3-minute readDataRoad
In summary
- Response times are increasing without explanation or compensation.
- Does not exist Formal SLA — or it exists, but nobody measures it.
- Sem proactive monitoringit is always the company that discovers the problems.
- It all depends on a single person on the supplier's side.
- Lack of transparency regarding what is installed and what has been done.
In this article
- 1. Increasing response times
- 2. Absence of a formal SLA, or systematic breach of what was…
- Lack of proactive monitoring
- 4. Reliance on a single person, without a structured technical team
- 5. Lack of transparency regarding the state of the infrastructure
- 6. Lack of cybersecurity monitoring
- 7. Unforeseeable costs
- How to make the transition safely
Changing IT supplier is a decision that many companies postpone — out of fear of the transition, through inertia, or simply because “it's been that way for years”. But there are clear signs that a supplier is no longer up to the company's needs, and recognising them early prevents support problems from turning into business problems.
1. Increasing response times
If a support request that was previously resolved immediately now takes hours — or days — without clear justification, it is an indicator that the provider has lost its responsiveness, either due to disorganized growth in its customer base or due to a lack of sufficient technical staff.
A good supplier spots it before you do. If every incident starts with a phone call from you, there is a lack of monitoring — and that means problems are only dealt with after they have already cost time.
2. Absence of a formal SLA, or systematic failure to comply with what was agreed
A reliable supplier sets out, in writing, guaranteed response times according to the criticality of each incident. If that commitment has never existed — or exists on paper but is rarely met — the company is, in practice, without guarantees regarding the continuity of its own business.
Lack of proactive monitoring
If problems are only detected after they are already affecting users — a full disk, a backup that stopped running weeks ago, a missing security update — it is a sign that the supplier is working in a purely reactive mode, without continuous monitoring of the infrastructure.

4. Reliance on a single person, without a structured technical team
Small-scale IT companies, or independent technicians, often rely on a single person. If that person is on holiday, ill, or simply stops responding, the company is left without technical support — a significant risk for any business that depends on computer systems in its day-to-day operations.
5. Lack of transparency regarding the state of the infrastructure
A good managed IT provider provides regular reporting — what has been done, what incidents have occurred, what risks have been identified. If the only information that arrives is the monthly invoice, without any visibility over the work carried out, it is difficult to assess whether the service is actually protecting the business.
6. Lack of cybersecurity monitoring
Cyber threats are constantly evolving. If your current supplier has never proposed security improvements, never spoken about multi-factor authentication, tested backups or a dedicated firewall, it is likely that the company's infrastructure is more vulnerable than it should be.
7. Unforeseeable costs
Invoices that vary significantly from month to month, without a clear explanation as to why, make budget planning difficult — and are often a symptom of an ad-hoc support model, rather than a well-scoped managed services retainer.
How to make the transition safely
The most common fear when changing provider is continuity — losing configurations, access credentials or history during the transition. A well-conducted change process always includes a complete audit of the existing infrastructure, validation of current contracts and licensing, phased migration of critical services (email, backups, VPN, domain) and an enhanced monitoring period in the first weeks, to ensure there are no service interruptions.
If you identified two or more of these signs in your company, it might be worth evaluating alternatives — even if the final decision is to keep your current supplier, the exercise of comparison usually brings clarity on what is, or is not, actually being well served.
Does your company need a reliable IT partner? DataRoad is an IT support company dedicated to keeping your business up and running at all times. Find out more about our IT support for businesses.
DataRoad — ongoing IT support for businesses
Our DataRoad is a Portuguese company specialising in managed IT services (MSP), Based in Alfragide (Lisbon) and with assistance throughout the country. Since 2015, it ensures the smooth operation of the IT infrastructures of companies that cannot stop — hotels, clinics, embassies, universities, multinational companies and demanding SMEs — with a certified technical team, ongoing monitoring and 24/7 support (Premium 365).
DataRoad ensures the ongoing IT support of companies via the service IT UnlimitedUnlimited assistance at a fixed cost, remote and onsite, with proactive monitoring, alarm systems, and preventive interventions. The goal is simple — to prevent problems from even stopping the operation.
DataRoad Services
- IT Unlimited — round-the-clock IT support: unlimited support at a fixed cost, both remote and on-site, with incident management and rapid response.
- Computer networks and structured cabling: network design, installation and certification; Layer 3 switching and PoE.
- Enterprise wireless networks (Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7): coverage study, cloud management and isolated visitor networks.
- Cybersecurity and corporate firewalls: perimeter protection, traffic control and threat mitigation.
- Servers, backups and disaster recovery: servers, NAS devices and centralised backups.
- CCTV video surveillance: video surveillance systems with continuous recording.
- Monitoring, alarm systems and reporting: real-time monitoring, automatic alerts and proactive interventions.
- IT consultancy and project management: relocation of premises, new facilities and modernisation of infrastructure.
- Cross-platform support: Windows and Apple environments, with comprehensive management of the IT infrastructure.
Get in touch with DataRoad
Do you need IT support for your business, to set up or upgrade your network, or simply a second opinion on your infrastructure? We’ll assess your situation and provide you with a no-obligation quote.
Next: before choosing the next supplier, go through the criteria for the best MSP in Portugal.
DataRoad projects and success stories
DataRoad Blog Articles
- IT for Businesses: Lisbon, Setúbal, Porto, Beja, Cascais and Oeiras
- Managed IT services: DataRoad's complete guide
- Klass Wagen — IT infrastructure for car hire operations in Portugal
- Panike — Network and communications infrastructure in the food industry
Related services
IT Unlimited Essential
Desde 395 €por mês (+ IVA), para 10 postos
- Includes unlimited helpdesk, PC management, monitoring, patch management, and remote support
- Remote and telephone support only
no travel included - Ticketing support
with orders portal - Incident response with an SLA
- Update management
and security patches - Monthly activity report
- Helpdesk during working hours
by email and telephone - The price may increase with the number of stations, the size of the network, servers, websites, printers, NAS devices, critical systems, and Apple equipment.
IT Unlimited Premium
Desde 750 €por mês (+ IVA)
- Includes unlimited helpdesk, Microsoft 365 management, PC management, antivirus/EDR, monitoring, patch management, and remote support
- Unlimited in-person support
- With travel included
- Monitoring and alarm systems
- Complete IT infrastructure management
- Cybersecurity included
managed firewall and antivirus - Priority SLA
immediate response to critical incidents - No limit on hours
- Dedicated helpdesk
with priority in the queue - The price may increase with the size of the park and the network, servers, websites, printers and NAS, critical systems, and Apple equipment.
IT Unlimited Premium 365
Desde 1.200 €por mês (+ IVA)
- Includes unlimited helpdesk, Microsoft 365 management, PC management, antivirus/EDR, monitoring, patch management, and remote support
- Everything that’s included
no IT Unlimited Premium - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year support
- Out-of-hours support: evenings,
weekends and bank holidays - Dedicated technical account manager
- Regular IT strategic alignment meetings
- Business Continuity Plan (Disaster Recovery)
- Priority access to network and infrastructure projects
- Customised executive reports
- The price may increase with the size of the park and the network, servers, websites, printers and NAS, critical systems, Apple equipment and off-hours coverage
Don't know which one to choose? Talk to us and receive a fixed-price quote · Como se calcula o preço
At DataRoad, technology is a passion. We really love what we do, and that shows in every network we install, in every problem we solve, and in every company we support.











































































































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