A systems administrator has been assigned a ticket to decommission a physical server that was previously used for development. According to the asset management system, the server is at the end of its five-year life cycle. Which of the following actions should the administrator perform FIRST to ensure compliance with organizational procedures?
Submit a change management request for the decommissioning.
Review the organization's official decommissioning policy.
Verify with the original system owner that the server is no longer in use.
Wipe the server's hard drives using a multipass method.
The correct first step is to review the organization's decommissioning policy. This policy document provides the official, authoritative guidance for the entire process, including requirements for data backup, data destruction methods, change management procedures, documentation updates, and physical disposal. Acting without first consulting the policy can lead to non-compliance with security and regulatory standards. While verifying non-utilization, submitting a change request, and wiping drives are all likely steps in the process, they must be performed according to the sequence and specifications outlined in the company policy.