Sometimes an attractive website and an impressive sales demonstration can fool even the most discerning customer. Many IT service providers locate their customers, take their money, and then disappear. Before executing a contract with an IT Service Provider, there are a few things that should be checked as part of proper IT vendor due diligence. This note outlines eight things to check essential reading for anyone evaluating it consulting options.
Why Checking References is Important
Anybody can spend a few hundred dollars to develop an attractive website. It is far more difficult to maintain a credible business presence in the local community. The best way to assess an IT services provider is to meet with them and grill them with verification questions. Most IT service provider customers do not suffer from lack of due diligence. Rather, they suffer from lack of verification questions one of the simplest ways to verify IT company claims before signing anything.
Is It Ok If I Visit Your Office?
A legitimate IT provider will have a real office. A business is allowed to have remote employees. However, if a business IT services provider states that they are remote, and will not disclose their physical location, that should be considered a major red flag — one of the clearest IT company red flags to watch for. This ties directly into having a verifiable business address.
Who Will Work on My Account?
You want to make sure the people that you will be working with are identified. A prospective vendor should identify the account manager and the support staff by name, not by supporting, vague statements like “our team will take care of it.” Statements like this do not fill you with confidence that the staff will be adequate to the task.
Are There References Available?
References should be prospective customers that are in the same or similar line of business as you. They should be customers that the vendor can identify by name, and not vague web site testimonials. A vendor should have no problem providing at least a couple of IT company references that will substantiate their claims.
How Old Is Your Company?
A vendor’s experience in the business should give you some measure of comfort. However, you should be able to validate this information by searching public records, for example, by checking the vendor’s business registration, or by checking their listing with the Better Business Bureau.
For a deeper look at verifying local presence specifically, see our Managed IT Services DFW guide, which covers how to confirm a provider is genuinely local.
What If I Need to Cancel?
How a company handles termination speaks volumes about its customer service. You need to know the notice period, if any, early termination fees, and most importantly, what type of assistance you will receive from the company if any. The absence of clear answers to these questions means the company will do little to nothing if any assistance to you if you decide to leave a real test of IT provider accountability.
Can I See an Example of a Contract?
A good company will provide you with a sample service contract early on to give you ample time to review the sample and decide on the scope and service level agreements (SLA) you will agree to. If a company will not provide you a sample contract, it usually means the company is trying to get you to agree to the contract as quickly as possible.
What Is Your Real Incident Response Process?
Answers to this question provide insight into how a company truly operates as opposed to how a company claims to operate. Incident response is truly the time when a company has to step up and respond to a customer’s request for assistance. Answers to this question should be as detailed as possible because this helps to reassure the customer that the company will indeed respond in the requested manner.
Putting It Together: A Simple Verification Checklist
- Verifiable, visitable physical business address
- Named account manager and support team, not just a generic queue
- Real, contactable client references
- Verifiable business history through public records
- Clear, written cancellation and transition terms
- Willingness to share a sample contract early
- A specific, documented incident response process
This checklist is a practical framework for how to choose an IT company and, more broadly, for choosing an MSP with confidence.
How Ovron Inc Stands Up to These Questions
At Ovron Inc, we want to thank you for the opportunity to provide IT Services, and to earn your trust and business by verifying our claims rather than asking you to take our words at face value. We believe in full transparency throughout the Contract process and provide an Incident Response Policy the foundation of IT services trust.
See our How to Verify Your IT Provider Is Trustworthy resource, or our Managed IT Cost & Pricing Guide, for related questions to ask before signing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Reluctance to provide a verifiable physical business address or connect you with real client references is one of the clearest red flags — legitimate providers should be comfortable with reasonable due diligence.
Yes. A transparent provider should be willing to share a sample agreement early in the process, allowing you time to review terms without pressure, rather than only presenting a contract at the point of signing.
Check business registration records, Better Business Bureau listings, and other public records rather than relying solely on claims made on the company’s own website or marketing materials.
It should include a specific process (who’s contacted, what containment steps happen first, expected response time) rather than a vague reassurance like “we’ll take care of it” without concrete detail.
Summary and Next Steps
It is good practice to evaluate an IT service provider prior to signing a contract. This is not intended to cause an IT service provider unnecessary hassle. It is important to ensure the IT service provider is trustworthy as they will have access to company information and data. The IT service provider should be able to provide satisfactory answers to your questions.
Do you want to assess Ovron Inc yourself? You can schedule a Consultation.
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