Serial-level chain of custody, and why it matters
Why tracking each device by serial number — not by the boxload — is what makes your certificates defensible.
Chain of custody is only as good as its resolution. Track a pallet and you can prove a pallet moved; track each serial and you can prove what happened to the exact device that held someone’s data. That difference is everything.
Batch vs serial
Batch-level tracking follows groups of assets. Serial-level tracking follows each device by its unique serial number, from collection to final outcome. Only serial-level records answer “what happened to this specific machine?”
Why audits demand it
An auditor or a breach investigator cares about one device: the one in question. A serial-level trail links that device’s collection, wipe, certificate and disposal into a single, tamper-evident history.
How WipeTrail does it
Every device gets a unique QR code and an append-only event history the moment it’s scanned in, so every certificate links straight back to that device’s full chain of custody.
Frequently asked questions
What is serial-level chain of custody?
Tracking each device individually by serial number through every step, rather than tracking batches or pallets.
Why not just track batches?
Because audits and breach enquiries concern a specific device; only a serial-level record can prove what happened to it.
Does WipeTrail track per serial?
Yes — every device has its own QR code and immutable event history from intake onward.
Ready when you are
See WipeTrail on your own kit.
Book a 20-minute demo and we’ll walk the whole flow — collection to certified wipe to resale — and show how fast you could be live before the DWTS deadline.
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