Work through the main steps for choosing a managed service provider and preparing for onboarding.
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Use this checklist to move from first idea to a signed managed IT agreement and a smooth onboarding without missing the steps that cause the most trouble later. Work through the groups in order: Before you shop helps you define scope and budget, Provider evaluation covers security, references and insurance, Contract review focuses on term, service levels, ownership and exit, and Onboarding prepares your team and documents.
Tick items as you complete them; your progress is saved only in your own browser and is not sent anywhere. You do not need to finish every item before talking to providers, but items in the contract group should be done before you sign. If an item does not apply, for example because you hold no regulated data, skip it and move on.
Worked example (illustrative): an office manager at a 20-person company completes the first group in an afternoon by listing 20 users, 24 devices and two servers, and notes that customer payments by card make PCI DSS relevant. That single note changes the questions asked in the evaluation group and the clauses checked in the contract group.
Limits: the checklist is general and does not replace legal, security or compliance advice. Add your own items for industry-specific requirements, and ask your attorney to review the final agreement.
Getting Started
Evaluate managed service providers on security, scope, references, staffing and contract terms, with a scoring table and the questions that reveal real differences.
Mistakes and FAQ
How a managed IT provider fits into HIPAA, the FTC Safeguards Rule, PCI DSS and CMMC obligations, what stays your responsibility, and what to put in the contract.
Getting Started
A practical list of the documents, inventories and administrative access a managed service provider will ask for, and how to hand over credentials safely.
Getting Started
A seven-step process for moving to managed IT services, from auditing what you have to signing an agreement and preparing your team for onboarding.
Mistakes and FAQ
The most common mistakes businesses make when buying managed IT services, from buying on price alone to ignoring exit terms, with fixes for each.
Getting Started
A week-by-week look at managed IT onboarding, from kickoff and discovery to security cleanup and the first review, with what you and the provider each do.
