Switching IT providers is easier than you've been told.

Usually, yes. Most contracts have a notice period rather than a lock-in, and we'll happily read yours and tell you exactly where you stand. If there's a notice period, we use it: all the preparation happens during it, so the day the old contract ends, you're already looked after.

No. Your emails and files belong to you, not your IT provider. Nothing changes until it has been mapped, checked and prepared. We agree a suitable low-usage window around your business and keep the transition controlled.

You don't. Once you've given us the nod, we handle the handover directly with them: notice, admin passwords, documentation, domain details, the lot. It's a routine professional process for us, not a confrontation.

It's rarer than you'd fear, and it's manageable. You are legally entitled to your own systems, domains and data. We know exactly what to ask for and in what order, and where necessary we can recover or reset access without their help.

Typically two to four weeks from "yes" to fully switched, and most of that is waiting out a notice period while we prepare in the background. The change your team notices is usually a short, carefully planned window.

The honest answer: a little, briefly. Each person typically needs a few minutes to check their login and, where we're improving security, set up multi-factor authentication. We schedule this around your work, walk everyone through it in plain English, and stay on hand that first week.

Nicely, usually. Plenty of our clients have a capable person who currently absorbs the IT hassle alongside their real job. We take care of monitoring, patching, security and support. They keep whatever involvement they want, with a proper IT department behind them.

The planning, handover and migration work are part of onboarding, not a surprise invoice. You'll know your fixed monthly fee before you say yes, and that's the number you pay.