Changing IT provider, without the drama.
Any change carries risk, and moving your IT is a decision that deserves care. We have managed a great many handovers since 2006, for small firms and large ones. This page says what to think about first, and exactly how we do it.
Be clear about why
The usual reasons: slow or poor communication, not feeling you get value, service levels missed, rigid support hours, no transparency in reporting, a provider that has stopped recommending anything new, or one whose capabilities your business has outgrown.
Check the exit
Read the old agreement for the notice period and the handover clause. Ask for the documentation and the admin credentials to be handed over in writing. A good provider will do this properly; if they will not, that tells you something too. Where it helps, we work alongside your existing provider during the handover rather than around them.
Ask any provider the same five things
What technology do they invest in themselves? Can you reach them out of hours? What are their backup and recovery plans for you? Do they monitor proactively, or wait for the call? And do they understand your business, or only its computers?
Think about the people
A move affects staff more than systems. The aim is that nothing changes for them until it is ready, and that the day it changes, it works.
- A short assessment
An engineer looks at what you have, what is at risk and what the handover needs. No obligation.
- A written plan
Steps, dates, who does what, and what will not change. You see it before anything moves.
- One admin contact, then everyone
You name one person as our admin contact. Through them we gather the rest: who your people are, what they use, who approves what.
- Access and documentation
We take over the admin, record everything, and fix anything that would bite during the move. Knowledge-transfer sessions with the outgoing provider or your in-house person where there is one.
- The handover
We deal with your old provider directly. Systems keep running; your staff carry on as normal.
- Go-live
Usually a weekend. Monday morning, the helpdesk is ours and everyone knows the number.
- The first month
A check-in, the snag list closed, and the agreement adjusted if reality differs from the plan.
Tell us where you are.
A few lines is enough. An engineer will read it and reply during business hours. Nothing is passed to a sales team, because we do not have one.
Not sure yet?
The 60-second health check gives you a first reading without talking to anyone.