Changing an IT provider involves more than giving a new technician a login. Your practice needs to know who controls each account, which services must keep running, and what the outgoing provider will transfer. Build one handover record before making changes.
Start here.
- Confirm practice control of business accounts and recovery contacts.
- Give each handover task an owner and a completion check.
- Verify the new arrangements before closing outgoing access.
1. Identify who controls the accounts
List your domain registration, email, internet service, EHR, cloud storage, security tools, and backup accounts. For each, record the subscriber or license holder, billing contact, authorized administrator, and account recovery contact. Flag accounts registered to an individual or provider when the practice expects to control them.
- Can an authorized practice contact reach the vendor without the outgoing provider?
- Which subscriptions can transfer, and which require a replacement agreement?
- Who can recover access if the current administrator is unavailable?
2. Request a usable handover packet
Ask for a device and software inventory, network diagram, vendor contacts, support history, known faults, renewal dates, backup scope, and configuration records. Agree a secure method for transferring credentials separately from ordinary project notes. Do not email a spreadsheet of passwords.
- Record each item as requested, received, checked, or unresolved.
- Ask the incoming provider to identify missing information before accepting the packet.
3. Agree the order of changes
Choose a practice coordinator and named contacts at both providers. Use a change list that states the system, responsible person, dependency, practice approver, and check after the change. Discuss support coverage during the handover and who handles an interruption.
For example, establish authorized backup administration before removing an old backup administrator. Ask which outgoing remote support tools need removal and how the incoming provider will confirm that their access works. Keep unrelated software projects out of the handover unless they are necessary.
4. Clarify data handling and exit terms
Review notice requirements, outstanding charges, subscription ownership, export arrangements, and transition assistance with the responsible advisers. HHS identifies data return, security responsibilities, and recovery as topics for cloud service agreements. Its business associate contract guidance addresses return or destruction of protected health information at termination where feasible.
Ask what will transfer, in what format, and how receipt will be checked. Identify any information the outgoing provider must retain and the applicable safeguards. Agree the sequence before authorizing deletion.
5. Check the handover with staff
Have designated staff check agreed tasks such as signing in, reaching a shared folder, printing, and contacting support. Record unresolved issues and their owners. Then coordinate removal of outgoing permissions, remote tools, and recovery contacts, and rotation of credentials the provider knew. Retain the approved handover record where the practice can find it.
Sources
Sources checked on . References support the general guidance; they do not certify an IT provider.