How to transition to a new IT support technician team for your company?

You’re looking to replace your current IT support company for your business.

How do you do it diplomatically while ensuring your computer network doesn’t go down out of the IT provider’s spite.  So, what’s the best way to do it?

Well, if you have a good relationship, an honest one that is, well, then just let your current IT tech company know that you’re making a change for X, Y, and Z reasons.  That should be enough.

But, more likely, the reason you want to leave your IT service company is that they are not trustworthy, out for their own good, or just plainly not good computer technicians.  In that case, you may have to massage your inquiry to them.  I am not one to be dishonest, but if you are up against some deceitful group of IT folks, and I’ve seen many we’ve taken over for, then, you have to prepare a certain kind of script.

Here’s how to transition to a new IT support team for your company:

First, say you’re preparing an IT audit.  This will require an inventory of all the equipment along with associated usernames and passwords. Sounds official, right?  If asked why, you can say it’s for your accountant who is valuing assets, specifically requiring the depreciating value of all your assets.  If asked why you need usernames and passwords, I guess you can say to ensure you are HIPAA compliant if in the health field or you are calculating expenses and need to view all accounts for annual fees.  Or you can say you have a new security consultant who needs all credentials.

The point is you have answers to provide.  Bottom line is that it’s your info and you deserve to have it.  In fact, you should have had it in the first place.  The first thing our IT company consultants do when starting with a new account is take a tally of the full network and provide this info to the client.  It’s called transparency people!

So what kind of info should you ask for from your now old IT team:

Computer username and password

Server username and password

Router / firewall username and password

Domain name username and password

Web host username and password

Internet service provider username and password

Software, licenses, associated sites and credentials

Remote software and usernames / passwords

Any other relevant info!

Again, if you feel like you can’t be upfront and honest with your IT team, then you shouldn’t be with them.  We have had a few times in the past where one of our IT outsourced techs helped train an internal staff member for an upcoming full-time IT technician position.  For example, it is common where one of our scheduled IT computer maintenance technicians who has worked anywhere from 10 hours to 30 hours a week at a company will be asked to step down because the company has grown enough to require a full-time technician.  In that case, we will be kept onboard for a week overlap to train the future IT person.  This is the right way to do it and hopefully you’ll be in a position to offer this if and when the need arises to transition to a new IT support tech team.