Your First 90 Days with CIS
Working with CIS
Your first 90 days with CIS.
A planned handover, clear responsibilities and a baseline you can measure. Here is the structure we agree with you when taking on an IT service.
Agree the plan before the handover.
Confirm the service scope, responsibilities, access requirements and handover dates with CIS and your existing provider or internal team. The timing and work included depend on that agreed scope and the systems involved.
Days 1–30
Take ownership
Make the current position clear.
Establish who owns each part of the agreed service, review the information available and identify issues that need early attention.
- Confirm contacts, escalation routes and support arrangements.
- Review the device and system records relevant to the agreed service.
- Review available evidence for access, protection, patching and recovery.
- Record open risks and establish a starting baseline.
Days 31–60
Address priorities
Work through what needs attention.
Agree which actions should come first, who owns them and how changes will be approved. Track progress against the starting position.
- Prioritise repeat issues and gaps in the agreed service.
- Plan changes around business dependencies and working hours.
- Agree recovery testing and follow-up work where it is in scope.
- Keep owners, target dates and outstanding decisions visible.
Days 61–90
Plan ahead
Review progress and set the next priorities.
Review what has changed, what remains open and where further work is needed. Turn the findings into a practical plan for the next 12 months.
- Compare current performance with the baseline.
- Confirm remaining risks and who is responsible for them.
- Agree the next priorities, dependencies and any separate project scope.
- Set a review rhythm and the measures that matter to your business.
Measure what changes
A useful scorecard starts with a baseline.
The measures are agreed around your business and service scope. This example shows the structure, rather than promised results.
| Measure | Starting position | 90-day review | 12-month direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recurring incidents | Identify repeat issues and their impact | Review trends and actions completed | Agree a reduction target from the baseline |
| Recovery testing | Record existing test evidence | Review agreed tests and follow-up actions | Keep a current test schedule and evidence |
| Device maintenance | Record coverage and exceptions | Review exceptions and agreed remediation | Track against agreed coverage targets |
| Open risks and actions | Assign owners and priorities | Review completed and outstanding actions | Maintain a reviewed improvement plan |
Included activities and any additional projects are agreed in your proposal. A handover may take longer where access, documentation or third-party cooperation is incomplete.
Already have an IT team?
For co-managed support, we agree the split of responsibility with your team. The plan focuses on the areas where CIS adds capacity or specialist capability.
Explore co-managed IT supportMoving from another provider?
Agree the notice period, access, documentation, supplier responsibilities and change dates before the handover.
Read the handover checklistWill all IT problems be fixed in 90 days?
No. The purpose is to establish ownership, address agreed priorities and build a measurable plan. Larger projects, third-party dependencies and work outside the service scope are agreed separately.
What will you need from us?
A business contact, the relevant IT contacts, available documentation and agreement on access and responsibilities. We plan the handover together rather than asking for sensitive access details through a website form.
How will we know whether things are improving?
We agree a starting baseline, relevant measures, action owners and a review rhythm. The measures should reflect business impact as well as service activity.
Start with your current position.
Use the IT health check to identify questions to ask, or arrange a free review to discuss your current support, security and recovery arrangements.