Technical fit: experience with your systems and size, traceable through examples.
Vendor neutrality: does the provider advise on the best solution or on the one it earns from?
Communication: understandable, honest, with fixed contacts.
Response times and availability, agreed in writing.
Transparency: clear service description, documentation, reports.
Security level of the provider itself: it has access to your systems.
Data protection: data processing agreement, locations, subcontractors.
Contract design: terms, termination, handover of documentation at the end.
Questions for the first meeting
How do you approach an inventory?
How do you document changes and how do I get access to it?
How do you secure your own access to my systems?
What happens in a security incident outside business hours?
Which services do you provide yourselves, which through partners?
Typical warning signs
Blanket promises without an inventory, opaque costs, missing documentation, dependence on a single person and the wish to manage all credentials exclusively.
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Frequently asked questions
What to look for when choosing an IT service provider?
Technical fit, vendor neutrality, clear communication, agreed response times, transparency, data protection and fair contracts.
What belongs in an IT support contract?
Scope, response times, responsibilities, data protection, term, termination and handover of documentation.
What is vendor-neutral advice?
Advice oriented to your needs and not to products the advisor earns from.