Switching platforms without losing order: what an MSP should check before moving

Before switching platforms, an MSP should check three things: how each client’s teams and projects will be organized, what the migration plan looks like, and what support it will have during and after the change. Hubstaff offers a structure built on organizations, teams, projects and clients, plus an MSP partner program and implementation services. Aufiero Informática, the official Hubstaff distributor in Latin America, supports that process across the region.

Why switching platforms takes method

An MSP does not manage a single account: it manages several, and each client brings its own teams, departments, access rules and billing setup. Switching platforms touches all of that at once, almost always under pressure: a client who needs results soon, a renewal approaching, or a team that has already decided to move. The rush is understandable, but the answer is not to skip planning: it is to do it up front.

A recent case: an MSP moving from Teramind to Hubstaff

Teramind is an established platform for user behavior analytics, data loss prevention and workplace productivity, with a partner program that includes MSPs. An MSP that used Teramind and is moving to Hubstaff described the following: after a change to the MSP portal, which returned to an earlier version, it had to sign up again, and the team and department setup of its clients was not preserved.

Rebuilding that structure from scratch for every client was not an option for the MSP, which decided to evaluate other tools. Its experience with support and with how the change was handled was not what it expected, so those two points became central criteria in the new choice. It is the experience of one particular MSP: every operation has different needs, and Teramind remains a recognized option for other profiles.

On top of that, its client was pushing to move quickly. In that context, the MSP chose Hubstaff for two reasons: straightforward deployment and an easy-to-use interface.

Both criteria carry weight when time is short: straightforward deployment means getting to work without a long implementation project, and an easy-to-use interface shortens the time each client’s teams take to adopt the tool. For an MSP, which repeats that process with every account, that saving adds up.

The case frames the rest of this guide: have each client’s structure documented before any change, plan the migration even when there is a rush, and choose a platform with clear support and communication. It is presented based on the MSP’s own account, without identifying it.

1. How teams and clients are organized

The key question is whether the new platform can reproduce the real structure of the business: separate clients, clear teams and departments, and permissions that fit each role. In Hubstaff, that structure is built from four pieces:

• Organizations: let you separate work when each client needs exclusive access to only its own data.
• Projects and clients: projects organize work inside an organization and can be linked to a client so the time logged is billed to the right one.
• Teams: group people and can be assigned to a whole project instead of adding members one by one. With the team lead role, part of the management can be delegated.
• Roles and permissions: Hubstaff offers the roles of organization owner, organization manager, project manager, user and project viewer, and lets you create custom roles. The same member can hold different roles on different projects.

For the client who wants to follow progress without administering anything, the project viewer role gives read-only access to assigned projects, with no access to billing or payroll features.

A practical note for MSPs serving clients in different countries: each organization supports a single currency, so it is best to create one organization per currency when payments are made in different currencies. Availability of clients and teams depends on the plan, so it is worth confirming during evaluation.

For MSPs managing several clients, Hubstaff also offers a partner portal. According to the company, it lets you manage all client accounts and billing in one place, a direct answer to the need raised by the case above: keeping each client’s setup in order.

Documenting each client’s structure — teams, departments, roles and permissions — before any change is a simple safeguard that works for any platform: if it has to be rebuilt, it can be done quickly and without relying on memory.

Questions for the evaluation:

• Is each client kept separate from the others?
• Can whole teams be assigned to a project?
• Can the client get read-only access?
• Can roles be adjusted per project?
• Can billing be tied to each client?
• What happens to the existing setup if the provider changes versions or portals?
• Can the team and department structure be documented so you do not depend on a single platform?

2. A phased migration plan

Moving every client in a single cutover is the riskiest way to migrate. A phased plan reduces risk without lengthening timelines:

According to Hubstaff, its implementation services include a quick start in weeks, an accelerated implementation in one to two months, and ongoing support. When a client pushes to move fast, the answer is to shorten the design phase with expert help, not to skip the pilot or the verification.

3. What support is available before, during and after

Switching platforms also means switching support providers. It is worth asking who responds, in what language, at what hours, and what kind of help is offered: answering a one-off question is not the same as guiding an implementation. Hubstaff covers both:

• Help center and technical support: to resolve usage questions and specific issues through its help center.
• Hubstaff Services: specialists who plan, configure, integrate, train and measure. According to the company, they are not required: many teams implement on their own, and services are most useful for large or complex rollouts.
• MSP partner program: includes deployment and administration services (setup, roles, permissions and reporting), integration with payroll, PSA and accounting tools, and change enablement through training and clear policies.
• Transparency: Hubstaff publishes a service status page and its SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, HIPAA, LGPD and CCPA compliance in its trust center, useful information for clients with security requirements.

There is one additional criterion the case above makes obvious: ask how the provider announces changes that affect clients, how far in advance, and what happens to the existing setup.

In Latin America, local support from Aufiero, in Spanish and Portuguese, adds to that.

Pre-migration checklist

• Complete inventory of clients, teams, departments and projects.
• Target structure defined: organizations, teams, projects and roles.
• Access plan for each client: read-only or administration.
• Currency and billing per client.
• Current integrations: payroll, PSA, accounting and messaging. Hubstaff offers more than 35, including Slack, Jira, Asana, Trello, ClickUp, Zendesk and QuickBooks.
• Historical data export saved.
• Each client’s team, department and permission structure documented outside the platform.
• Parallel pilot with one client.
• Communication to users and clients about what is measured and why.
• Support defined: who responds, in what language and at what hours.
• Change communication: how and how far in advance the provider gives notice.
• Closing criterion: when the previous platform is retired.

Hubstaff with Aufiero for MSPs and resellers

Hubstaff has a partner program for MSPs, value-added resellers, IT solution providers and consultants. According to the company, more than 95,000 teams use the platform, and it is rated around 4.5 out of 5 on G2 and 4.6 out of 5 on Capterra and GetApp.

Aufiero Informática is the official Hubstaff distributor in Latin America: it supports implementation with an official license, onboarding and local support in Spanish and Portuguese.

For teams migrating from another solution, Aufiero includes two hours of free consulting.

Frequently asked questions about switching platforms with Hubstaff

Aufiero Informática is the official Hubstaff distributor in Latin America.