How to Switch and Select a New IT Partner or MSP

The Strategic Case for Switching Providers

Many business leaders hesitate to change their Managed Service Provider (MSP). They worry that the transition will cause downtime or disrupt their daily operations. They often choose to stay with an underperforming vendor because they believe the risk of moving is too high.

This is a mistake. The risk of staying with a poor provider is significant. A vendor that lacks the capacity to support your team or the competence to secure your network creates a liability for your business. Security gaps, unresolved tickets, and poor strategy cost you money every day.

A successful switch does not depend on luck. It depends on the decisions you make during the selection process. If you select a partner with a mature transition plan, you can switch providers with zero downtime.

This guide explains how to evaluate and select the right IT partner. It focuses on the strategic decisions you must make to ensure a seamless transition.

Analyze Your Current Vendor Gaps

You must understand why your current relationship is failing before you can fix it. Do not simply look for a "better" provider. You must look for a provider that solves the specific problems you face today.

Start by analyzing the root cause of your dissatisfaction. This requires you to look at your data and your history with the vendor.

Capacity vs. Competence

You need to decide if your current vendor is failing due to a lack of capacity or a lack of competence.

• Capacity Failure: The vendor has good technicians but they are too busy. They take days to respond to simple tickets. Your staff waits too long for basic help. This means the vendor is understaffed or has taken on too many clients.
• Competence Failure: The vendor responds quickly but cannot fix the problem. They lack the technical skills required to manage your infrastructure. They escalate issues constantly or apply temporary fixes that do not last.

If the issue is capacity, you might need a larger provider with more staff. If the issue is competence, you need a provider with better certifications and senior engineers.

Don't be Reactive

Analyze who identifies problems first. In a healthy relationship, the provider tells you about an issue before it affects your business. In a failing relationship, you tell them.

If you are the one reporting server outages or email issues, your vendor is reactive. You need to look for a proactive partner who uses advanced monitoring tools to catch issues early.

Communication Breakdown

Many relationships fail because of poor communication rather than poor technology. Analyze how your current vendor reports to you. Do they provide clear monthly reports? Do they explain technical issues in simple business terms?

If they hide behind jargon or fail to show you metrics, you must prioritize communication skills in your new search.

You can use our Essential IT Vendor Selection Criteria and Checklist to help you document these gaps. This checklist helps you create a strict list of requirements for your new partner.

‍

Establish Your Selection Criteria

Once you understand your gaps, you must create a scorecard to evaluate potential partners. You should not rely on sales pitches. You need objective criteria to compare different vendors.

Availability Requirements

Decide what level of support your business requires. This decision impacts your budget significantly.

• Standard Business Hours: If your team works from 9 to 5 and you can tolerate issues waiting until the morning, you do not need to pay extra for 24/7 support.
• 24/7 Coverage: If you have manufacturing shifts, international employees, or servers that must run overnight, you must select a partner with a fully staffed night shift. Verify that this shift is staffed by their own employees and not an outsourced call center.

Industry Specialization

Generalist providers can support standard office technology. However, if you work in a regulated industry like healthcare, finance, or defense, you need a specialist.

You must check if the provider has experience with your specific compliance requirements. Ask for evidence of their work with other clients in your sector. They should know your specific software and audit standards without needing to be taught.

Location Strategy

You must decide between local and national support. A local provider can send a technician to your office quickly if hardware fails. A national provider usually offers more resources and deeper expertise but may rely on contractors for onsite visits.

If you have a hardware-heavy environment, prioritize local support. If you are fully cloud-based, prioritize the expertise of a national or remote-first provider.

Tool Compatibility

Your new partner will use software to manage your network. You must ensure their tools work with your existing systems. If you rely on specific business applications, you need a partner who understands them.

For a deeper look at evaluating technical compatibility, read our Guide to Software Vendor Selection. This resource helps you ask the right questions about the software stack your MSP uses.

‍

Evaluate the Onboarding Process

The most critical part of switching providers is the onboarding phase. This is where downtime happens if the process is managed poorly. You must select a partner with a proven transition plan.

Review the Playbook

Do not accept vague promises about a smooth transition. Ask every potential partner to show you their documented onboarding playbook. A professional MSP will have a detailed checklist that covers every step of the migration.

They should show you a timeline that details when agents are installed, when passwords are changed, and when support officially transfers.

Dedicated Project Management

Confirm that the partner assigns a dedicated project manager for the onboarding process. You do not want your transition managed by the same helpdesk technicians who are answering phone calls.

You need a specific point of contact who is responsible for the timeline. This person coordinates with your team and ensures that no data is lost during the handoff.

The Overlap Strategy

The safest way to switch providers is to have an overlap period. You should select a partner who is willing to work alongside your old provider for at least one month.

This allows the new partner to install their management tools and learn your network while the old provider is still available to answer questions. It provides a safety net. If something breaks during the first week, you still have access to the historical knowledge of the old vendor.

The "Go-Live" Event

Ask the potential partner how they handle the first day of service. The best providers send a team onsite for the first day or week. They walk the floor, introduce themselves to your staff, and fix small issues immediately. This builds trust with your employees and ensures a positive start.

‍

Compare Security and Compliance Capabilities

A change in providers is the best opportunity to upgrade your security standards. Your new partner should improve your security posture from day one.

Immediate Security Audit

Ask potential partners if they perform a security audit as part of their onboarding. They should scan your network to identify open risks left by the previous vendor. This establishes a clean baseline for the new relationship.

They should look for open firewalls, unpatched servers, and active accounts for employees who left the company. This audit protects both you and the new provider.

Access Control Plan

One of the biggest risks during a switch is credential management. You must ensure the new partner has a clear plan to secure your administrative passwords.

They must be able to lock out the old vendor completely once the contract ends. Ask them how they manage passwords internally. They should use an encrypted password manager and enforce Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for their own staff.

Internal Security Standards

You must vet the security of the provider itself. Ask them about their own hiring practices. Do they perform background checks on their technicians? Do they outsource any work to other countries?

Your data is only as secure as the people who manage it. Ensure your partner holds themselves to a high standard.

If you are unsure which providers offer the best security capabilities, you can review our list of the Best IT Managed Service Providers and MSPs to Work With in 2025. This list highlights partners who have demonstrated excellence in security and operations.

‍

Assessing Cultural Fit and Agreements

A contract looks good on paper but the daily relationship determines success. You need a partner whose culture aligns with your team.

Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

Review the Service Level Agreement carefully. This document defines how fast the vendor must respond to your requests. Compare how different vendors penalize themselves if they miss a target.

Pay attention to the difference between "Response Time" and "Resolution Time." A vendor might promise to respond to an email in 15 minutes, but that does not mean they will fix the issue in 15 minutes. Look for SLAs that commit to meaningful action.

Termination Clauses

You need an exit strategy. Look for flexible terms that allow you to leave the contract if the onboarding fails. You should not be locked into a long-term agreement if the vendor does not deliver on their promises.

Negotiate a clause that allows you to cancel within the first 90 days without penalty. This acts as a trial period and keeps the vendor accountable.

Reference Checks

Do not just ask for references. Ask specific questions when you call them. Ask the reference if the onboarding was completed on time. Ask them if the price on the invoice matched the price on the contract.

Ask specifically to speak with clients who switched to them from another provider in the last six months. Their experience will be the most relevant to your situation.

Negotiation Strategy

Price is important but value is critical. Do not simply choose the cheapest option. You should negotiate for the services that matter most to your business.

For detailed advice on how to structure these conversations, read our article on Vendor Negotiation for Value in Vendor Selection. It explains how to focus on outcomes rather than just line-item costs.