Managed IT FAQ
Frequently asked questions about managed IT services
The questions IT directors, CFOs and executives ask us most often before handing over part or all of their IT. When an answer depends on your context, we say so: it is then clarified during the assessment and written into the contract.
Getting started and takeover
What happens in the first meeting?
The first meeting is a two-hour technical assessment with a SKILLSYS engineer. Format and scope are confirmed with you beforehand. We review your environment, identify priority risks and then send you a written summary. There is no commitment on your side.
Can you take over an environment run by another provider?
Yes, this is one of the most common situations. The takeover starts with an inventory of assets, access and dependencies. Systems are then taken over gradually, in batches, with a rollback plan for each step. Coordination with the outgoing provider is organised with you.
Read more: Case study: multi-site takeover
How long does a takeover take?
It depends on the number of sites and systems and on the quality of the existing documentation. The schedule is set after the inventory and agreed with you before any cutover. We do not quote a standard duration without seeing the environment.
Do we need to stop operations during the takeover?
The aim is not to. Sensitive operations are scheduled in windows agreed with you, and every step has a rollback procedure.
What do you need from us to start?
A contact person on your side, the access required for the agreed scope and whatever documentation exists, even if incomplete. Missing information is rebuilt during the inventory.
Scope and services
What do managed IT services cover?
The scope is defined in the contract. It can include server hosting and operations, 24/7 infrastructure monitoring, end-user support, cloud, cybersecurity and consulting. You can outsource one area or all of them.
Read more: Our services
Can we outsource only part of our IT?
Yes. Many clients start with one area (monitoring, backups, support…) and extend later. We can also work in a co-managed model with your internal team, with written responsibilities on both sides.
Do you work alongside our internal IT team?
Yes. In a co-managed model we agree together on who does what, escalation procedures and shared tools. Your team keeps control of whatever it wants to keep.
Which technologies do you work with?
Linux and Windows environments, virtualisation, storage, networking, the main public clouds and widely used monitoring and security tools. A detailed skills scope is shared on request, based on your environment.
Read more: Managed hosting
Do you provide on-site support?
Our head office is in Paris (8th arrondissement). On-site work in Paris and the Île-de-France region is provided as set out in the contract. Most routine operations are carried out remotely, with personal, logged access.
Response times and SLAs
What are your response times?
They depend on incident priority. In our proposed grid, a P1 (critical service down) gets a response within 30 minutes, 24/7, with a restoration or workaround target of 4 hours. P2 to P4 are handled on business days, 9:00 to 18:00. These times apply under the conditions set out in the contract.
Read more: See the full grid
What is the difference between response and restoration?
Response is when an engineer starts working on the incident: that is a commitment. Restoration or workaround is when the service is usable again: that is a target, measured as described in the contract and subject to its exclusions.
Is end-user support available 24/7?
Not by default. Infrastructure monitoring runs 24/7 and P1 incidents are handled at any time. Routine end-user support is provided on business days, 9:00 to 18:00, unless the contract extends it.
What is your availability target?
A 99.9% monthly availability target can apply to redundant managed services expressly covered by the contract. The scope, calculation and exclusions are set out there. The calculation method, maintenance windows and exclusions are set out in the contract.
How do you report on service levels?
Incidents and requests are logged. Regular reviews with your named technical contact cover incidents, actual response times and ongoing actions.
Hosting and data
Where is our data hosted?
Services hosted by SKILLSYS run on our own equipment at the Digital Realty PAR5 data centre in Saint-Denis, in the Paris region. For cloud services, the location depends on the provider and region chosen with you.
Is SKILLSYS ISO 27001 or HDS certified?
No. The ISO 27001, ISO 22301 and HDS certifications and the SOC 2 attestations mentioned on our website belong to the data centre operator, Digital Realty, for its own scope. They do not certify SKILLSYS managed services.
Read more: Our service commitments
Does “hosted in France” mean “sovereign cloud”?
No. Hosted in France describes where the equipment physically sits. Sovereign cloud raises other questions (jurisdiction, access, subcontractors). We prefer to describe exactly who can access what rather than use that label.
How are backups handled?
The backup policy (frequency, retention, off-site copy) is defined with you. Restores are tested on a planned, documented schedule.
Security
How is access to our systems managed?
Our team members use personal accounts limited to the service scope, and all access is logged. Information you share with us is only available to the people who need it to do the work.
What happens during a security incident?
The response follows five steps: detection, triage, escalation, authorised actions and reporting. Which actions SKILLSYS can take on its own and which require your approval is agreed in advance.
Read more: Managed cybersecurity
Do you run a 24/7 SOC?
We do not present our offer as a 24/7 SOC. Security event monitoring and incident response are organised according to the scope and hours set out in the contract.
Are you bound by confidentiality?
Yes. Technical, commercial and organisational information we receive is covered by a contractual confidentiality obligation. A dedicated NDA can be signed before the first meeting if needed.
Contract, exit planning and pricing
How much do managed IT services cost?
We do not publish a price list: the price depends on scope, number of users and servers, and service levels. Our quote is based on the inventory carried out during the assessment. Our guide explains market ranges and common quote pitfalls.
Read more: Guide: managed IT pricing
Is the two-hour assessment free?
The terms of the assessment are confirmed when the meeting is booked, before any work starts. It comes with no commitment on your side.
What if we want to change provider?
The contract includes an exit clause. At the end of the contract, SKILLSYS prepares the handover of configurations, documents, inventories and data within scope. The standard target is 30 calendar days, depending on complexity, volumes and contractual obligations.
Read more: Guide: choosing a provider
Who is responsible for what?
The contract states what falls to SKILLSYS, the client, the data centre, carriers, software vendors and cloud providers. No service level relies on a responsibility that has not been assigned.
Working with SKILLSYS
Will we have a named contact?
Yes. A named technical contact coordinates your environment, follows incidents and changes, and runs regular reviews, backed by our operations, specialist and on-call teams.
Read more: How we are organised
Who is SKILLSYS?
SKILLSYS is a French simplified joint-stock company (SAS) founded in 2022, headquartered in Paris (128 rue La Boétie, 75008). It runs its own equipment at the Digital Realty PAR5 data centre and supports SMEs and mid-sized companies with managed IT, cloud, cybersecurity and consulting.
Can you share client references?
We never publish client names without written consent. Our case studies are anonymised; an introduction to a client can be arranged with their permission.
Read more: Case studies
Do you work in English?
Yes, for meetings, documentation and reporting with teams who prefer it, including subsidiaries of international groups.
Read more: International companies
How can we contact you?
By phone on +33 1 77 77 77 65, by email at contact@skillsys.fr or through the contact form. We reply within two business days. Clients under contract use the support channels listed in their contract.
Read more: Contact
Question not listed?
Ask an engineer directly.
We reply within two business days. For a complete review, the two-hour IT assessment lets you go through your environment with a SKILLSYS engineer.