Changing IT provider feels risky, and most of the risk sits in the first three months. A provider that runs onboarding well will show you a plan before you sign.
Before day one
The new provider should collect admin access, documentation, licence details and vendor contacts from the outgoing one. Expect gaps. A good provider plans for missing passwords and undocumented systems.
The first two weeks
Their tools go onto your devices and servers, staff are told how to get help, and the service desk starts taking calls. The provider should also secure admin access, including changing passwords the previous provider held.
The first month
Expect an audit of what you have: devices, accounts, licences, backups, security settings and network. You should get a written list of findings ranked by risk, not a sales proposal.
The second month
The urgent findings get fixed. These are typically accounts without multi-factor authentication, backups that weren't running, machines missing updates, and admin accounts that belong to people who have left.
The third month
Things should settle into a routine: monthly reporting, scheduled patching, and a first review meeting covering what was found, what was fixed and what is recommended next.
What you should have by the end
You should hold up-to-date documentation, an asset list, a licence summary and a plan for the next year. Ticket volumes often rise at first as staff report things they had stopped mentioning, then fall.
Warning signs
Be concerned if nobody has asked for documentation, if you haven't seen audit findings after six weeks, or if you can't name the person responsible for your account.
Want your IT looked after for a fixed monthly fee? Managed IT services
All resources