What Should Your Old IT Provider Hand Over When You Leave?

When you leave an IT provider, you're entitled to a complete handover of admin access, passwords, documentation and asset records — everything needed to run your systems independently or move to someone new, with nothing withheld.

It's an uncomfortable truth in the industry: some providers make leaving harder than it needs to be, whether through disorganisation or, occasionally, by treating access as leverage. In our experience, this is avoidable if you know what to ask for and get it agreed before a dispute arises, ideally at the point you sign a contract in the first place — see our guide on what should be included in a managed IT support contract for the clauses that protect you here.

Why this matters

Your business's domain name, email system, security tools and network configuration are core operational assets. If a provider holds sole administrative control and won't release it, you can be left unable to make basic changes, renew a domain, or even fully understand what security measures are protecting you. This isn't just inconvenient — it's a genuine business continuity risk.

The full handover checklist

1. Domain and DNS

• Domain registrar login (or confirmation the domain is registered in your business's name, not the provider's)
• DNS records and management access
• Any subdomains or custom DNS entries in use

2. Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace

• Global admin access to your tenant
• Confirmation of licence types and counts
• Any custom configurations: conditional access policies, mail flow rules, retention policies
• Mailbox and SharePoint/OneDrive structure documentation

If you're unsure what's actually protected inside Microsoft 365 versus what needs separate backup, our guide on whether Microsoft 365 backs up your data is worth reading alongside this.

3. Network infrastructure

• Router, firewall and switch configurations, including admin credentials
• Wi-Fi network names and passwords, including guest network setup
• VPN configuration details
• A current network diagram, if one exists

4. Backup systems

• Where backups are stored (cloud, on-site, both)
• Retention periods and what's included
• Login credentials to backup software or portals
• Confirmation of the last successful restore test

5. Security tools

• Antivirus/endpoint protection console access
• Email filtering and spam protection settings
• Multi-factor authentication configuration
• Any monitoring or detection tools in place, and their logs/history

6. Hardware and software asset register

• A list of all devices under management, with age, warranty status and specification
• Software licence keys and renewal dates
• Any line-of-business application details and support contacts

7. Passwords and credentials

• A full, current password list or export from whatever password manager was used
• Admin accounts for any third-party systems the provider had access to
• Confirmation that any shared/generic admin accounts will have passwords changed once you've taken control

8. Documentation of known issues

• Any outstanding tickets or unresolved issues
• Notes on quirks, workarounds or historical problems with specific systems — this is often the most valuable and most commonly missed item, since it saves your new provider from rediscovering the same problems

A worked example

Picture a fictional 25-person marketing agency ending a five-year relationship with its outgoing provider. If the handover only includes login details for the helpdesk portal, the new provider would spend the first few weeks rediscovering the network layout, guessing at firewall rules, and hunting for a domain renewal that nearly lapses. A complete handover — domain, DNS, tenant admin, firewall config, backup access and an asset register — would let the new provider be productive from day one instead. The difference between those two scenarios is entirely down to what's requested and documented in advance, not luck.

What if your provider won't cooperate?

This is uncommon but does happen. If you hit resistance:

1. Check your contract. Most reasonable contracts include an obligation to assist with an orderly exit — see our contract guide for what this should say.
2. Put requests in writing. Email a clear, itemised list and a reasonable deadline. This creates a paper trail.
3. Involve your new provider. They've likely handled this before and can often request specific technical items more precisely than you can.
4. Escalate formally if needed. For domain names specifically, registrars have processes for resolving ownership disputes — check with Nominet for .uk domains if that becomes necessary.
5. Consider the reputational angle. Most reputable providers understand that withholding access damages their reputation far more than a lost contract; naming the concern directly is often enough to resolve it.

Common mistakes businesses make

• Assuming they own the domain when it was registered by the provider under their own account
• Not knowing which email addresses are set up as the "owner" account for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace — critical for regaining control
• Leaving it until after termination to ask for a handover, rather than requesting it as an active part of the exit process
• Not verifying that handed-over passwords actually work before the old provider's access is cut

Recommendations

Request this handover in writing before your contract ends, ideally with a defined deadline tied to your notice period, and verify each item works rather than just ticking it off a list. If you're mid-switch, our guide on switching IT providers without disrupting your business covers how to sequence this alongside bringing a new provider on board.

Related questions

• How to switch IT providers without disrupting your business
• What should be included in a managed IT support contract?
• How much should managed IT support cost in the UK?

If you're partway through a difficult handover, or want a new provider who documents everything properly from day one, visit our managed IT support page or get in touch.