Guide · Updated October 2026
How to Choose a Managed IT Provider
Fifteen questions to ask, what a fair agreement includes, the red flags to watch for, and how to switch without losing anything.
The short answer
Choose a managed IT provider by what’s written down, not what’s promised. Ask who answers when staff call, what’s included in the monthly price, which response times go in the contract, how backups are tested, and how you get your passwords and data back if you leave. The right provider for a Surrey small business can also be on site the same or next business day.
Start With What You Need
Before you talk to anyone, write down what you want IT to do for the business. It doesn’t need to be technical. Most Surrey businesses end up with a list like this:
- Someone staff can call when something stops working
- New people set up properly, and leavers locked out the same day
- Backups we know would work, and protection against ransomware
- Help with our cyber insurance renewal
- A plan for replacing old laptops and the server
- One predictable monthly cost
Also note what’s different about your business: specialized software, a warehouse or shop floor, several locations, staff who travel, privacy-sensitive client data. A good provider will ask about all of it. One that jumps straight to a per-user price without asking hasn’t understood your business yet.
15 Questions to Ask a Managed IT Provider
Support
- Who answers when my staff call, and during which hours?
- What response times will you put in writing, for urgent and normal requests?
- How much is fixed remotely, and when do you come on site? Is onsite included?
- What happens when the person who knows our setup is away?
Security and backups
- Which security tools are included: endpoint protection, email filtering, multi-factor sign-in?
- How are backups monitored, and how often do you test a restore?
- What do you do if we’re hit by ransomware? Who does what, in what order?
- Will you help with our cyber insurance questionnaire?
Contract and price
- What’s included in the monthly price, and what costs extra?
- How long is the term, what’s the notice period, and how can prices change?
- If we leave, how do we get our passwords, documentation and data back?
Planning and people
- Will we get a regular report and a review meeting? How often?
- Who will plan our replacements and budget, and how far ahead?
- Can we talk to the people who would actually support us before we sign?
- What size and type of businesses do you mostly support?
Good providers answer these easily and put the important answers in the agreement. Vague answers to the security and exit questions are the ones to worry about.
What a Fair Managed Services Agreement Includes
A managed services agreement, sometimes called an MSA with a statement of work, should cover each of these in plain language. Use it as a checklist when you read a contract:
- Scope of services
- A clear list of what’s covered: users, devices, locations, systems. Anything not listed is out of scope.
- Service levels
- Response targets by priority, support hours, and how to escalate when something isn’t moving.
- Exclusions and extra charges
- Projects, hardware, after-hours work and third-party licences, with how each is priced.
- Price and changes
- Per-user or per-device pricing, how users are counted each month, and how much notice you get before an increase.
- Term and termination
- The length of the agreement, the notice period, and whether you can leave for poor service.
- Offboarding and data return
- What the provider hands back when you leave: admin passwords, documentation, configurations, backups, and a reasonable timeline.
- Ownership
- Your domain names, Microsoft 365 tenant, licences and data stay in your business’s name.
- Security and privacy
- How the provider protects your data and access, and how it supports your obligations under BC’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).
- Liability and insurance
- What the provider is responsible for, and confirmation that it carries appropriate insurance.
This isn’t legal advice. For a multi-year agreement, it’s worth having your lawyer read the termination, liability and data clauses.
Red Flags
- Admin passwords, your domain or your Microsoft 365 tenant registered in the provider’s name
- No written response times, or “best effort” only
- Security tools and backups sold as optional extras on a “fully managed” plan
- A long term with no way out for poor service
- No regular report or review: you can’t see what you’re paying for
- Reluctance to say what happens to your data and documentation if you leave
- Every question answered by a salesperson, never a technician
How to Compare Quotes
| Compare | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Monthly price | Per user or per device, and how the count is taken each month |
| Included support | Remote and onsite, hours, new-staff setup, vendor calls |
| Security | Endpoint protection, patching, multi-factor sign-in, email filtering |
| Backups | What’s backed up, how it’s monitored, how often restores are tested |
| Planning | Reports, review meetings, a roadmap and budget |
| Extras | Projects, after-hours work, onboarding fees, travel |
| Exit | Notice period, data return, documentation hand-back |
For what a fair price looks like in Surrey, see managed IT vs hiring in-house: fully managed IT typically runs $100–$250 per user per month.
Switching Providers Without Drama
Switching sounds risky, but a planned handover is routine. The usual order:
- Read your current agreement for the notice period and what the provider must hand back.
- Collect ownership: make sure your domain, Microsoft 365 tenant, licences and firewall accounts are in your business’s name, with an admin login you control.
- Overlap the start: the new provider installs its tools and documents your setup before the old agreement ends.
- Change passwords for admin accounts once the handover is complete.
- Tell staff the new way to get help, on a specific date.
You don’t need to be on good terms with your current provider for this to work. Want help planning it? Call 604-359-5284.
Questions
How long should a managed IT contract be?
Agreements commonly run one to three years with a notice period. A longer term can lower the price, but make sure the agreement lets you leave if service levels aren’t met, and that it spells out how your data and passwords come back to you.
Should we choose a local provider?
Local matters for onsite work: hardware, network installs, office moves and anything that needs hands. Most day-to-day support is remote, so it matters less there. A Surrey business usually does best with a provider that can be on site in the Lower Mainland the same or next business day.
Is the cheapest quote the best value?
Only if it covers the same things. Low per-user prices sometimes exclude onsite visits, security tools, new-staff setup or after-hours patching, which then arrive as extra invoices. Compare what’s included line by line.
Can we switch providers mid-contract?
That depends on your current agreement. Read the termination clause and notice period first. Even if you have to wait, you can plan the switch now so the handover is quick when the date comes.
Related
Free IT review
Want to See How We Answer?
Bring this list to a free IT review. We’ll answer every question and put the important answers in writing.
Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm · Business IT only