How we onboard a new managed IT client, six phases, 90 days, nothing invented.
A clear, dated sequence: discovery, baseline, hardening, monitoring, first report. Each phase has deliverables you can point to. Nothing is invented to fill time.
Starting with a new IT provider should not feel like a black box. Every phase of our onboarding has a defined output, a clear timeline, and something tangible you walk away with. No make-work milestones. No phases that exist to justify the invoice.
Most environments are stabilised within 60 days and fully operational under our management within 90. Larger or more complex environments take longer. The phases stay the same.
Before we touch anything, we map everything. Users, devices, Microsoft 365 tenant, on-premises hardware, line-of-business applications, third-party vendors, software licences, and contracts. We also look for shadow IT: the tools people are using that nobody officially approved.
The output is a written environment baseline, a document that describes your IT environment as it actually exists, not as you thought it existed.
We deploy our standard tooling: RMM agents, EDR, password management, MFA enforcement, and backup. Every change is documented in a runbook that lives in your environment record. You can see exactly what we installed, where, and why.
This phase often surfaces surprises, devices that were not inventoried, software licences that lapsed, or accounts for people who left the company two years ago. We document all of it.
We close the obvious gaps. Microsoft 365 security baseline, identity hygiene, patch lag on critical systems, exposed services, and weak or reused credentials. Each item is tracked as a remediation task with an owner and a due date, visible to you at all times.
Hardening does not mean locking down your environment to the point where people cannot work. It means closing the vulnerabilities that attackers actually use, without disrupting your operations.
Alerts, ticketing, and reporting go live. Your helpdesk channels open. We walk your team through how to submit a ticket, what to expect in terms of response, and who to escalate to if something is urgent. The goal is a working relationship, not just a software deployment.
Your first monthly report covers what we found during onboarding, what we fixed, what is still open and why, and a 90-day forward plan. This is the format you will receive every month going forward: plain English, no jargon, with specific items you can act on.
Your first quarterly business review covers roadmap, budget, risk register, and a 12-month IT plan. This is a strategic conversation, not a support review. We talk about where the business is going and what the technology needs to do to support it.
Quarterly reviews repeat every 90 days. The format is documented and consistent. You will always know what is coming and what was covered.
Whether you stay with us for a year or a decade, you leave with documentation that belongs to you:
We do not use documentation as a retention tool. A well-documented environment is good for you, full stop.
Want to see what your first 90 days would look like? Book a free assessment at northstarit.ca/free-assessment or call 672-983-1174.
Want to see what your first 90 days would look like?
Book a 30-minute call and we'll walk through the process with your environment in mind.
Get a Free Assessment Read the playbookFrequently asked questions
How long does the IT onboarding process typically take?
The onboarding phase of our managed IT services process generally takes between 30 and 90 days. This timeline allows our team to perform a deep dive into your existing infrastructure, resolve immediate security gaps, and optimise your systems for peak performance. We focus on being thorough to ensure that long term stability is achieved without disrupting your daily business activities in BC or Alberta.
Is 24/7 support included during the transition phase?
Yes, our 24/7 helpdesk support is activated early in the onboarding process. We recognise that questions and technical needs arise even while we are building your new IT foundation. Our team in Prince George and across Western Canada is available around the clock to assist your staff, ensuring that the transition to our managed services is as smooth and stress free as possible for everyone involved.
How does your process integrate cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity is not an afterthought; it is integrated into every step of our process. From the initial vulnerability scan during discovery to the implementation of EDR and security awareness training during onboarding, we follow strict frameworks to protect your data. Continuous monitoring and regular security reviews are then maintained as part of our ongoing management to defend against evolving threats across the Yukon and beyond.
Will there be downtime during the migration process?
We aim for zero to minimal downtime during any migration or integration. Our process involves detailed planning and, whenever possible, we schedule major updates or cloud migrations during off peak hours, such as evenings or weekends. This approach ensures that your business operations remain productive while we optimise your technology environment to meet our high standards of reliability and performance.