Service load
See where open work is piling up. Review aging tickets and which clients account for the backlog, then inspect the records behind the totals.
“Which clients account for the oldest unresolved tickets?”
MSP acquisition due diligence
MSP due diligence: look under the hood before you buy
The sales deck tells one story. The systems hold the detail. Once the seller authorizes access and the supported platforms are connected, ask Switchboard about the operation you are considering buying. Follow the answers back to the records behind them.
Acquisition review · illustrative session
What needs a closer look before we buy this MSP?
Start with these findings, then follow the records and unresolved questions.
Your first follow-up list3 areas to investigate
- Service tickets older than 30 daysSource: ConnectWise PSA18
- Paid Microsoft 365 seats unassignedSource: Microsoft 36521
- RMM endpoints with unresolved backup mappingsSource: Asio + Axcient7
Follow-up: confirm mappings with the seller. Unresolved mappings are not proof of missing backup protection.
The MSP due diligence checklist
Six things to check before you sign.
Each item says where the evidence lives once the seller authorizes access. Where the answer sits outside the connected systems, it says that too.
Client concentration
How much of the revenue sits with the largest few clients, and what leaves if one of them does.
Where the evidence lives: ConnectWise PSA invoices and agreements, by company: ask which clients account for the most billed revenue over the last year.
Contract terms and assignability
What each client has signed up for, and whether those contracts survive a change of owner.
Where the evidence lives: PSA agreements show which clients sit under which agreement and what each one includes. Whether a contract can be assigned to a new owner is in the contract itself, so that question stays with your legal review.
Recurring versus project revenue
Recurring agreements and one-off project work are valued differently.
Where the evidence lives: PSA agreements with their line-item additions, set against projects and invoices: ask how much of last year's billing came from agreements and how much from projects.
Ticket volume against agreements
A client whose tickets outrun what they pay for is a margin problem you would be buying.
Where the evidence lives: PSA tickets and agreements together: ask which clients open the most tickets, which agreement each one sits under, and where tickets are aging.
Patch and backup posture
Unpatched endpoints and stale backups become your risk on the day you close.
Where the evidence lives: The connected RMM and backup platforms: patch state across the fleet, backup status and the age of recovery points. A recorded backup result does not certify recoverability.
Tool licensing and supplier spend
Unused seats and supplier price changes show up in the margin after the sale.
Where the evidence lives: Microsoft 365 assignments and Pax8 invoices: paid seats that are not assigned, and what changed on the supplier bill. Pax8 charges show supplier costs, not what the MSP bills its customers.
The questions behind the acquisition
Ask the questions hiding between the systems.
Fleet and recovery
Inspect endpoint rosters, patch posture, backup status and the age of available recovery points. Keep unresolved roster matches on the follow-up list. A recorded backup or verification result does not certify recoverability.
“Which backup records need review, and which endpoints cannot be matched confidently?”
Licensing and supplier spend
Compare paid licenses with assignments and investigate changes in distributor invoices. Pax8 charges show supplier costs, not what the MSP bills its customers. Use the records to ask better commercial questions.
“Where are we paying for seats that are not assigned, and what changed on the supplier bill?”
Integration planning
Compare the connected client fleets with the tools and standards you want to operate. Spot differences worth investigating and bring concrete questions to your integration planning.
“Where does the connected fleet differ from the standards we want to operate?”
Access first. Evidence next.
From seller access to better follow-up questions.
Agree what is in scope before connecting anything. Supported systems, initial sync, available source history and member permissions determine what the review can see.
Start with the questions the available records can answer. Keep missing data and uncertain matches visible so the seller can help resolve them.
Read the full security workupA scoped acquisition review
- 01Agree the scopeObtain the seller’s authorization. Decide which systems, clients and records the review team may see.
- 02Connect with scoped read accessConnect supported platforms and let the available data sync. Member permissions bound what each reviewer can access.
- 03Follow the evidenceAsk questions, inspect the source records and build a list of findings and open questions for the seller.
A working record for your review team
Leave with evidence you can discuss.
Bring source-backed findings, open questions and reports to your authorized review team. Inspect observation dates and history windows where available, so a snapshot is not mistaken for the whole story.
Share sessions with authorized members of your company workspace. The seller’s cooperation, the connected systems and the data they expose still define the limits of the review.
Use these operational findings alongside your financial, legal and commercial diligence.
Before you connect
A few practical questions.
Do we need the seller’s permission?
Yes. The seller must authorize access to the systems and data involved. Agree the scope with them, connect supported platforms using authorized credentials, and grant only the member access needed for the review.
How quickly can we see answers?
You can start asking questions once the relevant platforms are connected and their data is available. Connection setup, initial sync, data volume and the history each platform exposes affect timing. A complete review is not instant.
What if a system or part of the data is missing?
The review is limited to supported, connected systems and the records your credentials and member permissions can read. Missing history, stale observations and unresolved matches remain gaps to investigate with the seller, not clean bills of health.
Will this change the seller’s environment?
This review uses scoped reads. Asking about tickets, endpoints, backup records or licenses does not close tickets, patch devices, run restores or change subscriptions. It is a visibility workflow.
Does this replace a complete due-diligence review?
It provides operational evidence and questions to investigate. Your review team still evaluates the findings alongside financial records, contracts, commercial context and the other work required for the acquisition.
Bring the questions you need answered
Get a clearer picture of the MSP you are buying.
Talk through the seller’s systems, the access available and the questions you want to investigate. We’ll work out where Switchboard can help.