A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes establishing a network connection to a central security system in a central network, receiving a message from the central security system, activating a grace window based on the message, and determining whether the grace window has expired. The method further includes deleting, when the grace window expires, one or more objects from the mobile device based on a sanitization policy. In specific embodiments, the network connection is terminated before the grace window expires, and the grace window expires unless the mobile device establishes another network connection with the central security system. In further embodiments, the method includes receiving the sanitization policy from the central security system. The sanitization policy identifies the one or more objects to be deleted from the mobile device when the grace window expires.