CHOOSING A PROVIDER
Questions to Ask an MSP Before You Sign
Before you sign with any managed IT provider in New Zealand, ask about notice periods, exit costs, who owns your backups, what ``24/7`` actually covers, and whether strategic advice is bundled in or billed separately. A provider with nothing to hide should answer every one of these in a sentence. Here's the list, and what a straight answer sounds like against each one.
HOLDING A QUOTE OR A CONTRACT?
Run it through this list with a Lucidity advisor - no obligation either way, and we'll answer every question about ourselves too.
One conversation, no obligation.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Nine questions, and what a straight answer sounds like against each
- Notice period, exit cost in dollars, backup ownership and what "24/7" covers come first
- Ask for real SLA attainment and a satisfaction score with the sample size, not targets
- A certification is only real if it has a number, a body, an expiry and a scope you can check
I’ve written this as the version that’d make a bad MSP squirm – including us, if we ever stopped being straight about any of it.
Holding a quote right now? Book a consultation with Lucidity and run it through the list →
CHOOSING A PROVIDER
Put your current contract, or the quote you're holding, through all nine
A Lucidity advisor works through the list with you against the actual document, and tells you where the straight answers are and where they aren't.
- Your notice period and how the renewal actually works
- Who owns your backup subscription
- Exit cost, worked out in dollars
- What "24/7" means on the plan you're being sold
No obligation either way.
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1
What's your notice period, and does the contract renew itself?
Ask specifically whether the agreement auto-renews and how much written notice you need to give before it does. Ours auto-renews annually unless you give at least a month's written notice before it expires - a short window, easy to miss without a calendar reminder. If a provider can't tell you this in one sentence, that's the answer.
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2
What does it actually cost to leave, in dollars?
Not the clause - the real methodology. Ask how any exit or clawback fee is calculated, and whether it applies to your everyday monthly discount or only to a specific project discount you haven't finished paying off. Ours only claws back the unused portion of a specific onboarding or uplift discount, pro-rated against the term remaining - never your everyday monthly rate. If a provider can't produce a number like that on request, they haven't actually worked it out either.
- $10,000Uplift discounted 50% on a 36-month term
- 18 monthsExited halfway through
- $2,500What the clawback works out to
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3
Who owns your backups, and can you take them with you?
This is the one that catches people out. The backup platform and its licence often sit inside the provider's own vendor relationship, not as something you can simply carry across. Ask directly: if you left tomorrow, would your backup history move with you, or would a new provider have to start again? Some vendors support an in-place subscription transfer; where that's not available, expect roughly a month of running two backup platforms in parallel while history builds on the new one.
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4
What does "24/7" actually mean, and does it cost extra at 2am?
This phrase covers at least three different things in this market: round-the-clock access to a helpdesk, round-the-clock security monitoring, and round-the-clock general system monitoring. They are not the same promise, and a plan that's 24/7 on one can still be business-hours-only on another. Ask which one you're being sold, and whether a call-out fee applies after hours regardless of the tier you're on.
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5
Is strategic advice bundled in, or a separate bill?
A lot of providers imply that a named account manager comes with real strategic input - security risk, business continuity, compliance - included. Often it doesn't. Ask specifically which of those three sit at your account management tier, and which require the top one. Ours only include information security and risk management, business continuity and compliance at our highest tier, because those three carry real liability - worth knowing before you assume a lower tier covers you.
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6
What does a security incident actually cost you, on top of the plan?
Ask for the call-out fee and hourly rate that applies specifically to a cyber security incident, separate from a general after-hours call-out. On our plans it scales with how well your own environment already meets a recognised security standard - the better aligned you are, the less it costs, down to nothing at our top alignment level. If a provider quotes one flat number regardless of your own security posture, ask why.
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7
Will they show you real numbers, or just targets?
Anyone can publish a target response time. Ask for actual attainment against it, over a real period, not a marketing average. We publish ours. Also ask for a client satisfaction score with the sample size attached. A big round number with no denominator is worth less than a small honest one with a date on it.
- 99-100%Response SLA met, all tickets, Apr to Jul 2026 (target 90% / 85%)
- 91-94%Resolution SLA met, same period
- NPS +40May 2026, 30 responses from about 40 managed customers, 75% response rate
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8
Who's actually answering when you call?
Ask plainly what proportion of the team is senior, and where the front line actually sits. On our side, the front line is Auckland-based, every senior engineer and consultant is New Zealand based, and a small offshore team extends coverage outside core hours - about six in ten of our technical staff are at L3 or senior level. Not every provider claiming a local helpdesk means the same thing by it.
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9
Is their certification real, and can you check it?
Ask for a certificate number, the certifying body's name, an expiry date and the certified scope - not just a logo in a website footer. A logo can be reused indefinitely; a certificate has a number you can actually verify. Ours is downloadable in full, current until 1 April 2027. If a provider can't produce those four details on request, treat the claim as unverified until they can.
- NumberCertificate number you can look up
- BodyThe certifying body's name
- ExpiryOurs is current until 1 April 2027
- ScopeWhat the certificate actually covers
Wrapping up
None of these are trick questions, and a decent provider should be able to answer every one of them in a sentence without reaching for a brochure. If you want to run your current contract or a quote you’re holding through this list, I’m happy to have that conversation – no obligation either way. Email me at andrew@lucidity.co.nz or call 09 363-8888.
Top 10 questions asked about choosing an MSP
Quick answers to the questions New Zealand businesses ask most before they sign with a managed IT provider. Each one is covered in more detail above.
1. What questions should I ask an IT provider before signing a contract?
At minimum: your notice period and whether the contract auto-renews, how any exit fee is actually calculated, who owns your backup subscription, what "24/7" covers specifically, whether strategic account management is bundled or billed separately, what a security incident costs on top of the plan, and whether their performance numbers are real attainment or just targets.
2. What's a reasonable notice period for a managed IT contract in New Zealand?
There's no single market standard - it's usually negotiated per deal. Ours is at least one month, with the contract auto-renewing annually unless notice is given before it expires. Always check the renewal mechanism, not just the notice period itself.
3. How is an exit fee or clawback calculated?
Ask for the methodology, not the clause. A fair version only claws back the unused portion of a specific project or uplift discount, pro-rated against the term remaining - never your everyday monthly rate. A $10,000 uplift discounted 50% on a 36-month term, exited at 18 months, works out to $2,500.
4. Can an MSP really hold your backups hostage if you leave?
Not usually deliberately, but the backup platform and its licence often sit inside the provider's vendor relationship rather than something you control directly. Ask who owns the subscription and how it would move before you sign, not after you've decided to leave.
5. What does "24/7" mean when an MSP says it?
At least three different things: round-the-clock helpdesk access, round-the-clock security monitoring, and round-the-clock general system monitoring. A plan can be 24/7 on one and business-hours-only on another. Ask which you're being sold, and whether a call-out fee applies after hours.
6. Is strategic advice included with an account manager?
Often not. Ask which of security risk, business continuity and compliance sit at your account management tier, and which need the top one. On our plans those three are only included at the highest tier.
7. Should I ask for an actual SLA attainment figure, not just a target?
Yes. A published target tells you what a provider aims for. Published attainment - real performance against that target, over a stated period - tells you what actually happens. Few New Zealand providers publish the second one.
8. What is a good NPS for a managed IT provider?
The number matters less than the sample behind it. Ask for the score with the sample size, the date and the response rate attached. Ours is +40 from May 2026, based on 30 responses from about 40 managed customers, a 75% response rate.
9. How do I check if an MSP's security certification is real?
Ask for the certificate number, the certifying body's name, the expiry date and the certified scope. A real, current certificate can produce all four; a logo alone cannot.
10. Who actually answers when I call a local helpdesk?
Ask what proportion of the team is senior and where the front line sits. Not every provider claiming a local helpdesk means the same thing by it. If you'd like to put these questions to us directly, book a consultation with Lucidity.
Holding a quote you're not sure about?
Bring it. A Lucidity advisor runs it through all nine questions with you and tells you where the straight answers are.
