How to choose an IT support company: 12 questions to ask

Good business IT support means fewer outages, safer data and staff who can get on with their work. A poor choice can leave you with slow responses, surprise bills or a provider who holds the keys to your systems. Ask these 12 questions before you sign with an IT support company or managed service provider.

First, decide what kind of support you need

• Managed IT support: a monthly fee per user or device, and the provider looks after your systems before problems happen.
• Pay as you go: you call someone when something breaks and pay by the hour or by the job.
• Co-managed support: an outside company backs up your own IT person, covering holidays, security or specialist work.
• Project work: one-off jobs such as an office move, a new network or moving email to Microsoft 365.

Not sure which suits you? Our guide to IT support for small businesses compares managed support with pay as you go, including typical costs.

About the service

1. What exactly is included in the monthly fee? Ask for a list: helpdesk, updates, monitoring, backups, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace admin, setting up new starters and closing leavers' accounts, and on-site visits. Then ask what costs extra.
2. How quickly do you respond, and during what hours? Get response times in writing for urgent and routine problems, and ask whether help is available outside office hours.
3. Can you fix things remotely, and will you come on-site? Most problems can be fixed remotely, which is quicker and cheaper. Hardware, cabling and office moves need someone on-site, so ask where the engineers are based and whether call-outs cost extra.
4. Who will we actually deal with? A named contact who knows your business saves time. Ask how big the team is and who covers when that person is away.

About security and your data

1. How will you protect our systems? Expect two-step login (MFA) on email and admin accounts, prompt updates, protection on every device and email filtering.
2. Where are our backups, and when did you last test a restore? That should include your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace data, not just files on the office computers.
3. How do you handle our data? Under GDPR, a provider that handles personal data for you needs a written contract with you, often called a data processing agreement. Ask where data is stored and how remote access to your computers is protected.
4. What happens if we're hit by a cyber attack? Ask who you call, how fast they respond and whether help with an incident is included. If personal data is affected, you may need to tell the Data Protection Commission within 72 hours.

About contracts and cost

1. How is the price worked out? Per user, per device or a fixed fee. Ask what makes it go up, and whether the price includes VAT.
2. What's the minimum term and notice period? Watch for long contracts that renew automatically and charges for leaving.
3. Who owns the accounts and passwords? The admin accounts for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, your domain name and your firewall should be in your business's name. If you ever change provider, you should get the logins and documentation.
4. Can we talk to a client like us? A good provider will put you in touch with a business of a similar size or sector.

Red flags

• No written response times.
• They won't give you admin access to your own systems.
• "Unlimited support" with no definition of what's covered.
• No mention of backups or security in the proposal.
• Everyone sharing one admin password.
• Pressure to sign a long contract on the first call.

Comparing quotes

Get three to five quotes for the same brief. On TechQuotes every quote says whether VAT is included.

Post a free request for IT support and compare quotes from IT support companies in your county or across Ireland.

Related: IT support for micro businesses: what a small team needs