old MSP wants to know what they did wrong
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I took over for the kind of MSP that gives MSPs a bad name. He was charging the client $900 / month for unlimited support, proactive patches, security, etc. Stuff hasn't been patched since 2015, he has them all running Security Essentials except for the Windows XP machines, which have nothing, except free versions of Malwarebytes that haven't been updated in years. The "firewall" is a Server 2003 Small Business server running internet connection sharing. Which by the way has no usable backups and is their only file server. -and the list goes on.
At any rate, he wants the owner to tell him why he's not happy. The owner called me in because his office manager didn't have email for 4 days because her .pst got corrupt and he was charging them for a pop mail service.
At some point I'm going to have to deal with the guy because he registered the domain with his email address (admin,billing, and tech contact) and we need to get the domain transferred so I can get them on Office 365.
If you were in the situation, would you tell them how far away from best practices they were?
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If he was charging them for patches and such and it wasn't being done... That's not "far away from best practices" that is the guy is charging them for stuff he didn't do!
I would suggest that you get the domain information and such transferred and then explain to this guy what he is doing wrong.
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I don't envy this situation...
I don't feel that you should explain why the company decided to move on. That said it will come up as you work with that person at some point.
The Owner could claim compliance issues and that critical business functions were broken even though services were promised.
The owner should have / be documenting all breaches of contracted services.
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If I were the business owner, I'd personally respond with that the person was charging to much money for services rendered.
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@DustinB3403 said in old MSP wants to know what they did wrong:
If I were the business owner, I'd personally respond with that the person was charging to much money for services rendered.
This is wordsmithing - but who knows.. the price might be fine. Mike might be charging more - but actually doing the work.
Clearly they weren't doing the work, I'm guessing that's why Mike got the contract (and he might be cheaper as well).
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@Dashrender Yeah, it's exactly word smithing on purpose.
"Hey we're paying you $900/month and you haven't done squat for us.... so you're fired"
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They even asked on the patches and he told them that he reviews every patch and decided that they didn't need any patches since 2015 when the machines were last patched. He said that patches break stuff.
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@Mike-Davis said in old MSP wants to know what they did wrong:
They even asked on the patches and he told them that he reviews every patch and decided that they didn't need any patches since 2015 when the machines were last patched. He said that patches break stuff.
WOW - they didn't need a single patch since 2015. I take it then that the computers don't access the internet? LOL
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@Dashrender said in old MSP wants to know what they did wrong:
WOW - they didn't need a single patch since 2015. I take it then that the computers don't access the internet?
I think the Server 2003 proxy was keeping them safe....
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@Mike-Davis About as safe as an ostrich with its head in the ground? (which they don't do... but whatever)
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I would explain, if he's asking maybe he really doesn't understand. Maybe he really doesn't get IT at all and doesn't realize that he needs to learn about it and talk to IT pros and not just "work on computers" on his own. There is every chance that he's just some bench guy working on his own that has no IT experience. Most MSPs are like that.
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It's not up to you to explain it to him, it's up to the business themselves.
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@wirestyle22 said in old MSP wants to know what they did wrong:
It's not up to you to explain it to him, it's up to the business themselves.
That's very true. You didn't fire him.
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Document EVERYTHING. Pictures if allowed. Then explain away. If I was a business owner paying for things I was not receiving and being intentionally deceived, I would want to know asap so I could take legal action if needed, and to get lost money back to hire someone to do it right.
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@Tim_G But he isn't the business owner in this case. You don't ask the person who was hired in your place why you were fired, you ask the people who hired you.
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@wirestyle22 said in old MSP wants to know what they did wrong:
@Tim_G But he isn't the business owner in this case. You don't ask the person who was hired in your place why you were fired, you ask the people who hired you.
Oh I misread. I thought the owner wanted to know what was going on.
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I can see everyone's point who has commented here thus far. It makes me wonder, however, if there is some leagacy software on that network that is the supposed life blood of the organization which management decided not to pay to upgrade to a newer version. I'm not saying everything the old MSP did was what should have been done. It's just a general curiosity.
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@NetworkNerd Sadly that has been a common theme in every place I've ever worked.
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If they are looking for a security analysis or Pen Test let me know. It sounds like they will need one in a few months once they try to get everything up to par.
