Some problems are great to have. Extended periods of growth, on the one hand, mean increased revenue and better business outcomes, on the other hand, they also mean a host of new challenges, especially regarding IT and technology. 


An often unnoticed effect of rapid growth is that it causes changes in business priorities and requirements. For example, the internal IT team prioritizes research and deployment of new systems to support the business objectives. Consequently, they have less time for support tickets, helpdesk, and end-user training. This impacts productivity and hampers overall business performance. So, sustaining growth and consistently achieving business objectives is extremely difficult without sufficient IT support.


Businesses can overcome this challenge by partnering with a Managed Service Provider (MSP) like Jones IT. By outsourcing the implementation of new technologies or helpdesk tasks, the internal IT team can focus on supporting the continued growth of the business, while the IT partner can support the day-to-day operations and user needs.


This blog post provides a detailed guide on how businesses can transition to managed IT services with minimal disruption.


This guide is for businesses transitioning from an in-house IT person or team to an outsourced Managed IT Service Provider. If you are looking for a guide on switching from one managed IT service provider to another, check out our earlier blog post How To Switch To A New Managed IT Services Provider.


Here's our step-by-step guide on how to transition to a managed IT services provider:


1. Initial Assessment and Consultation

The first step of the transition process involves defining your IT goals, identifying improvement areas, and skill or capacity gaps. For instance, your internal IT team may be adept at cybersecurity but not familiar with compliance requirements. So, you could use an MSP’s services to fill that skill gap.


At this stage, you’d also want to identify pain points and evaluate system performance. Having an internal IT team gives you a leg up in this process as they should be able to furnish documentation related to IT policies, procedures, configurations, and historical performance data.


However, don’t forget to involve other key stakeholders, including department heads, operations professionals, and end-users, to gather insights into their needs and feedback on their experience with IT systems and support services. This will be incredibly valuable when defining service level agreements (SLAs) and setting user expectations.


Even if you intend to outsource only a part of your IT management, say just the helpdesk, it is still worthwhile to conduct an assessment of your entire IT environment as this helps identify the strengths and weaknesses of your internal IT team and make informed decisions about improvements, developing a roadmap for the transition and subsequent enhancements in IT performance.


A typical internal assessment includes the evaluation of:


The detailed report of the findings will help the MSP, working closely with your internal IT team, to tailor the partnership to your specific needs and growth plans, ensuring that the transition aligns with your overall business objectives.


2. Designing the Transition Plan

Using the findings from the initial assessment, your internal IT team will work with the MSP to craft a detailed transition plan outlining the responsibilities, milestones, and timelines. The role of both the internal team and the MSP is key to ensuring that the transition process is smooth and seamless.


A typical transition can take anywhere from 30 to 60 days, depending on the tasks being outsourced and the IT management model adopted - fully managed or co-managed. In any case, there needs to be a period where both the internal IT team and the MSP are working on the same things. Clearly defining the roles and responsibilities, the handover process, and the timeline is critical in ensuring that the transition happens smoothly and the end users are not impacted. 


This is also the period where a lot of communication happens between the internal IT team and the MSP. So you will need to create a dedicated communication channel and hold regular meetings to facilitate collaboration and address any issues that may arise.


Here are the typical steps for a smooth MSP transition:

  1. Define the scope and objectives of the transition,

  2. Establish clear responsibilities and escalation process for the transition,

  3. Identify and allocate necessary resources,

  4. Develop a detailed transition plan and schedule, and

  5. Communicate the transition plan to all stakeholders.


When planning the transition, special care needs to be taken in the following:

  • Data Migration - Back up all data and systems before initiating the transition.

  • Access Migration - Review access rights and privileges to existing systems, applications, and devices. List access rights that need to be revoked, added, or modified.

  • Component Migration - Evaluate applications and software that need to be migrated. This is critical in determining the scope and complexity of the transition.

  • Process Changes - Determine the processes and procedures that will change with the transition. For example, the process for raising support requests, the ticket escalation process, etc.


A comprehensive transition plan will help you manage the changes within your organization, including preparing staff for the new IT environment and providing necessary training. But don’t worry about the quantum of work the MSP will do the heavy lifting and your internal IT team just needs to provide the oversight. Moreover, an experienced MSP will have done this hundreds of times and they will be able to help you avoid common pitfalls and ensure a smooth transition.


3. Executing the Transition

The transition to outsourced IT management can be done in one of two ways - a phased rollout or full-scale migration. Determining which is better for your business is critical for minimizing disruption while ensuring a smooth transition. A phased approach allows for a gradual, controlled transition, while a full-scale migration expedites the process but requires careful planning and intensive effort to avoid potential downtime. 


After the approach is chosen, you’d want to prioritize the key objectives of the migration, for instance, is the goal to improve efficiency, reduce costs, or enhance security? Clearly defining these goals helps in allocating resources effectively and establishing a detailed migration strategy.


Another area that requires careful consideration is system compatibility. Addressing potential compatibility issues between systems and applications is crucial for avoiding disruptions or functionality gaps during the migration. Testing for compatibility in advance and developing backup strategies help prevent unexpected roadblocks and reduce service interruptions. A well-defined rollback plan serves as a safety net, ensuring that if any issues arise, the system can quickly revert to its pre-migration state with minimal downtime.


Throughout this process, your MSP will play a crucial and hands-on role, offering comprehensive support in every aspect of the transition. This includes managing hardware installations, firmware upgrades, software installations, and resolving any technical challenges that may arise. The MSP will also coordinate the transition with other service providers and vendors and minimize downtime by scheduling migrations during low-traffic periods and implementing backup solutions to ensure business continuity.


4. Testing and Validation

The testing and validation phase is a critical step that ensures the proper functioning of the systems, applications, and processes in the new environment, ultimately determining the success or failure of the transition process. Additionally, this phase also helps identify any issues that arise during the transition and allows for adjustments to be made without disrupting the business.


Here’s an overview of the key activities that happen during this phase:

  • All systems, applications, and hardware are tested to ensure that no functionality is lost during the transition and that systems are working as expected.

  • Response times, system uptime, and availability are checked to ensure that the level of service promised is delivered.

  • Security measures and compliance protocols are validated to ensure the new IT environment is secure and aligned with regulations and security standards.

  • Performance benchmarks are created and compared with pre-transition benchmarks to confirm that the systems are not only functional but also optimized.

  • Systems and applications are also tested from a user perspective to ensure end-user acceptance.

  • The backup systems and disaster recovery process are tested to ensure full recovery of critical business data in case of disasters.


The MSP plays a critical role throughout the process, verifying system stability, performance, and availability. It also ensures that the systems function as expected, that performance benchmarks are met, and contingency plans are in place if anything should go wrong. Overall, an experienced MSP minimizes the risk of service interruptions, data loss, or other issues during the transition.


5. Post-Transition Optimization and Continuous Improvement

To ensure the continued success of the transition, it is recommended to dedicate a period for optimization, where you focus on refining and enhancing the IT infrastructure and services after the initial migration is complete. Additionally, you should also develop a plan for continuous improvement to ensure that you continue to derive maximum value from your partnership with the MSP and that the IT systems remain aligned with evolving business needs.


Here’s an overview of the key activities that happen during this phase:

  • Ongoing performance monitoring of system performance, resource usage, and other critical metrics to identify performance issues, optimize system configurations, and make adjustments to improve overall efficiency and responsiveness.

  • Regular system updates, patch management, and hardware or software upgrades to maintain security, performance, and compliance standards.

  • Regular security assessments, penetration testing, and vulnerability scanning to identify and fix any potential weaknesses.

  • Analysis of usage patterns, forecasting future demands, and implementing upgrades or adjustments to ensure systems are scalable and capable of handling increased workloads without affecting performance.

  • Tracking performance against SLA metrics, refining objectives, and making necessary adjustments to ensure ongoing alignment between IT services and business goals.

  • Testing and adopting new technologies to future-proof the organization’s IT environment, ensuring that the business remains competitive and agile.

  • Optimizing the organization’s IT budget, identifying areas where resources can be better utilized, and finding opportunities for cost savings.


The post-transition optimization and continuous improvement phase of the transition ensures that your partnership with the MSP is not static but evolves with the organization's changing business needs. This process of fine-tuning performance, enhancing security, adjusting services to align with business growth, and fostering innovation plays a critical role in keeping your organization competitive in a fast-changing business landscape.


Conclusion

To summarize, outsourcing IT management to an experienced MSP is an excellent strategy for businesses to streamline their operations and enhance efficiency.  The transition from an in-house IT team to a managed service model can present some challenges. However, by following the steps outlined in this blog and partnering with an experienced MSP, you can easily tide over those challenges and simplify the transition process. 

If you are still in the process of finding the right managed IT service provider for your business, you will benefit from the following resources:


In over two decades of service, we have helped hundreds of businesses transition from their in-house IT team to us. Reach out to us by clicking the button below and we will ensure that your transition process is smooth, secure, and hassle-free.

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About The Author

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Hari Subedi

Marketing Manager at Jones IT

Hari is an online marketing professional with a focus on content marketing. He writes on topics related to IT, Security, and Small Business. He is also the founder and managing director of Girivar Kft., a business services company located in Budapest, Hungary.


   
 
 

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