You’ve noticed as of late that growing pains are beginning to set in around your current IT services provider. Issues like frequent downtime, slow response times, inconsistent billing, limited scalability options, goal misalignment, or poor communication have become the norm, hindering your business operations. When these issues occur and your provider falls short of delivering the expected level of service, it’s time to make a change.
Handing over your IT services to another partner is a big task. For one, you have to thoroughly vet potential new managed IT services providers (MSPs), and once you select one, the transition process requires careful planning. That’s why we’ve put together this easy guide to help you switch to a dependable MSP with minimal disruption and maximum success.
How do you find the right provider?
When making the switch to a new MSP, it’s important to take your time and evaluate potential candidates based on what aligns best with your organization’s needs. Consider the following steps during your selection process:
- Assess your requirements – Clearly define your business objectives, desired services, and budget so you can guarantee that the MSP you choose meets your specific needs. Some MSPs may only specialize in certain industries or provide specific services such as cloud solutions or disaster recovery, so make sure you understand exactly what type of provider you’re looking for.
- Research potential providers – Seek recommendations, read reviews, and evaluate different providers based on their expertise, experience, and reputation. You don’t want a provider that’s completely new to the industry or one that has a history of customer complaints. Plus, if you’re entrusting key responsibilities to a third party, they should demonstrate proficiency through certifications like CompTIA A+.
- Request proposals – Reach out to your top MSP picks and request detailed proposals that outline their services, pricing, service level agreements, and support options.
- Conduct interviews – Arrange meetings with shortlisted providers to discuss your requirements, ask questions, and evaluate their knowledge of IT concepts. Ideally, MSPs should also be able to demonstrate a firm understanding of common pain points and trends in your industry.
- Check references – Ask for references from existing clients to gain insights into the provider’s reliability, customer satisfaction, and overall performance.
Related reading: What are the benefits of working with an MSP?
How do you switch to a new MSP?
Once you’ve chosen a new MSP, you have to thoroughly plan the transition. Here’s what you need to do:
Review contracts and cancellation clauses
The first step is to thoroughly review your existing contract with your old MSP to understand the terms and conditions related to cancellations. Pay attention to notice periods, financial obligations, and any other contractual obligations you need to fulfill before switching. You should also pay attention to data ownership and privacy clauses, as well as the return of any customer data stored in the old provider’s systems. Understanding these details will help you navigate the transition process smoothly and avoid any legal or data security complications.
Establish a transition timeline
Work with the new MSP to establish a timeline for each phase of the transition, from data migration and system configuration to testing and MSP onboarding. If possible, stagger the transition process over several weeks or months to reduce the burden of making a complete system overhaul in one go. It’s also important to communicate the timeline to employees, partners, and clients who may be impacted by the change.
Form a transition team
Assemble a dedicated transition team consisting of representatives from different departments of your company. Your team should have a project lead who will oversee the entire process and act as the main point of contact for both internal stakeholders and the new MSP. You should also have technical and operations personnel on board to coordinate the migration of systems, data, and applications. Meanwhile, legal and compliance personnel should be in charge of reviewing contracts and resolving any compliance or data ownership issues.
Keep stakeholders informed
Employees, customers, and other stakeholders must be up to date on the transition process. To achieve this, provide regular updates on the reasons for the switch, the expected benefits, and any changes in support channels or services they may experience during the transition. Doing this will alert stakeholders to any potential disruptions during the migration process and help you manage their expectations ahead of time.
Document your IT assets
Take inventory of all your IT assets, including hardware, software, and data. This documentation will serve as a reference point during the transition and ensure that nothing is overlooked or lost in the process. Take note of any integrations or dependencies between different assets to facilitate a seamless migration.
Offboard IT systems tied to the old MSP
Identify and document all IT systems and applications that are currently connected to or managed by your old MSP. Then, ask your new MSP whether they’re able to manage these systems. Most MSPs will typically have platforms and services that are compatible with any given system, but you should still double-check this to avoid any conflicts. If your systems are incompatible with those of your new MSP, however, you’ll need to decommission or uninstall them before you move to the new provider. During this phase, you should also check for any data and documents stored in the old systems and make sure to properly back them up in case of accidental deletion.
Change access and cybersecurity controls
Prioritize security during the transition by updating access controls and cybersecurity measures. Change passwords, review user permissions, and ensure that only authorized personnel have access to critical systems and data. If your old IT provider had access to any of your systems, remove them from the network or have their accounts disabled. From there, you should review your access permissions and assign your MSP minimum privileges that will allow them to manage your systems.
Certain security products like firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, data encryption, and anti-malware may also vary from one provider to another. This is why you should have your new MSP audit your existing systems and check whether your security framework needs to be updated and adjusted for the new environment.
Migrate data and services
Work closely with your new MSP to transfer data, applications, and services from the old provider. Decide how you’ll tackle the migration: some companies transfer their data in batches, while others migrate everything in one go. Moreover, companies may choose to upload their data to the cloud, to make it easier to transfer and access their data. Your MSP should be able to provide assistance with this, as well as support when it comes to configuring and integrating systems.
Test everything
Once all your systems and data have been migrated, it’s essential to test the new environment to reduce any disruptions or complications. Run compatibility checks and do a thorough review of your applications, systems, and data to make sure everything is running properly. Call your new MSP to see if they’re able to monitor your systems remotely and ask for an initial report of your network’s health. It’s also worth sending a quick support ticket or two to assess your new provider’s response time and customer service.
Train your team
Finally, make sure everyone in the organization is familiar with how the new MSP operates. If necessary, hold training sessions or provide resources that explain how the new MSP handles support services and help desk activities. This will keep everyone in the loop and help them adjust to any changes that come with the new provider. Encourage your staff to ask questions, provide feedback, and report any service quality issues they encounter.
If you want a dependable and high-quality MSP, Dynamic Solutions Group is the one you’re looking for. When you partner with us, you get cutting-edge IT solutions, industry-leading expertise, and round-the-clock support. We’ll even help you smoothly transition from your current provider without disruption. Contact us today to learn more about our services.
