What should a transport operator ask before choosing an IT provider?

Three beyond the usual: whether they have supported a genuinely multi-site operation, what happens when something breaks at two in the morning, and how they would handle a depot losing its connection mid-shift. The generic questions matter; these separate providers for an operator.

Multi-site experience is worth probing because it is a different discipline rather than more of the same. Supporting seven branches involves identity that works everywhere, links between sites, standardised equipment so a fault at one location looks like a fault at any other, and a support model that does not depend on someone being nearby. A provider whose experience is single-office businesses will give you advice that scales badly.

The after-hours question is the most revealing. Describe your operating hours and ask what happens at three in the morning: what is monitored, what triggers a call, who answers, and what your own shift can resolve themselves. A useful answer is specific about all four. An answer about business hours with an emergency number tells you the arrangement was designed for a business that closes.

Two more worth asking. If you pursue defence-related work, whether they have supported a business through DISP and Essential Eight maturity, because that is a specific body of work rather than general security. And who owns your tenant, your domain and your documentation, since that determines how difficult leaving would be across every branch rather than one. If you would like to ask us those questions, call 1800 456 567.