IT Checklist for Administrators and Liquidators: What to Secure First
When a company enters external administration, its technology needs attention early: confirm who holds access, find the records, list suppliers and renewals, keep trading systems running, and stop spend the administration does not need.
Written and reviewed by The Technology Office · Independent technology advisory
Key takeaways
- Most companies now run on monthly cloud subscriptions, so records and trading systems can be lost quickly if payments stop.
- The first priorities are control of administrator access, the location of books and records, and a list of every supplier and renewal date.
- Classify every technology service as essential, reducible, or cancellable, and export data before anything is switched off.
- Personal information still needs protecting during an administration, including under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
The short answer
When a company enters voluntary administration, liquidation, or receivership, secure its technology early. Confirm who holds administrator access, find where the books and records live, list every supplier and renewal date, keep the systems needed to trade running, and stop spend the administration does not need. Then plan for a sale or an orderly shutdown.
This guide covers the technology side of an appointment. Legal duties, investigations, and decisions remain with the appointed practitioner and their advisers.
Why technology needs attention early
Most businesses no longer keep their records on a server in the office. Accounting, payroll, email, files, and customer data sit in cloud services billed monthly, often to a card or account that may already be frozen. If payments stop, services can be suspended and data can become hard to retrieve.
At the same time, former directors, staff, or contractors may still hold administrator passwords. Until access is brought under control, records can be changed or deleted and systems can be misused.
The appointment IT checklist
| Priority | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Access | List every administrator account for email, domains, cloud, and key systems; reset or restrict as instructed | Prevents records being changed or deleted |
| Records | Identify every system holding financial and business records, including email and file shares | Books and records may be spread across many services |
| Suppliers | List every technology supplier, its monthly cost, contract term, and renewal date | Shows what will lapse, renew, or keep billing |
| Continuity | Identify the systems needed to keep trading, such as point-of-sale, ordering, payroll, and accounting | Keeps the business operating while its future is assessed |
| Cost | Classify each service as essential, reducible, or cancellable | Stops paying for technology the administration does not need |
| Privacy | Note where customer and employee personal information is stored and who can access it | Personal information still needs protecting |
| Sale | Start a technology information pack: systems, licences, data, contracts, known risks | Answers buyer questions faster |
Step 1: take control of access
Start with the accounts that control everything else:
- the domain name registrar and DNS, because whoever controls them controls email and websites
- the Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace global administrator accounts
- cloud hosting accounts such as AWS or Azure
- accounting, payroll, and line-of-business system administrator logins
- supplier portals for the IT provider, telecommunications, and software vendors
Record who currently holds each account, then reset or restrict access based on the practitioner's instructions. Keep a register so access can be handed over cleanly to a buyer or closed at the end.
Step 2: find and preserve the records
Electronic books and records are rarely in one place. Expect to find them across cloud accounting, payroll, email mailboxes, shared drives, line-of-business systems, and sometimes personal devices.
For each source, agree what will be exported, in what format, where it will be stored, and who holds custody. Complete exports before cancelling any service. If the practitioner may need evidence for an investigation, capture devices, mailboxes, and cloud accounts forensically before making changes, with chain-of-custody records, so the evidence holds up later.
Step 3: keep essential systems running
A voluntary administrator may need the business to keep trading. That means identifying the systems customers and staff depend on each day and keeping them paid and supported.
The company's IT provider often knows the systems best. Confirm the terms of any continued work, limit its access to what is needed, and give it clear priorities through one accountable technology lead.
Step 4: contain technology costs
List every subscription, licence, cloud service, support agreement, and telecommunications contract. Then sort each one:
- Essential: needed for trading, records, or sale. Keep, possibly at a reduced tier.
- Reducible: needed, but oversized. Remove unused licences or downgrade.
- Cancellable: not needed by the administration. Export data, then cancel.
The practitioner approves each change. The aim is to stop unnecessary spend without losing records or capability that adds value to a sale.
Step 5: protect personal information
Customer and employee personal information stays sensitive during an administration. Know where it is held and who can access it. If a data breach is suspected, the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme may require assessment and notification. Any transfer of personal information in a sale should be considered with legal advisers.
Step 6: support a sale or wind down
Buyers will ask what systems come with the business, whether licences transfer, what data is included, and what security risks exist. A short technology information pack answers most of these questions and reduces delays. For a structured view, see how technology due diligence frames the same questions from the buyer's side.
If the business closes, plan an orderly end: retain records in an accessible format, close accounts, return or securely wipe devices, and notify suppliers.
Who should do this work?
The company's IT provider can carry out many tasks, but it may be unpaid, uncertain, or too close to former management. An independent technology lead acting for the practitioner can direct the work, check what has been done, carry out forensic capture and analysis, and report in plain language.
The Technology Office provides that role through technology support for administrators and liquidators. For technology leadership for the insolvency practice itself, see fractional CIO support for insolvency firms.
Frequently asked questions
What should an administrator do about IT on appointment?
Confirm who holds administrator access to email, domains, cloud accounts, and key systems; restrict access for departed or untrusted users; locate the books and records; and list every technology supplier with its cost and renewal date.
What happens to a company's cloud subscriptions in administration?
They usually keep running only while they are paid. If a card is cancelled or an account is frozen, services can be suspended and data can become inaccessible, so essential subscriptions and records should be identified early.
Should the company's IT provider keep working during an administration?
Often yes, because it knows the systems. The practitioner should confirm the terms of continued work, restrict the provider's access to what is needed, and direct its priorities through an accountable technology lead.
How do you preserve electronic books and records?
Identify every system that holds financial or business records, agree export formats and a secure storage location, record who holds custody, and complete exports before cancelling any service. Where evidence-grade preservation is needed, capture devices, mailboxes, and cloud accounts forensically with chain-of-custody records.
Sources and further reading
- Insolvency information for directors, employees, creditors and shareholders — Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)
- Notifiable data breaches — Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
- Australian Privacy Principles — Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
Mentioned services
These service and regional NSW pages expand on the topics covered in this article.
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