Switching IT partner in practice: what happens during the first month

In short: Switching IT partner typically runs in four stages: mapping the current setup and transferring credentials, taking over devices and security, completing the documentation, and settling into everyday support. Work doesn’t stop, because the new partner agrees the practical steps with the old one. Your part is the decision, naming a contact person and a few hours during the first week.

Many small and medium-sized businesses stay with their old IT provider for years after the service has stopped meeting their needs. The reason is rarely satisfaction. More often it is the fear that a switch will interrupt work, that knowledge will stay with the old provider and that the whole project will collapse under a lack of time. This article walks through what actually happens during a switch and what is left for you to do.

Why does switching feel bigger than it is?

Three things worry people about a switch: downtime, loss of knowledge and their own workload. Downtime is the least likely, because a company’s tools are not in the provider’s possession but the company’s own. Email, files and applications keep running in the same services after the switch. What changes is who looks after them.

Loss of knowledge is a real risk only if documentation and administrator credentials have been held solely by the provider. We come back to that below, because it is the single most important thing a switch puts right.

Your own workload is usually overestimated.

The work of switching is done between the providers, and what is needed from you is a decision and availability.

What happens in the first week?

When	What happens
Week 1	Mapping, and credentials moved to the company’s own control
Weeks 2–3	Devices brought under the new partner’s management, basics put in order
Within a month	Everyday support begins: monitoring, alerts and a familiar contact

The first week is mapping. The new partner finds out what the company has: computers, phones, user accounts, licences, network equipment and cloud services. At the same time it is checked who holds administrator rights to what. Surprisingly often they belong to someone who has left the company, or to a provider whose contract is ending.

Transferring credentials is the core of this stage. Administrator rights are moved to the company’s own control and to the new partner, and the old provider’s rights are limited as agreed. This is done together with the old provider, not around them, so that nothing is left half done.

How are devices and security taken over?

In the second and third weeks, computers and phones are brought under the new partner’s management. In practice this means every device is known, gets its updates and can be wiped if it goes missing. Windows computers and Macs are handled with the same approach, because many companies have both.

At the same time the basics are checked that nobody may have looked at for a long time: is the backup up to date and has a restore ever been tested, is two-factor authentication on for everyone, and are updates on schedule. A switch is a natural moment to put these in order, because everything is being reviewed anyway.

What is the documentation for?

Documentation is what makes the next switch easy. It records which devices and services the company has, how they are configured and who has rights to what. A good rule of thumb is that the company owns the documentation, not the provider. Then the knowledge does not depend on any single person or any single contract.

If comprehensive documentation cannot be obtained from the old provider, the new partner builds it during the mapping. That is work, but it is done once.

What do you need to do?

Three things.

1. The decision and giving notice. Notice is given under the old provider’s terms, because the notice period sets the timetable of the switch.
2. A contact person. One individual who answers questions and approves things during the switch.
3. A few hours of time. In the first week, for the mapping discussion and the transfer of credentials.

The rest is handled for you. At Developit this means we agree the practical steps with your previous provider and keep you informed of where things stand.

When does everyday support begin?

Usually within a month of the credentials being transferred. Everyday support means that automation monitors the systems around the clock and alerts on anomalies, and people resolve the alerts on weekdays. When something doesn’t work, you know who to contact. Pricing is chosen to suit the situation, either hourly or as a monthly fee per user, and the model can be changed if the situation changes.

Thinking about a switch? See how our IT support works, or tell us about your situation and we’ll look together at where to start.