If your Managed Service Provider (MSP) or IT Consultant or Provider has become unresponsive, slow to deliver, or disconnected from your business goals, it might be time to reconsider the relationship. This article explains:
Common warning signs your MSP / IT Company may no longer fit your needs
Why switching providers isn’t always the best first move
How strong MSPs build long-term partnerships through transparency, accountability, and proactive support
What eSudo does differently to maintain lasting client relationships
The Moment You Start Wondering
Here’s a story that many business owners can relate to:
“We’ve been with our MSP for five years. They were great at first, but now everything takes longer. We implemented a new CRM system and didn’t even think to call them. It just felt easier to do it ourselves.”
That’s the quiet moment where trust starts to fade—not because the MSP failed technically, but because the relationship stopped feeling collaborative.
The Real Problem Isn’t Always Technical
When businesses stop involving their MSP in key projects, it usually means they’ve lost confidence in the partnership.
You might see it through:
Long wait times for new devices or tickets
Repeated miscommunication between technicians
Generic mass emails instead of personal outreach
Little to no strategic IT guidance
These are signs that your MSP has shifted from partner to vendor—and that’s when frustration builds.
Before You Switch, Have “The Conversation”
After working in and around MSPs for years, one truth stands out: no MSP is perfect.
Even great ones have challenges—staff turnover, scaling pains, shifting processes.
That’s why it’s worth sitting down with your Technical Account Manager (TAM) or vCIO before you make a move.
Be specific:
“It takes too long to get responses.”
“We don’t feel included in IT planning.”
“I need more proactive advice, not just reactive support.”
If they listen and take action, you might be able to repair the partnership. If they brush you off, that’s your signal.
What Good MSP Partnerships Look Like
The best MSPs don’t just fix problems—they help you avoid them.
Look for providers who:
Act as an extension of your team, not a help desk.
Communicate clearly and consistently.
Provide proactive planning around updates, compliance, and technology lifecycle.
Welcome accountability and feedback.
eSudo’s Perspective: Relationships First
At eSudo, we’ve supported small law firms, accounting practices, and local businesses for over two decades.
Many of our clients have stayed with us for 10+ years because we:
Treat their challenges like our own.
Stay involved in planning and budgeting, not just troubleshooting.
Prioritize communication and transparency.
We don’t always know when something’s wrong—so we make it easy to tell us.
Long-term partnerships only work when both sides stay open and responsive. You have access to the decision-maker at eSudo when you need us.
How to Decide If It’s Time to Move On
Here’s a simple test:
You’ve raised concerns multiple times and nothing changes.
Your business feels like a ticket number, not a client.
You find yourself excluding your MSP from key initiatives.
If that’s the case, it’s likely time to explore new options.
But if your MSP is still willing to listen, it may be worth one last honest conversation.
Conclusion:
A great MSP should make your life easier—not add friction.
If you’re questioning whether to stay or go, use that as an opportunity to evaluate your expectations, clarify your goals, and strengthen the partnership (or start fresh with one that fits better).
Book A Call to learn more if we can help if you are considering a new IT Provider.
You may also like to take a look at some of these great resources:
- What Should I Consider Before Switching to A New IT Provider or MSP? – eSudo.com
- What Is Managed IT Services and How Much Does IT Support Cost?
- Who Are The Top Managed IT Service Providers in the San Francisco Bay Area?
- Is Managed IT Services A Good Fit For My Business
What Is A Cybersecurity Risk Assessment and How Much Does it Cost?
Law Firms’ IT Services Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A defined sprint that implements MFA, encryption, email security, backups, device management, and policy templates, plus a readiness checklist and user training.
We guarantee that the managed path to your core legal apps is available 99.9% of the time each month. This includes identity and MFA, the devices we manage, secure DNS and internet connectivity, Microsoft 365 sign-in and email flow, as well as connectivity to Clio, MyCase, and NetDocuments. If a third-party platform has its own outage, we don’t control their uptime—but we immediately execute our vendor-assist and workarounds: open a ticket with the vendor, track their status page, keep you updated, and use documented continuity steps (e.g., alternate e-filing portals, queued email, or local/SharePoint access until service recovers). Upstream vendors publish and measure their own availability (e.g., Microsoft 365’s financially-backed 99.9% SLA; Clio/MyCase/NetDocuments status pages)
Per user per month, with a minimum of 5 users. Onboarding is a one-time fee based on device count and data size. See the pricing table on this page https://esudo.com/price.
Urgent tickets acknowledged in under 2 minutes during business hours. Resolution targets vary by severity and are documented in our SLO.
“Over 97% of American businesses in 2023, operating in a digitally-driven landscape, heavily rely on the Internet for essential functions such as productivity, performance optimization, streamlined communication, bolstered sales, and various other facets of their daily operations. This heightened dependence on digital infrastructure, however, comes with a notable caveat: more than 87% of small businesses are entrusted with customer data that could be potentially compromised in the event of a cyberattack.”
We keep your IT Systems running and data secure with our proven IT Strategy, Managed Security, and Proactive Support & End User Management. Our Strategy focuses on identifying, prioritizing, and recommending the right technology for your organization. Our Managed Security includes data backup, device encryption, zero-trust access management, and policies & procedures. Our Support includes a live phone help desk, 24/7 monitoring, on-site support as needed, employee onboarding, and asset procurement.
Proven track record: We have been building our loyal customer base since 2001 in an industry where IT consulting firms come and go. Our customers, vendors, and employees stay with us because we build and value long term relationships with them. With operations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, eSudo provides reliable IT support to businesses in Silicon Valley and nationwide. We’re big enough to offer the facilities, services, and expertise you expect and small enough to provide the support and attention you deserve.
People & Process: Over the last 24+ years, we have created and adopted a proven process to ensure success in our operations and have trained our people to follow our proven process to provide consistent results for our customers.
Quality: We do not sell what we have not used or have tested. We recommend industrial and commercial-grade products for small businesses to provide uptime and reliability for our customers.
Responsiveness: A live person will answer your call, and emergency response time is within 2 minutes. We use the most current remote support technology, which lets us log in to your computers remotely to address many issues without the need to wait for a technician to come on-site.
An admin contact, system access, user list, device inventory, and current vendors. Typical cutover occurs after our readiness checkpoint.
Yes. Choose a 12, 24, or 36-month term with locked pricing. Your engagement is risk-free for the first 90 days: if you’re not satisfied by day 90, you can cancel and we’ll refund 100% of the managed-services fees you paid during that period.