When it comes to changing your existing IT Managed Services Provider, soon you will realize that you know very little about the managed IT services.
If this is something you want to overcome and want a stress free transition, we have created a list of 8 steps to follow while changing your managed service provider.
In this post, we will help you decide if it’s really the time to make a switch to a new MSP, and also we have already covered a post on Top 5 things to consider while partnering with a Managed IT Service Provider.
- Find out the Reasons why you need to switch your current IT service provider
- Evaluate the Reasons, then compare them with your current MSP, are they able to meet your expectations and future needs?
- Do some research and evaluate the Risks involved
- Access the terms and conditions in the contract with your current IT provider
- Document the list of owned or leased IT equipments, hardware, and software specifications
- Ensure that you get the complete control over every account login credentials related to your business and employees.
- Proceed to offboard your old MSP and onboard your new IT partner
- The onboarding process is now complete with the IT support from your new IT service provider.
Find out the Reasons why you need to switch your current IT service provider
You must have come to a decision to switch to a new IT service provider if you haven’t been getting expected results from your current provider. Some of the major reasons organizations are not satisfied with their current IT providers are:
- Not getting value for money
- Service Level Agreement not met
- Not getting 24/7 IT support
- Lack of productivity and organizational growth
- Unable to solve extra issues related to business.
- Organization growth to a point where current MSP cannot meet the requirements.
Evaluate the Reasons, then compare with your current MSP, are they able to meet your expectations and future requirements?
It is crucial to ascertain your current IT provider with their ability to meet your existing and future requirements and goals. For instance, can your current MSP provider 24/7 IT support?
Can they come up with unique solutions to your business problems? If your IT partner cannot pace with the growth of your organization, and they are unable to deliver the required service and new solutions, you should consider replacing them.
Do some research and evaluate the Risks involved
Compare the benefits of the transition to a new managed service provider against the extra costs and risks involved. Also, evaluate the extra benefits that you will get while partnering with the new provider.
You should also consider the business disruption during the transition process and have a business continuity plan in hand. The success of your business will depend on your selection of the right MSP replacement. You should access their ability and know in advance if they can help you with a hassle-free transition with minimum disruption to your existing business.
Access the terms and conditions in the contract with your current IT provider
Review the terms and conditions that will be mentioned in the contract done with your current MSP. From this, you will get an idea and procedure for offboarding them. After discussion with them, you can come with a transition timeline and onboarding process for the new MSP.
Document the list of owned or leased IT equipments, hardware, and software specifications
This audit will provide a reference for the new MSP so that they can figure out how the old provider was running your IT infrastructure and network.
Most of the time, an IT managed services engineer can help you create a plan for your requirements and new solutions by analyzing your current IT stack and network resources.
Ensure that you get complete control over every account login credentials related to your business and employees.
Many IT MSPs managing your IT infrastructure have complete access to the login credentials of many business resources and personnel. Some of the major credentials that you should get control over are:
- Server Administration credentials
- Login credentials for Firewall, Routers, and other network infrastructure
- Third-party applications
- Domain and Web Hosting credentials
- License keys for different software being used within your organization
- Warranty details for different devices and hardware.
This will you will get the freedom to partner with a new Managed solution provider that’s right for you.
Proceed to offboard your old MSP and onboard your new IT partner
The offboarding process is one of the most important steps of the transition. Coordinate with your current MSP and monitor and audit while they are removing all of their hardware, software, and network components.
There will be little disruption to your business if your old provider can coordinate with your new MSP’s onboarding time. After the offboarding is complete, your new MSP will start the onboarding, installing all the required hardware, install new software, and complete setting up the network infrastructure.
The new MSP will change the login credentials for all the network, admins, hardware to lock out the old IT provider so that you will have complete control over your network and IT infrastructure.
The onboarding process is now complete with the IT support from your new IT service provider.
Once you resume your business operations, the IT support team from the new MSP will do provide the new credentials and contact details to each employee, discuss the normal workflow, create new processes for increased efficiency and productivity.
You can check the MSP onboarding checklist by Collabrance to learn more about the onboarding process.
Make the change to Fridell Technical Solutions
As one of the leading San Diego IT Managed Service Provider, we can help you with the smooth transition from your current IT partner to us. We are really experienced in dealing with transitions and we ensure the minimum disruption to your business throughout the process.
We will start by accessing your existing IT technologies, network infrastructure, processes, staff, and skills, to set up a new IT environment to fulfill your growing requirements.
If you are looking to change managed service provider, give us a call, or simply contact us to get a free consultation and assessment. And let’s discuss how we can come up with tailored IT Managed solutions that suit your growing needs and most importantly the budget.
