How to Evaluate a Managed Network Provider
Questions to ask before outsourcing your network — from SLAs to reporting and exit terms.
Choosing a managed network partner is a long-term decision that affects every site and employee. A careful evaluation up front avoids painful surprises later. Here are the questions worth asking.
Service levels
What uptime, response and restoration commitments are offered for connectivity and managed equipment? How are they measured, and what service credits apply when targets are missed?
Coverage
Can the provider serve all your current locations, including smaller towns? What about future expansion plans? Where they rely on partners, who is accountable?
Monitoring and visibility
Will you get real-time dashboards, alerts and monthly reports? Can your IT team have read-only access to devices?
Security practices
How are devices patched? How are credentials managed? Is access to your network logged? Do they offer DNS filtering, firewalls and DDoS protection?
Change management
How do you request changes, how quickly are they made and how are they documented?
Field support
Where are field engineers based? How quickly can they reach your sites? Are spare parts stocked locally?
Scalability and flexibility
Can services scale up and down as you open or close locations? Are contracts flexible enough for a growing business?
Exit terms
If you leave, how are equipment, configurations and documentation handed over? Are there penalties?
References
Ask for customers in your industry with similar numbers of sites.
The bottom line
Ask detailed questions up front to choose a partner you can rely on for years. The right provider will welcome them.
Learn more about Managed Internet from UbiFi, or talk to our team.
We run your internet edge end to end — connectivity, routers, Wi-Fi, monitoring and fault handling — so your team can focus on the business.
