When choosing an IT provider, most businesses focus on pricing, response times, and what’s included. But there’s another question worth asking: What happens if you decide to switch providers down the road?
Your IT company may manage everything from employee computers and accounts to backups and important passwords. You want to know you’ll still have access to everything if the relationship ends.
Before signing, use this checklist to understand what your managed IT services agreement covers, and what surprises your future self would appreciate it if you avoided.
1. Contract Renewal/Cancellation
Before signing, make sure you understand the agreement term and how it ends.
- Does the agreement renew automatically, and how much advance notice is required to prevent renewal?
- Can we cancel before the contract expires? If so, what fees or conditions apply?
- What happens if service expectations aren’t met or the provider cannot fulfill its obligations?
- Are there separate cancellation requirements for software subscriptions, security products, or other third-party services?
The goal is to avoid discovering unexpected obligations when your business is ready to make a change.
2. Account Ownership and Administrative Access
Your IT provider may need significant access to manage your technology. Understand who controls that access and how your business can regain control.
- Does our business retain ownership of its domain registrations, Microsoft 365 tenant, cloud accounts, software licenses, and critical business data?
- Who holds administrator credentials, and will authorized company representatives maintain appropriate administrative access?
- How are administrator accounts protected, monitored, and limited to necessary systems?
- If the provider becomes unavailable, how would we recover access to critical accounts and emergency administrator credentials?
When evaluating managed IT support services that involve ongoing administration of business systems, these questions need to be answered.
3. Documentation, Backups, and Business Continuity
Technology management shouldn’t depend on one person knowing where everything is stored.
- What documentation will we receive covering our network, devices, licenses, configurations, vendors, and critical accounts?
- Who is responsible for maintaining backups, testing recovery procedures, and responding to security incidents?
- If we need to move our information elsewhere, can we receive usable exports in commonly supported formats?
- How will essential services, employee access, and security monitoring continue during a provider transition?
As we’ve discussed in our article about business continuity planning, undocumented account ownership and recovery procedures can complicate even the most routine changes/updates.
4. Exit Assistance and Provider Handover
Even a productive IT relationship may eventually end. Businesses grow, and service needs evolve.
- What assistance will the outgoing provider offer if we hire a replacement?
- Does our agreement include transition assistance, or will additional charges apply?
- How much time will the provider have to deliver documentation, credentials, backups, and requested exports?
- Will the provider coordinate with our successor to transfer responsibility for monitoring and critical systems?
- When and how will the outgoing provider’s remote access, administrator permissions, accounts, and management tools be removed or disabled, and how will completion be verified?
If you’re already considering a change, our article on switching IT providers explains why planning the handoff before ending an existing agreement can help prevent unnecessary disruptions.
5. Cybersecurity Assessment: Authorization, Testing, and Sensitive Information
Use these additional questions when an agreement includes cybersecurity assessments.
- Who is authorized to approve security testing, and will the scope be documented before work begins?
- Which systems, applications, networks, and testing methods are permitted or excluded?
- Are there restrictions on testing hours, disruptive activities, sensitive production systems, or third-party environments?
- What happens if testing reveals sensitive information, exposes a critical vulnerability, or risks interrupting business operations?
- How long will assessment evidence be retained, and when and how will it be securely deleted?
These questions help establish clear expectations before an assessment begins.
Get the Details in Writing
Any reputable prospective IT provider worth considering should be able to explain what its agreement includes, what remains your responsibility, and how important systems will be managed throughout the relationship.
Not every business needs the same contract terms or level of technical support. The important thing is understanding the arrangement before a problem arises.
At M&H Consulting, we help Greater Boston businesses evaluate their technology requirements and explore their options for ongoing IT support services.
Schedule a consultation to discuss your organization’s IT support needs.
Categorised in: Management, outsourced management