Build the exit sources
| Workstream | Evidence to obtain before purchase | Exit owner |
|---|---|---|
| Notice | Method, address, deadline and receipt requirement | Contract owner |
| Charges | Committed licenses, minimums, overlap and exit fees | Finance and contract owner |
| Records | Available formats, scope, deadlines and deletion terms | Operations/data owner |
| Queue | Outstanding incidents, accepting team and client updates | Service owner |
| Access | Accounts, tokens, delegated roles and tested revocation | Access owner |
| Continuity | Replacement coverage and reversible routing | Operations owner |
This sources should name people or accountable roles in your own organization. It is not sufficient to write that the supplier will handle exit. Record which tasks require cooperation and which the MSP can execute independently.
Do not assume records are exportable
Some services keep their own operational history. Others work in buyer-owned tools. Both models require a defined retention and handover path. See the Kaseya NOC profile for a concrete public-term example that makes export an important pre-purchase question. Follow the source and check negotiated amendments; do not generalize that term to another provider.
Request a sample permitted export early. Verify ticket identifiers, timestamps, actions, attachments, ownership and whether the format can be read without the supplier's account. Where the agreement does not provide an export, decide whether buyer-owned records and agreed reports are sufficient for continuity before enrollment. Do not rely on a promised future exception.
Sequence the handover
First reconcile outstanding work and agree the final acceptance point. Assign new intake to the replacement team, then obtain explicit acceptance of existing incidents. Revoke access according to the agreed transition window while preserving an authorized continuity route. Rotate shared secrets where needed and verify that delegated access and service integrations have actually stopped. Keep proof of notice and completed revocation.
Illustrative acceptance record: the replacement team accepts incident EX02 with its action history, next update deadline and named owner; the previous provider confirms it will take no further action after the agreed time. This is a hypothetical example, not a completed provider exit.
Close operational and financial work separately
Stopping access does not necessarily end contractual charges. Reconcile the final enrolled inventory, committed units, disputed items and any return/deletion confirmation. Assign unresolved disputes without holding operational continuity hostage. Keep your legal retention requirements distinct from a supplier's deletion promise. Use the transition plan, RFP and pricing normalization to settle these requirements while you still have a choice of suppliers.