Top 10 Questions to Ask Your MSP Before Signing a Contract

Signing up with a managed service provider (MSP) is one of the biggest operational decisions for a UK business of 10–200 staff. Get it right and you free up time, reduce risk and make your people more productive. Get it wrong and you’ll be firefighting outages, paying surprise bills and answering awkward questions from the board — or worse, the ICO.

This guide lays out the Top 10 Questions to Ask Your MSP Before Signing a Contract. I’ve seen these matter in practice: from a small design studio in Brighton to a multi-site distributor juggling warehouse Wi‑Fi and office servers. The aim is plain: focus on business outcomes — uptime, cost predictability, compliance and the ability to change providers when needed.

1. What exactly is included in the managed service?

Ask for a clear list of services and what counts as ‘managed’. Does it include patching, backups, endpoint protection, helpdesk, on‑site visits and telecoms? Vague promises are common; written scope isn’t. For business owners, the risk is gaps that cause downtime or unexpected costs. If you run multiple sites or hybrid working, confirm which locations and devices are included.

2. What are your Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and remedies?

Don’t trust soft language like ‘we’ll respond quickly’. Get response and resolution targets in writing and ask what happens if they’re missed. Remedies could be service credits or the right to terminate. Consider which SLA matters most to you — response time for critical incidents or guaranteed restoration times — and make sure those match the cost you’re paying.

3. How do you handle security and compliance?

Security isn’t a buzzword. You need to know how the MSP protects your data, runs vulnerability scans, and manages patching. Ask about GDPR responsibilities, data residency and incident notification timelines. If you have regulated data or handle payroll and HMRC communications, confirm they’ll support required audits and can provide the documentation your insurer or regulator might ask for.

4. Who owns the data and access credentials?

Clarify ownership and handover procedures. You should retain ownership of your data and have documented, secure access to credentials. If the MSP manages your cloud tenancy or admin accounts, ask for a clear exit plan so access can be transferred without disruption. In practice, I’ve seen handovers stalled because passwords lived only in someone’s head — avoid that.

5. What happens during an incident or breach?

Incidents happen. Ask for the MSP’s incident response plan, roles and communication protocols. Who is your single point of contact? How quickly will they notify you, and what support do they provide for containment, remediation and regulatory reporting? You want a partner who treats incidents as a business problem, not just a ticket.

6. How are backups tested and restored?

Backups are useless if they aren’t tested. Confirm the frequency of backups, retention periods and how recoveries are validated. Ask for an example restore time for a critical server or file set. For many businesses, the true cost of downtime is lost sales and staff downtime — know how long you’ll be offline in practice, not just on paper.

7. What are the pricing model and extra charges?

Pricing clarity is a must. Is it per-user, per-device, or a flat monthly fee? What’s included in the fixed cost and what counts as billable extras (on‑site visits, hardware replacements, project work)? Ask for sample invoices and scenarios — like onboarding new users or dealing with a malware clean‑up — so you can budget accurately.

8. Can you scale or reduce services as we change?

Your business won’t stand still. You need an MSP that can scale up for growth, seasonal peaks or a new office, and scale down without punitive fees. Ask about minimum contract lengths, notice periods and how quickly they can provision additional services. Flexibility saves money and stress when plans change.

9. How do you manage suppliers and third parties?

Your MSP will often act as the interface with ISPs, SaaS vendors and hardware suppliers. Ask how they manage third‑party relationships, who’s accountable for fixes, and whether they perform supplier due diligence. If your phone system, cloud accounts or specialist software are critical, you want the MSP to own the coordination and escalation.

10. What is the exit and handover process?

Contracts end. Make sure you can leave without disruption. A robust exit clause should cover data export, credential handover, transitional support and timelines. Check for fees tied to exit and confirm they’ll return data in a usable format. A clean handover protects your continuity and credibility with customers.

What to do with the answers

Record the MSP’s answers and compare them against your priorities: cost predictability, compliance, recovery time and flexibility. Don’t be swayed by fancy dashboards. If the MSP can demonstrate straightforward, practical experience supporting firms in the UK — handling GDPR queries, working with insurers, or running hybrid networks across offices — that practical track record matters more than glossy sales talk.

FAQ

How long should an MSP contract be?

Typical terms range from 12 to 36 months. Shorter terms give flexibility; longer terms may reduce monthly costs. Whatever the length, check notice periods, exit clauses and any break fees so you’re not trapped if the service falls short.

Will the MSP be my legal data processor?

Usually, yes. If an MSP processes personal data on your behalf they act as a data processor under GDPR. Get a written data processing agreement that sets security standards, breach notification timelines and audit rights to protect your business.

How do I test an MSP before committing?

Ask for a short pilot or a probationary period covering a subset of services. You can also request references from similar local businesses, see sample runbooks, or agree a 30‑day SLA trial on helpdesk response. Practical trials reveal capability faster than slides.

What if I need the MSP to work with our existing IT staff?

Make the relationship explicit. Define roles, points of contact and escalation paths. A good MSP integrates with your internal team rather than replaces them, which keeps knowledge in‑house and reduces single points of failure.

Final thoughts

Picking an MSP is a business decision, not a technical bet. Focus your questions on outcomes that matter to your customers and your bottom line: uptime, predictability, compliance and a calm, competent response when things go wrong. Use these Top 10 Questions to Ask Your MSP Before Signing a Contract as a checklist at procurement meetings and contract review sessions.

If you want fewer surprises, save time and protect cash flow, take these questions into your next vendor meeting. The right answers buy you credibility with stakeholders, smoother days for your team and far less late‑night troubleshooting.