Retired business phones and tablets may still contain accounts, files, messages and stored credentials. A collection plan should address the information on each device before the remaining equipment is reused or recycled.
Prepare the devices
Identify phones, tablets, SIM cards and removable memory cards in the batch. Remove devices from management systems and accounts according to your organisation's policy, and tell us when a device is locked, damaged or cannot be switched on. A simple inventory with model and asset identifiers can help you reconcile what was handed over.
A factory reset alone may not satisfy every organisation's data disposal policy. The suitable method depends on the device, its condition, whether it must be reused and the evidence your organisation needs. We will discuss the available handling route before you book.
Retiring a fleet of business phones
Keep an inventory of the phones and tablets being released, using your asset identifiers and device serial numbers or IMEIs where appropriate. Confirm that any business records needed for retention have been transferred or backed up under your organisation's policy before erasure.
Ask your IT administrator to plan the account, device-management and activation-lock steps for each platform. For Apple devices, deal with any required Activation Lock actions before releasing devices from the organisation's management programme; releasing a device can remove the organisation's ability to manage that lock. Device-management release and data erasure are separate actions, so record the outcome of each.
Follow the manufacturer's current erasure procedure and your organisation's verification requirements. Include physical SIM cards, eSIM profiles and removable memory cards in the handover plan. Flag locked, damaged or inaccessible devices so an exception route can be agreed rather than recording them as successfully erased.
Before transfer, agree whether each device is intended for reuse, recycling or an appropriate destruction process. Reconcile the handover and completion records against the inventory. We will confirm the available handling method and documentation for your batch before booking.
Further reading: Apple's preparation guidance for iPhone and iPad and releasing devices from Apple Business.
Reuse, recycling or physical destruction
Where reuse is intended, ask how data removal and verification will be handled. Where reuse is unsuitable or your policy calls for physical destruction, ask about the available options for the storage components and the device. We will confirm the method, collection arrangements and any documentation applicable to the job.
If your clearance also includes laptops, see laptop recycling. For loose memory cards and USB drives, see storage media destruction.
Tell us what you are retiring
Share the number and type of devices, their condition, your postcode and the records your policy requires. .