Signs it’s time to change IT support
- You wait hours - or days - for a response.
- The same problems keep coming back.
- You get bills you didn’t expect.
- Nobody can tell you whether your backups actually work.
- You’re locked into a long contract for a service that’s slipping.
Step 1: Check your current contract
Find your agreement and look for the minimum term, the notice period and any exit fees. Many IT contracts need 30 to 90 days’ written notice and some auto-renew if you miss the window. Put the date in your diary.
Step 2: Make sure you own your admin accounts
This is the most important step. Your business should hold the top-level access to:
- Your Microsoft 365 (or Google Workspace) admin account
- Your domain name and DNS settings
- Your firewall, router and Wi-Fi
- Your backups and any cloud services
- Line-of-business software licences
If your current provider holds these, ask for the details in writing. A good provider will hand them over without fuss.
Step 3: Choose your new provider
Ask potential providers what’s included in the price, how fast they respond, whether there’s a contract and set-up fee, and how they handle onboarding. Local matters too: an engineer who can be on site in a couple of hours is worth a lot on a bad day.
Step 4: Plan the handover
Your new provider should do the heavy lifting. A typical onboarding includes:
- An audit of your devices, users, licences and network.
- Installing monitoring and security tools, and removing the old provider’s.
- Checking backups work and documenting everything.
- Setting up your team with the new helpdesk.
Step 5: Tidy up access
Once the switch is complete, remove the old provider’s accounts and remote tools, and change any shared passwords they knew. Your new provider can do this for you.
How long does it take to switch?
For most small businesses the handover itself takes days, not weeks. The main timing factor is usually your old contract’s notice period.
Thinking of switching? We handle the handover for you, with no set-up fees and no contract. See what IT support should cost →