Panoptic Guides

Managed IT, cyber security & MSP guides for Irish SMEs

Vendor-neutral guides answering the practical questions Irish SMEs ask before choosing or switching a managed IT provider. Each guide leads with a direct answer, frameworks you can apply the same day, and reference points drawn from supporting Irish SMEs across Cork, Kilkenny and the rest of Ireland.

Positioning & strategy

What's the difference between a holistic managed IT provider and a break/fix IT business in Ireland?
A holistic managed IT provider charges a predictable monthly fee to monitor, secure, patch and support your IT estate. The fee covers a defined response SLA and a security baseline. A break/fix IT business charges per ticket or per hour after something breaks, with no SLA or security baseline.

Switching & lifecycle

How do I switch IT support providers in Ireland without downtime or losing data?
Switching MSPs in Ireland takes 30-60 days for an SME under 50 staff. The work runs through three phases: discovery and tooling deployment, security baseline lift and documentation, and final handover aligned to the end of the outgoing provider's contract. Data portability is the risk you manage. Service continuity follows from the phasing.

Buyer's framework

How should an Irish SME choose between managed IT providers in 2026?
Choose an Irish MSP on twelve criteria across four dimensions. Service: response SLA, escalation, hours, vertical experience. Security: baseline tooling, NIS2/ISO 27001 capability, EDR, identity. Commercial: pricing model, contract length, exit clauses, data ownership. Fit: Cork/Kilkenny presence vs Dublin-only, client size match, cultural alignment.

Positioning & strategy

What's the difference between a holistic managed IT provider and a break/fix IT business in Ireland?

Switching & lifecycle

How do I switch IT support providers in Ireland without downtime or losing data?

Buyer's framework

How should an Irish SME choose between managed IT providers in 2026?