Most businesses stay with the wrong IT provider for too long because switching feels risky. It isn’t — if you do it in the right order.
Here’s the handover checklist we use when we take over from another MSP. It covers the things most outgoing providers won’t volunteer.
Before you give notice
1. Read your contract.
Find the notice period (usually 30, 60 or 90 days), any exit fee clause, and who owns what equipment. Some MSPs sell the kit, some lease it to you — the difference matters at exit.
2. Write down what you have.
Every Microsoft 365 licence (count and tier), every domain (where it’s registered, who pays the renewal), every server, every key piece of software with a serial or licence key. Most clients don’t know this until they look.
3. Identify the single sources of truth.
Where is the password vault? Who has admin access to Microsoft 365? Who owns the DNS records on Cloudflare or 123-Reg? Where are the backups stored, and can the current MSP restore them?
4. Talk to your insurer.
If you’ve got cyber insurance, a change of IT provider can affect the policy. Tell them in advance. They may need to know the new provider’s accreditations (Cyber Essentials, ISO 27001).
Choosing the new provider
What to actually ask in the meeting (not what marketing says):
- Who answers the phone, and from where? If the answer is “our 24/7 helpdesk in Manila”, you’ve found the call-centre model.
- What’s your engineer retention? An MSP where engineers stay 3+ years is one where your engineer will know your business next year. Six-month turnover means you’ll be re-explaining your setup twice a year.
- How do you handle a serious incident at 3am on a Sunday? They should answer this with a real process, not “we have 24/7 cover”.
- Are licences marked up? Some MSPs make 20-40% on Microsoft 365 licence resale. Some pass through Pax8 rates with no markup. Ask. They should tell you straight.
- Can I see a sample monthly report? If the answer is no, they don’t send one.
- What’s your offboarding process if it doesn’t work out? A provider that hasn’t thought about this is a provider who’ll make leaving hard.
The handover, week by week
Week 1: discovery and access
The new provider does an audit. They need admin access to Microsoft 365 (via a separate global admin account, not the outgoing MSP’s). They review the password vault, DNS records, line items on the current bill, backup history, monitoring tools.
Week 2: parallel running
Both providers have visibility but the outgoing one still owns the ticket queue. The new one shadows. This is the week to spot anything the outgoing MSP “forgot” to document.
Week 3: cutover
The new provider takes over ticketing, monitoring, billing. They remove the outgoing MSP’s admin accounts from your tenant, rotate any shared passwords, and document the new contacts internally and externally.
Week 4: cleanup and handback
Outgoing MSP returns any owned equipment, removes their monitoring agents, transfers any remaining domains or accounts. Final invoice, signed off.
The five things outgoing providers “forget”
In rough order of how often we see it:
- Domain registration. They paid for it years ago, never transferred it back, and it renews on their card.
- Backup retention. Backups might be in their account, not yours. If you’ve never seen a backup invoice, ask where they live.
- The password vault. Bitwarden, 1Password or Keeper accounts with everything in them. Make sure ownership transfers — not just sharing.
- Conditional access policies in Microsoft 365 that lock down to their support IP. Easy to overlook, harder to find when it bites you.
- Monitoring agents on devices. Old N-able, NinjaOne or Datto agents that keep reporting somewhere even after you’ve left.
What good looks like
A clean handover finishes with:
- Every admin account is yours or your new MSP’s. No outgoing MSP accounts remain.
- Every licence, domain and tool is billed to you directly or via the new MSP.
- Every password has been rotated.
- You have a written inventory and an offboarding letter from the previous provider confirming what’s transferred and what’s outstanding.
- Day one of the new contract felt quieter, not louder.
How we do it
If we’re taking over from another MSP, we run the four-week plan above. The awkward conversation with your outgoing provider is on us if you want it. We send the notice letter, do the discovery, and most clients don’t have to lift the phone once.
The first ticket the new provider answers tells you everything. Book a 30-minute chat and we’ll talk through your specific switch.