Questions to ask every provider
Take this list into every conversation and compare the answers side by side:
- What are your response times for urgent and normal requests, and are they in the contract?
- Who answers when something breaks at 9pm or on a weekend?
- Which security tools are included: EDR, 24/7 monitoring, MFA, email filtering?
- How are backups done, where are they stored, and how often do you test a restore?
- Is Microsoft 365 backed up, or only our computers?
- What does the monthly fee cover, and what is billed separately?
- Who owns our admin passwords and documentation, and how do we get them if we leave?
- Can you help us complete a cyber-insurance questionnaire?
- How close is your team if someone needs to come on site?
Look past the monthly price
Two quotes can look similar and include very different things. One may bundle security, monitoring and backup; another may charge hourly for anything beyond basic support. Ask each provider to map their plan against the same list, and price out a normal month with a few tickets, an onboarding and a laptop replacement.
Local matters more than it sounds
Most support is remote, but not all of it. A failed firewall, a new office or a network rewire needs someone on site, and a provider an hour away will schedule you around their day. A local provider also learns your office, your people and your quirks faster.