How to Evaluate MSP Vendors: 15 Questions to Ask Before Signing

Choosing the wrong managed IT provider is expensive and painful to undo. These 15 questions will help you separate serious MSP candidates from vendors who will disappoint you.

Switching managed IT providers after a bad experience is disruptive, expensive, and time-consuming. Getting the selection right requires asking the right questions upfront.

The 15 Questions Every Business Must Ask

Certifications: What Microsoft and AWS certifications does your team hold? Are you a Microsoft CSP? How many certified engineers do you have?

Service delivery: What is your guaranteed response time for critical issues? Do you have a 24/7 NOC or on-call engineer? Can you provide SLA performance data?

Security: What EDR and SIEM tools do you deploy as standard? Have you or your clients experienced a breach? Do you carry cyber liability insurance?

Compliance: Do you have experience with my industry's specific requirements (HIPAA, PCI-DSS, CMMC)?

Contract: What is the onboarding timeline? What are the exit provisions? How are out-of-scope requests priced? Can you provide references from clients in my industry?

Red Flags to Watch For

• Vague SLA commitments ("we respond quickly") without measurable metrics
• No cyber liability insurance
• No references willing to speak with you
• Pressure to sign long contracts before completing discovery