Chain of Custody Isn’t Just for Evidence — It’s for Every Critical Record

In regulated environments, “chain of custody” is often discussed as an evidence concept—something relevant to exhibits, physical items, or investigative materials.

However, the same principle applies to many everyday records that regulators, auditors, and courts rely on: approvals, decisions, controls, and outcomes.

Chain of custody, in its simplest form, answers three questions:

• Where did this record come from (provenance)?

• Who interacted with it, and when (auditability)?

• Has it remained intact and authentic (integrity)?

In practice, organisations lose defensibility when critical records can’t reliably demonstrate:

• The Original Source of the Record (system, person, ingestion point)

• Version History (what changed, what didn’t, and why)

• Access History (view, edit, export, delete)

• Policy Enforcement (retention, legal hold, disposition approvals)

This is not just a law-enforcement issue. It impacts:

• Financial Institutions Defending Underwriting and Compliance Decisions

• Government Agencies Responding to Disclosure Requests

• Regulated Manufacturers Proving QA Sign-Off and Change Control

• HR and Procurement Demonstrating Approvals and Policy Adherence

The risk is rarely that a document is “missing.” The risk is that an organisation cannot prove the record is complete, authentic, and properly controlled—especially when scrutiny is highest.

At CaelumOne Solutions Corporation, we treat chain-of-custody mechanics as a governance requirement for critical records, not a niche concept. When auditability and integrity are embedded into everyday information handling, defensibility becomes routine—not a scramble. For a no obligations demonstration on the power of CaelumOne DMS-ECM Software Platform contact us today at c1sales@caelumone.com.