Data center decommissioning checklist
From asset capture to certificates of destruction: the steps that keep a decommission audit-ready.
Before anything is unracked
Capture the asset list with serials, rack locations, and data classification. Confirm which systems hold regulated data.
Agree the chain-of-custody model in writing: who takes possession, when, and how transfers are recorded.
Data handling
Erase to NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 1 guidance: clear, purge, or destroy according to media type. Require per-serial certificates.
Closing the loop
Collect certificates of destruction, settlement value for resellable assets, and recycling documentation from an R2 or e-Stewards certified processor. File them with the asset records.
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