Your IT provider has access to your computers, servers, email and often your customers’ data. It is a relationship of trust, and a poor choice is costly: slow fixes, unexpected invoices, or data that is hard to get back the day you want to switch.
Here are ten points to check before signing, whether you need ad-hoc support, fully managed IT, a website or custom software.
Point 1: a scope that covers your needs
List what you need today and over the next two years: team support, servers, security, website, business software, AI. A provider covering several areas saves you juggling contacts, and avoids problems that fall “between two providers”.
On the other hand, be wary of anyone who claims to do everything but cannot explain how they handle each topic.
Point 2: a detailed quote, item by item
A good quote describes each service, its price, its lead time and what is not included. A single total with no breakdown lets you neither compare offers nor check what was delivered.
Also ask how anything outside the quote is billed: by the hour, at a flat rate, or on a new quote?
Point 3: response times in writing
“We’re very responsive” is not enough. Ask for written response times: how fast a request is acknowledged, how fast someone steps in, on which days and during which hours. Those are the times that matter the day your email stops working.
Point 4: on site or remote
Many problems can be fixed remotely in minutes. But a cable, a printer or a new workstation sometimes needs someone on site. Check the area the provider covers in person, and how quickly.
Point 5: security from day one
Ask simple questions: who holds the administrator accounts? Is two-factor authentication switched on? Are backups tested, with a copy kept off your premises? Are updates tracked?
A serious provider raises these topics before you do, and gives you a written record of what is in place.
Point 6: your data and the GDPR
If the provider accesses personal data (customers, staff, leads), the GDPR requires a contract governing that processing (Article 28): what they may do with the data, how they protect it and what happens to it when the contract ends.
Also ask where your data is hosted. Hosting within the European Union makes GDPR compliance simpler.
Point 7: ownership of what they build for you
For a website or custom software, check who owns the code and content once the project is paid for. Without a clear clause, you could depend on the provider for the smallest change. At Ibsia, the code and content created for you belong to you once paid in full.
Point 8: reversibility
One day you may change provider. The contract should state how you get back your access, data, domain names and documentation. In particular, check that your domain name and main accounts are registered in your name.
Point 9: a company you can check
The provider’s website should show a complete legal notice: company name, address, registration number. For French companies, you can check these details free of charge in the official company directory: annuaire-entreprises.data.gouv.fr.
Point 10: a demonstration rather than promises
Ask to see. A demo of a comparable tool, a mock-up or a short first deliverable says more than a brochure. On ibsia.fr, each service shows animated examples of what we deliver.
Warning signs
- A quote with no detail, or a price given before your needs are understood.
- No written response times, only promises of responsiveness.
- Accounts and a domain name registered in the provider’s name, not yours.
- A refusal to hand over the code, access or documentation.
- No questions about security or your data.
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