How to choose a managed IT provider in Ontario

Ask for the response-time SLA in writing

"We respond quickly" is not a commitment. A real provider publishes a number and puts it in the agreement. Borg ITS guarantees a 20-minute response, which is a claim you can hold us to rather than a sentiment.

Then ask the follow-up: what happens when the SLA is missed? A commitment with no consequence is marketing.

Find out who actually answers

Ask whether the first person you reach is a senior technician or a script-reading tier-1 queue, and where that person is located. The difference shows up on the first genuinely complex problem you have.

Check what security is included by default

Security should be standard, not an upsell after an incident. Ask specifically whether EDR, email protection, MFA rollout, tested backups, and staff training are included in the base plan or priced separately.

If a provider's cheapest plan can't satisfy your cyber-insurance questionnaire, the plan is incomplete no matter what it costs.

Ask how onboarding works

The first 30 days predict the relationship. A capable provider documents your environment, deploys monitoring and security tooling, standardizes configurations, and tells you what they found. A vague answer here usually means you'll be documenting your own network in a year.

Understand the contract

• ✓Term length, and what happens at renewal
• ✓What's included versus billed hourly — especially on-site visits and projects
• ✓Whether prices change as you grow, and by how much
• ✓Who owns your documentation and licences if you leave
• ✓Any guarantee, and what actually triggers it

Answers worth walking away from

• ✓"It depends" as the only answer on pricing
• ✓No written response-time commitment
• ✓Security controls sold as optional extras
• ✓No references from businesses of your size or sector
• ✓Reluctance to explain what happens if you cancel

Look for local and specific

An Ontario provider who understands PHIPA for clinics, Law Society expectations for firms, and what your insurer will ask is more useful than a national brand running a generic playbook. Ask for references in your industry, and actually call them.