Insights
Wind-downs and transitions
95 guides · page 2 of 2
Owning the data vs having the right to license it: the wind-down distinction
In a wind-down, holding records is not permission to license them. A rights matrix for tickets, email and code.
Plant closure checklist: preserving records before systems shut off
A plant closure records checklist in three stages: before notices go out, before ERP and MES contracts lapse, and before servers and controllers are scrapped.
Preserve records before you cancel SaaS subscriptions: a shutdown order of operations
Preserve data before canceling SaaS subscriptions with a five-phase shutdown order: freeze, secure admin access, export, assess, then cancel identity last.
Preserving data assets in an assignment for the benefit of creditors
ABC data assets preservation: what to secure before shutdown, which systems to keep paying for, and the authority and privacy questions to settle early.
Preserving records under an ABC: the assignor's handover checklist
ABC assignor records handover checklist: the credentials, exports, system inventory and contacts a founder should give the assignee so records stay usable.
Preserving thread context when exporting chat and ticket systems
Preserve context in a data export of chat and ticket systems: a checklist for threads, internal notes, audit history and cross-system links before shutdown.
Privacy policy says 'we never sell data': can a closing company still license records?
If your privacy policy says never sell data, bankruptcy or closing does not erase the promise. See which promises bind and which records may fall outside.
Read-only licenses vs archive exports: the cheapest way to keep old system records
Keep old software read only after closing, or export to an archive? Compare four options on cost, access and risk, plus the vendor grace windows CFOs miss.
Receiverships and company data: can a receiver license business records?
Can a receiver sell company data? Check the appointing order, court approval, notice and privacy limits before licensing records. An authority checklist.
Record retention schedule for a closed company: a template by record type
A record retention schedule template for a closed business: one row per record type, with system, retention basis, custodian, destroy date and license status.
Records preservation checklist before shutting down a company
Preserve company records before shutdown in the right order: admin access, verified exports, retention holds, rights documents, and subscription shutoff last.
Section 363 sales of customer data: privacy policy limits explained
How a debtor's privacy policy limits a Section 363 sale of personal data: permits, silent or prohibits, when an ombudsman steps in, and how B2B data differs.
Secure data destruction when closing a business: do it last, not first
Secure data destruction when closing a business belongs at the end: hold, export, assess and decide on a license window first, then destroy with proof.
Selling the company's IP vs licensing its operational records
Selling company IP after shutdown is a different deal from licensing operational records. See what each transfers and why the order of the two deals matters.
Should a trustee abandon or destroy a debtor's records, or assess them first?
When a Chapter 7 trustee should abandon or destroy a debtor's books and records, and the value and privacy screens to run before filing the motion.
Should data be a separate lot in a 363 sale?
When should data be a separate lot in a bankruptcy sale? A decision rule for bankers and CROs: bundle it, carve it out, or reserve a non-exclusive license.
Should I sell my business or close it?
Should you sell your business or close it? Use a simple decision rule, see why good firms find no buyer, and how licensing records can be a third path.
Should you license data before or after filing a certificate of dissolution?
Sell assets before dissolution or after? Why licensing company data before the certificate is filed keeps authority, systems and creditor steps simpler.
Shutdown asset marketplaces vs managed data licensing: how to choose
Selling startup assets after shutdown? Compare asset marketplaces and managed data licensing on rights review, privacy prep, approval and payment.
Shutdown data inventory template: every system, owner and export status
A shutdown data inventory template for wind-down officers: the columns to track for every system, owner and export status, plus example rows to copy.
Shutting down an ATS subscription: data preservation checklist
Cancel an ATS but keep the data: what to export, how to verify it, which archive formats keep history, and what to retain or delete before access ends.
Startup shutdown checklist: the data and records steps most guides miss
A startup shutdown checklist for the data most guides skip: inventory, legal hold, export, assess, then cancel and delete, in that order and for good reason.
Subchapter V small business bankruptcy: can data be licensed during the case?
Subchapter V asset sale rules decide whether a small business can license its records mid-case. See when court approval is needed and what the motion shows.
Tax treatment of data licensing income in a liquidating company
Tax on asset sale when closing business, applied to data: how license income differs from a sale, which return it lands on, and questions for your CPA.
The last admin left: how to regain control of company accounts in a wind-down
Regain admin access after the former admin left: recovery paths for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack and business apps, and the proof vendors ask for.
Valuing data assets in liquidation: liquidation vs going-concern value
Data asset valuation in liquidation: why operational records lose value as systems and people leave, which factors hold value, and how to protect it.
Venture-backed company shutdowns in 2026: why the wind-down playbook changed
Startup shutdowns in 2026 call for a new wind-down playbook: preserve and assess records before layoffs and cancellations. What VC boards should ask first.
What a wind-down officer should do with company records and systems
Wind-down officer duties for records, in order: freeze deletion, map systems, export before shutoff, set retention, review value and hand off custody.
What happens to company data when a business shuts down?
What happens to company data when a business shuts down: five possible outcomes, who decides each, and what must be kept, deleted or can be licensed.
What happens to company Slack, email and Jira when a startup shuts down?
What happens to company data when a startup shuts down: who owns Slack, email and Jira, when vendors delete it, and the records decisions boards make first.
What happens to data licenses if the licensor company dissolves?
A data license usually survives licensor dissolution unless the contract says otherwise. See which clauses control and who enforces deletion afterward.
What happens to drawings when an architect or engineer retires?
When an architect retires, what happens to drawings depends on contracts, state rules and custody. The steps for client notices, custody and the archive.
What happens to Slack history when you downgrade or cancel a paid plan?
What happens to Slack history when you cancel or downgrade: what is hidden, what can be deleted and what a closing company should export first.
What records are worth assessing before you delete them at shutdown?
Which business records have value after shutdown? A ranked checklist of tickets, code reviews, job and quality records, plus what to set aside and why.
What records to keep when closing a business
What records to keep when closing a business: a checklist of records the law requires and records worth keeping for value, plus storage and deletion rules.
What to do with employee records when a business closes
Employee records when a business closes: what to keep, who holds personnel and payroll files, what to send staff, and why HR files are never licensed.
Who gets the money when a closed company licenses its data?
Who gets proceeds from an asset sale when a company closes, data licenses included: wind-down costs, secured lenders, priority claims, creditors, investors.
Who has authority to license records after a company closes?
Authority to license data after dissolution depends on the wind-down path. See who signs in a dissolution, ABC, receivership, bankruptcy or asset sale.
Who keeps the records after a company dissolves?
Who keeps company records after dissolution: compare officers, counsel, accountants, storage vendors and acquirers as custodians, and what each one needs.
Who owns a company's data after it dissolves?
Who owns data after a company dissolves: how control passes through winding up, assignees, trustees and buyers, and what can still be licensed or sold.
Why AI developers want old workplace chats and emails in 2026
Why AI companies want old Slack chats and emails: agents need the context of real multi-step work. See which threads matter and what buyers will refuse.
Wind-down data room: what to give interested buyers and what to hold back
A wind-down data room checklist for data licensing: share metadata first, gate samples behind terms, and hold back raw records, customer names and logins.
Wind-down for a 50-500 person company vs a small startup: what differs
Winding down a mid-size company differs from closing a startup: more people, systems, contracts, creditors and records. A side-by-side guide to the gaps.
Wind-down officer: role, duties and first decisions
A wind-down officer runs an orderly company closure. See who appoints one, what the role covers, how it differs from a CRO or trustee, and first decisions.
Wind-down timeline: when to assess data relative to layoffs and cancellations
A company wind down timeline with data milestones: assess records before layoffs, export before cancellations, and settle licensing before dissolution.
Your software vendor is shutting down: how to get your records out in time
SaaS vendor going out of business? A 72-hour action list to secure admin access, export complete records, use your contract's data terms and keep history.
Zendesk before you cancel: preserving ticket history and attachments
Export Zendesk tickets before canceling: what the standard export misses, how to keep attachments and side conversations, and when deletion begins.