Keep the announcement and any follow-up notices. Separate confirmed changes from statements of intention and questions that have not yet been answered. Ask which legal entity and operational team are responsible for your service.
Plan around actual events
| Event | Ask to confirm | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Acquisition announcement | Responsible entity, named contacts and any immediate change | Record commitments and identify urgent questions. |
| Planned system or staffing change | Scope, schedule, responsible team and continuity arrangements | Review the proposed change before it affects your service. |
| New billing or agreement documents | What differs from the current arrangement and when it applies | Reconcile documents; refer contractual interpretation to your adviser. |
| Notice or renewal deadline | The actual date, method and requirements under your agreement | Plan the decision in time; do not wait for an arbitrary observation period. |
Six things to get in writing
- Named contacts: account lead, technical lead and their substitutes.
- Service commitments: what remains included and what is proposed to change.
- Data and backups: current locations, protection, retention and any planned moves.
- Tools and migration: proposed replacements, responsibilities and continuity checks.
- Escalation: who to contact, how and under which response commitment.
- Contract dates: renewal, notice and any transaction-related deadlines requiring review.
A written answer helps establish what was represented. Compare it with the applicable agreement and later evidence; it does not guarantee future delivery.
Record the current service baseline
- Recovery-test scope, date, result and unresolved dependencies.
- Privileged accounts, partner permissions and responsible owners.
- Current systems documentation and agreed access to it.
- Open actions and service measures for a defined reporting period.
- Tenant, subscription and domain records, with any unresolved access or contractual questions.
For access detail, see Microsoft 365 tenant records and administrative control. For the wider delivery question, use evaluating your IT provider.
Decide whether to stay or change
Compare evidenced delivery, current business needs, proposed changes and credible corrective actions. An acquisition alone does not establish either a reason to leave or a reason to renew.
Do not postpone action on an urgent risk or contractual deadline simply to observe two service cycles. Use the renewal review guide and, if relevant, the provider-switching checklist.
If an independent view would help the decision, discuss the scope of the Actually Review. Technical evidence review does not replace legal interpretation of assignment, change-of-control or notice provisions.
