Plenty of businesses stay with an IT provider they're unhappy with because switching sounds painful. It doesn't have to be. Most of the risk in a switch comes down to one thing: getting the right information and access back from your old provider.
Here's what to collect, in roughly the order to collect it.
1. Admin access to everything that's yours
Your business should own its accounts, not your IT provider. Before anything else, make sure you have working administrator access to:
- Microsoft 365 (or Google Workspace)
- Your domain name registrar and DNS
- Your firewall and Wi-Fi
- Any servers, cloud subscriptions and backup systems
- Line-of-business software that your provider administers
If an account is in your provider's name, ask for it to be transferred to you.
2. Your licensing
Many providers resell Microsoft 365 and other subscriptions. Find out where your licences are billed and when they renew. Moving them to a new provider is usually straightforward, but it needs planning so nothing lapses mid-month.
3. Documentation
Ask for whatever documentation exists: network diagrams, passwords (handed over securely), configuration notes, warranty details and a list of every device being managed. Even incomplete notes save your new provider days of rediscovery.
4. Backups
Confirm where your backups are, who controls them and how long they're kept. Make sure your new provider has its own working backup in place before your old one switches theirs off.
5. Agents and remote access
Your old provider will have monitoring and remote access tools on your computers. They should be removed as part of the handover and replaced with your new provider's tools. Don't leave two providers with remote access to the same machines.
6. Notice period and timing
Check your contract for the notice period. Plan the changeover for a quiet week, not the end of financial year.
What a good new provider does
A good incoming provider runs most of this for you. They'll audit what you have, chase the handover items and set up monitoring and security. Then they'll tell you what they found. Expect a short list of things that need fixing. Almost every handover turns up a few.
We take on businesses from other providers regularly and handle the handover as part of getting started. If you're thinking about a change, let's talk.