If you can clearly define what related/linked CIs need to be also managed, I see no problem to create something automated with a flow designer. 

Thanks for your reply @Stefan K. ,

So if I had an asset called 'server1' which is of Model Category 'Windows Server', and set its State to Retired. It would then change the linked CI's Status record to Retired as well.

Here is where I would need help with:

The CI would have potentially one or more child CIs listed in the following related links:

• Network Adapters
• Storage Devices
• File Systems
• CI IPs
• DNS Names for CIs
• Memory Modules
• Tracked Configuration files

Hi, what help exactly do you require?

You have the automation rules quite far already:

1. Create a new flow that is triggered when windows server state changes to retired
2. The flow will then need to query the tables you listed above for records that are linking to the retired server and change their state too. 

Of course you need to:
- Know how to build a flow
- See in detail how the link to your server CI is made so you know to configure your flow to look up the linked records correctly
- Be detailed in your automation, I don't know if say network adapter could be used by multiple servers (not just by the one that is retired) so that you don't retire such records.

Hi Stefan,

Thanks for your reply. I am a bit new to Flows in ServiceNow.

Using a quick example, how could I use the flow to query the related tables of a retired server?

Thanks

Why are you even mentioning Virtual Servers and Asset in the same breath?

Virtual Servers should not be assets and so should not be tied to the Asset Lifecycle except cursorily for end of life & data retention requirements, which should be documented within your Configuration Management Life-cycle anyway.

That said, if we set the Asset question aside, you will have somewhere a request to retire a virtual server.  Once you have done due diligence for SOx, SOC, etc the virtual server in the virtualization platform can be spun down or deleted.  If you have an integration between this platform and servicenow, this could easily be orchestrated as part of the request to retire.  With this integration and orchestration, once the virtual device is turned off and deleted, this updates the Virtual Machine Instance which cascades to the server CI.  The only think you'd need to be sure of is the retiring of dependent CIs (DNS, Installed Software, etc) which for the most part, should be OOTB.