Switching IT Providers
Changing IT provider without a gap in support or security: credentials and documentation collected, our agent rolled out, backups proven by a test restore, and your previous provider's access removed only once everything is confirmed.
Overview
The risk in changing IT provider is not the new one. It is the gap between the two.
Most organizations stay with an IT provider longer than they should because changing feels risky. The worry is reasonable: the outgoing provider holds the admin passwords, knows how the firewall was set up, controls the backups and may resell your Microsoft 365 licenses. Done carelessly, the switch leaves a week where nobody is responsible, or an old account with full access that nobody remembers to close.
We run MSP onboarding as a planned handover. First we collect what the environment depends on: admin accounts for the cloud suite, domain, DNS, firewall and servers; licenses and who they are billed through; vendor contacts and contracts; network details. Then we install the agent for our management platform on each machine, so monitoring, patching and security start under our watch. Before anything is called finished, we check that backups actually restore, and every system is documented as we go.
Only when everything is confirmed is your previous provider's access removed: their admin accounts, remote access tools, delegated permissions in Microsoft 365 and any shared passwords they knew. If they are slow or uncooperative, the process still works; it simply relies on what your own accounts, equipment and vendors can tell us.
Capabilities
What's included
- Contract and notice reviewYour current agreement read with you for notice periods, termination terms and what the provider must hand back, so the timing is planned around it.
- Credential and access inventoryAdmin accounts for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, the domain registrar, DNS, firewall, servers, backup and line-of-business systems, collected and placed in your control.
- Licensing and vendor transferLicenses bought through the outgoing provider identified and transferred, and vendor contacts updated so suppliers know who to call.
- Agent rolloutOur management agent installed on every workstation and server, with monitoring, patching and security policies applied from the first day.
- Backup restore testExisting backups checked by restoring real data, and any gaps closed before the old provider's tools are switched off.
- Documentation of the environmentNetwork, systems, accounts, vendors and procedures written down in a record you own, often for the first time.
- Removal of the previous provider's accessTheir accounts, remote tools, delegated admin rights and known passwords removed or rotated once the handover is confirmed.
How It Works
How the handover runs
The rollout is staged: accounts and documentation first, then the agent for our management platform on each device, then backups and security tools, with the outgoing provider's tools removed last so nothing is left unmonitored in between. Your staff are told what to expect and how to reach the new help desk before the first device changes hands.
Why Atlas
Secure. Reliable. Responsive.
Flat monthly fee
Predictable per-device pricing. No surprise invoices and no hourly meter running while your team waits for help.
Proactive, not reactive
Monitoring, patching, and automation run around the clock — so most issues are resolved before your staff ever notice them.
Responsive & accountable
One team that knows your environment and answers fast. You reach a real technician, not a ticket queue in another time zone.
Month-to-month
We earn your business every month. No multi-year lock-in — you stay because the service works, not because a contract traps you.
Common Questions
Questions we get asked
What happens when we switch MSPs?
We plan the handover so your staff barely notice it. We collect the admin accounts, licenses, vendor contacts and network details, install our monitoring agent on each machine, check that backups actually restore, and document the whole environment. Your previous provider's access is removed once everything is confirmed. Staff get a short note on how to reach the new help desk before anything changes.
What if our current provider will not cooperate?
It happens, and the switch still works. Your organization owns its Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace tenant, its domain and its equipment, so with the account owner's help we regain administrative access through the vendors' own recovery processes, then discover the rest from the devices and the network. It takes longer, and documentation is rebuilt rather than handed over, but nothing depends on the old provider's goodwill.
Do we need to give notice to our current provider first?
Usually, and the contract decides how much. Read the notice period and the termination clause before you sign anything new, and check what the provider is obliged to hand back. We time onboarding so that our tools are in place and backups are verified before their service ends, which avoids a gap in either direction. We are happy to read the agreement with you.
Will our staff lose work or have downtime during the switch?
Ordinarily, no. Installing the agent runs in the background and does not need people to stop working. Replacing a security or backup tool is done device by device, with the new one in place before the old one is removed. The changes staff usually notice are a new way to reach the help desk and, occasionally, a request to re-enroll multi-factor authentication.
How long does onboarding to a new IT provider take?
It depends on the size of the environment and how much the outgoing provider hands over, and the plan, with dates, is agreed before we start. Rolling out the agent is quick once access is in place; documentation, backup testing and removing the old provider's access take longer, because each has to be confirmed rather than assumed. Plan for weeks rather than days, and longer if the incumbent is uncooperative.
What do you need from us to start?
A signed agreement, a named internal contact who can approve access requests, the account owner for your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace tenant and your domain, a copy of the current IT contract, and a list of the vendors you know about. Everything else, including the devices, network details and licenses, we discover and confirm during onboarding.
Secure. Reliable. Responsive.
Book a consultation and we’ll map out a managed IT plan for your business, or email contact@atlasbm.net.