What should I ask about a hosting company’s customers on old servers?

Begin with the list. Which customers are on old equipment or outdated software, how long have they been there, and what do they pay? Compare that with the cost of keeping those servers running, including power, space, repair and staff attention. A customer paying a low price on costly hardware may be losing money.

Ask why they have not moved. Some customers refuse because their software breaks on newer systems. Others were simply left alone because the owner feared outages. Ask what the seller has promised, in writing or by habit, such as keeping an old version running indefinitely. Promises like that become yours.

Then look at the risk. Ask about backups for those servers, who knows how to fix them and what happens if a part fails. Ask whether security updates are still available and what has been done about them. Ask for the seller’s own migration plan and what it would cost in time. A sensible deal discussion often includes who pays to move these customers. Ask which of these customers have complained, and whether any have threatened to leave if they are moved.

Key takeaways

• List every customer on old servers and what each one pays.
• Ask what was promised to them, in writing or by habit.
• Ask about backups, spare parts and who can repair them.
• Get the seller’s migration plan and its likely effort.