storage site

HOW WE DELIVER IT

How it is delivered.

  1. 1

    Build the decommission list

    We reconcile your list of retired assets against what is physically in the racks, flag mismatches, and write the work order with a disposition for each device: wipe, destroy, return, store or recycle.

  2. 2

    Confirm shutdown and approvals

    Before any power is removed, a named owner confirms each system is retired and any dependencies are cleared. Engineers record the confirmation with the asset.

  3. 3

    Remove, sanitize and seal

    Assets are powered down, uncabled and de-racked. Drives are sanitized or destroyed to your policy, and containers are sealed and recorded with seal numbers.

  4. 4

    Hand off and close the trail

    Each transfer of custody is signed and logged. When the recycler or storage site confirms receipt, we assemble the chain-of-custody record for your asset register.

INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

What you provide and what you receive.

You provide

  • List of assets to retire, with asset tags, serial numbers and locations
  • Sign-off from system owners that each device is ready to power down
  • Data handling policy covering wipe method, drive destruction and retention
  • Details of the approved recycler, storage site or return destination

You receive

  • Completed work order showing each asset, its removal time and its disposition
  • Signed chain-of-custody forms for each handoff
  • Sanitization or destruction records as provided by the party who performed them
  • Photos of racks before and after removal and of sealed containers
  • Asset list updated for your CMDB and asset register

WHEN IT FITS

When this is the right deliverable.

Scenario 01

You are closing a server room or exiting a colocation cage and need every retired device traced out of the facility.

Scenario 02

A hardware refresh leaves old servers and switches that must be wiped and removed before the colocation provider will release the space.

Scenario 03

Your security team requires evidence that decommissioned drives never left the site unsanitized or unaccounted for.

WHERE WE DELIVER

Delivered in 75+ metros across 11 countries.

Local, vetted engineers deliver this work on site across the United States and Western Europe, coordinated by one engagement manager.

QUESTIONS

Frequently asked questions.

What is chain-of-custody in IT asset decommissioning?
It is a signed, time-stamped record showing who held each asset at each stage, from the rack to final disposal. It helps prove nothing went missing in transit. Deploris records each handoff with serial numbers, seal numbers and signatures, then assembles the trail for you.
Do you wipe drives on site before equipment leaves?
We can, following your policy and NIST 800-88 guidance, or arrange physical destruction through an agreed provider. The method is decided in the written scope. Where sanitization is done by a third party, we attach their records rather than issuing certificates on their behalf.
How do you make sure the right servers are removed?
Each device is matched on serial number and asset tag against your approved list before anything is powered off, and your named owner confirms shutdown. If a physical device does not match the list, it stays in place, and the discrepancy goes in the report.
Can you decommission across several sites?
Yes. We coordinate local engineers in our covered metros and run each site under the same work order format, so records line up. Timing and logistics depend on scope and sites, which is why we write the scope before work starts and assign one engagement manager.

QUOTE

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