A system should be decommissioned when which condition occurs?

• A. It is replaced by a new target system covering the same functionality or it is obsolete because it no longer supports the business process
• B. It experiences a hardware failure
• C. When budget runs out
• D. When it is physically moved

Answer: (B)

Decommissioning happens when a system can no longer operate as required or isn’t worth keeping running. A hardware failure directly undermines the system’s ability to function, and if repair isn’t feasible or is cost-prohibitive, retirement from service is the logical next step. The other scenarios aren’t immediate decommission triggers: a budget run-out doesn’t by itself retire a system, moving it might be part of relocation or disposal planning, and being replaced by a newer system is a separate step that leads to decommission but starts with the replacement decision rather than the failure of the current system.