A bad IT partnership costs money and creates risk. These warning signs deserve attention.

Sales and communication

– Pressure to sign quickly, or “limited-time” discounts on long contracts

– Vague answers about services, pricing, or security

– Promises that sound too good: guaranteed “zero downtime” or “never get hacked”

– No references, or only hand-picked ones

Pricing and contracts

– Unclear scope: it’s hard to tell what’s included

– Long lock-ins with heavy exit penalties

– Hidden fees for common requests

– Auto-renewal traps

– They keep ownership of your accounts, licenses, or documentation

Security and operations

– Shared administrator passwords among technicians

– No MFA on their own tools

– No documented process for incidents, onboarding, or changes

– No regular reporting or reviews

– Reluctance to talk about their own security

– Ignoring basic protections such as backups and patching in their proposal

Service quality

– No SLA or only vague response promises

– Outsourced support with no accountability

– High staff turnover

– Reactive only, with no proactive monitoring or planning

Cultural signs

– They criticize competitors without substance

– They talk only about technology and not about your business

– They dismiss your questions

How to protect yourself

Ask for a written proposal, check references, read the contract carefully, and make sure you retain ownership of all accounts and data.

Trust your instincts

If something feels evasive in the sales process, it often gets worse in the service relationship.

DBR Soft aims for transparency in every conversation. Ask us anything. Contact us for more information.