How to Choose the Right MSP in Brisbane: 10 Questions to Ask

1 Are you locally based with on-site support capability?

This seems obvious, but many MSPs presenting as "Brisbane IT companies" are actually operated remotely or offshore, with minimal on-site capability. When your server room floods, you need someone who can be there in two hours — not two days.

What good looks like: "Yes, our entire team is Brisbane-based. We can provide on-site support within 2 hours for critical issues in Brisbane metro."

How Renot IT answers: Our full team is Brisbane CBD-based. On-site support within 2 hours for managed clients.

2 What are your guaranteed response times — in writing?

"We aim to respond within 4 hours" is not the same as a contractual SLA. Ask for the Service Level Agreement document and look for specific, defined response times for different priority levels — and ask what happens if they miss those SLAs.

What good looks like: A written SLA with tiered response times (e.g., P1 Critical: 15 min; P2 High: 1 hour; P3 Standard: 4 hours) and defined remedies for breaches.

3 How do you charge — fixed price or time and materials?

Break-fix (pay when something breaks) and T&M models create a perverse incentive: the more things go wrong, the more the IT provider earns. Fixed per-user managed IT aligns your provider's incentives with yours — they make more money when things work reliably.

What good looks like: A clear per-user monthly fixed fee with a full list of what's included and what isn't. No surprise invoices.

4 What cybersecurity certifications do you hold?

Any IT provider managing your systems should be able to demonstrate genuine cybersecurity capability. Ask specifically about ACSC Essential 8 experience, any relevant certifications (CISSP, CISM), and what security monitoring they provide as part of their service.

What good looks like: Demonstrable Essential 8 implementation experience, certified security professionals on staff, and a clear security service stack (EDR, SIEM, email security, etc.).

5 Can you provide references from similar-sized businesses in similar industries?

Any credible IT provider should be able to provide 3–5 recent client references who are willing to speak to you directly. Be wary of providers who can only offer written testimonials or who deflect the reference request. Ask specifically for businesses similar in size and industry to yours.

What good looks like: Multiple direct references from current clients willing to take your call, including clients in your industry.

6 How do you implement the ACSC Essential 8?

The Essential 8 is Australia's cybersecurity baseline. If your IT provider doesn't know what you're talking about when you ask this question, walk away. Ask them to describe their Essential 8 implementation process and what maturity level they'll get you to.

What good looks like: A structured Essential 8 assessment and implementation methodology, with clear deliverables and maturity level targets.

7 What does your onboarding process look like?

Transitioning IT providers is a significant undertaking. A professional MSP will have a documented onboarding process with defined milestones, a clear communication plan for your staff, and a specified transition period. Vague answers about onboarding ("we'll just get started and figure it out") are a red flag.

What good looks like: A documented onboarding playbook, a defined transition timeline, zero-downtime commitment, and staff communication templates.

8 Will we have a dedicated account manager?

A dedicated account manager is the difference between reactive IT support and proactive IT partnership. This person should know your business, attend regular reviews, proactively identify opportunities and risks, and advocate for your interests internally. If an MSP can't commit to this, they're offering IT support, not IT partnership.

What good looks like: A named account manager assigned from day one, regular business reviews (at minimum quarterly), and a clear escalation path.

9 What happens if we want to leave?

The offboarding question is one that most businesses don't ask — and regret not asking. Understand the notice period, what documentation will be provided (system documentation, passwords, configurations), and whether there's a transition fee. A confident IT provider will have clear, fair offboarding terms — because they're not planning on you needing to use them.

What good looks like: 30-day notice on month-to-month, full documentation handover, no exit fees, coordinated transition support.

10 How do you measure and report on your performance?

What gets measured gets managed. Ask your potential IT provider what metrics they report on and how often. Uptime, ticket resolution times, SLA adherence, patch compliance, security posture — these should all be in a regular report. If they can't show you a sample report, they're probably not measuring any of it.

What good looks like: Monthly performance reports with uptime metrics, SLA adherence, ticket stats, security posture, and recommendations.