Your MSP is gone. Here's how to move forward without making it worse.
Your MSP closed, got acquired, or changed direction. Here's how to navigate it — from a national team that's handled these transitions since 2008.
First Things First
What to do in the first few days.
Do not panic.
Your systems are still running. Your data is still where it was. You have time to make a good decision.
Request your credentials and documentation.
You have a right to your environment information. Get it in writing from your outgoing provider or their designated transition contact.
Identify your immediate priorities.
What cannot break in the next two weeks? That is where your attention goes first.
Evaluate options thoughtfully.
Talk to two or three potential providers. Good MSPs will walk you through their approach without pressure.
Avoid panic decisions.
Signing with the first provider who seems competent often leads to regrets. Take the time to make a considered choice.
What to Ask a New Provider
Questions specific to your situation.
Beyond the standard questions for evaluating any MSP, a few additional questions matter when you're transitioning unexpectedly.
About transition experience
- Have you handled takeovers from other MSPs before?
- How do you approach environment discovery when documentation is incomplete?
- What happens if you find problems during onboarding?
About timing
- How quickly can you onboard us if we move forward?
- What interim support can you provide during the transition?
- How do you prioritize critical systems during onboarding?
About continuity
- Can you work with our current tools and vendor relationships during transition?
- How do you handle situations where our outgoing provider has limited availability?
How Coulee Tech Approaches Transitions
What working with us looks like.
We've handled MSP takeovers since 2008, across every region we serve. We know the common challenges and how to move quickly without cutting corners.
Documentation is often incomplete.
Outgoing providers don't always have complete environment documentation, especially when the transition is unplanned. Our first 30 days include thorough environment discovery. We document what we find and fill gaps methodically.
Credentials take time to fully transfer.
Credential handoffs happen in batches over days or weeks. We coordinate with your outgoing provider or their designated handoff contact to get what we need when we need it.
Some issues surface only after we have access.
Environments that have been neglected often have accumulated problems that become visible only once a new provider gets involved. We surface these findings honestly rather than quietly papering over them, and we build remediation into a clear plan.
Urgency feels high, but moving too fast creates problems.
We move efficiently while still doing the work right. A rushed onboarding creates problems that surface later.
What We Need from You
Making the transition work well.
If you engage us to take over managed services, here's what we need from you.
- 1
Authorization to contact your outgoing provider or their handoff contact. This gets credentials and documentation flowing.
- 2
Access to your environment. Administrative credentials or authorization to establish new ones for us.
- 3
A point of contact at your business. Someone who can answer questions, make decisions, and work with us during onboarding.
- 4
Honest information about your situation. Including what you know about current issues, outstanding work, and recent incidents.
- 5
Realistic expectations about timeline. Thirty to sixty days to full operation is the typical range for a clean onboarding.
What Happens Next
Starting the conversation.
Call or email us today.
We can have an initial conversation within a day or two.
We do a quick scoping call.
30 minutes to understand your situation and what you need.
We provide an initial response plan.
Before we even propose a long-term relationship, we can help you think through immediate priorities.
If we're a fit, we move into standard onboarding.
Environment assessment, proposal, onboarding plan, ongoing partnership.
Even if we're not the right fit, we can help.
We can help you think through the situation and evaluate other providers. There is no obligation.
We'll prioritize getting you an initial conversation quickly.
If your situation is time-sensitive, call our main line and we'll get the Omaha team engaged as quickly as possible.
Let's talk through your situation.
Whether we're a fit or not, we can help you think clearly about next steps.
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