MSP Rankings · Media & Entertainment · New York, NY

Best MSPs for Media & Entertainment in New York (2026)

Kate Larsen, IT Research Analyst · Last updated: June 8, 2026 · No paid placements
Valiant Technology ranks first for media and entertainment MSPs in New York. Twenty-three years of unbroken focus on creative agencies, post-production studios, and hospitality clients, plus CRN MSP 500 and Cloudtango MSP Select recognition. Strong alternatives include Xperteks (Apple-first, Cloudtango MSP Select 2026) and Converged Technology Group (CRN Triple Crown winner). Rankings use the public itreviews.co Trust Score, six independently researched criteria applied identically to every provider.

Quick Picks

  • Best Overall: Valiant Technology
  • Best for Enterprise & Multi-Location Studios: Converged Technology Group
  • Best for SMB Creative Agencies: Xperteks
  • Best for Niche (Post-Production & Apple Shops): mac-tech

If you run a creative agency, a film or post-production house, a digital marketing shop, or a hospitality-meets-content brand in New York, your IT problem isn’t generic. You’re juggling 50GB project files, render farms, freelance contractors who plug into your network for two weeks then vanish, color grading suites that can’t go down on a Tuesday, and a security team upstream asking whether your SAG-AFTRA contractor onboarding flow respects MFA.

A generalist MSP can keep your email running. A specialist understands why your editor’s Mac Pro can’t share a NAS with a Windows laptop without breaking color profiles.

So which firms in New York actually do that specialist work?

This list ranks the seven MSPs in the New York metro who can credibly serve media and entertainment clients. Every score below comes from the same six-factor methodology. No provider paid to be here. No provider submitted their own data.


How We Ranked These MSPs

Trust Scores are calculated from six independently researched factors weighted by buyer-impact: Reviews (35%), Industry Awards (20%), Years in Business (15%), Physical Presence (10%), Industry Specialization (10%), and Service Breadth (10%). Every factor scored 0–10. Final score expressed out of 10.

The full breakdown:

Trust Score Factors — NYC Media & Entertainment MSP Rankings

35%
Review ScoreAggregates verified review signals from Clutch (15%), Google (12%), and Cloudtango (3%). Clutch carries the heaviest weight because Clutch reviews require verified phone interviews. Google reflects volume and recency across the full client base. Cloudtango is the IT-specific signal. Rating maps to a 0–10 scale with logarithmic volume scaling, so a 5.0 from 32 reviews scores higher than 5.0 from 1.
20%
Industry AwardsTier 1 recognition includes Channel Futures MSP 501, CRN MSP 500, Cloudtango MSP Select, and Inc. 5000. Tier 2 covers regional and secondary lists. Self-described “award-winning” without a named, verifiable award counts for nothing.
15%
Years in BusinessTriangulated from company website, LinkedIn founding date, and domain registration. Building an MSP book in New York creative is a multi-year operational achievement. Twenty-plus years scores 9–10. Under 5 years scores 1–2.
10%
Physical PresenceHQ address verification, Google Maps presence, local engineering staff, and consistency between claimed coverage and documented offices. A Manhattan address with a verified Google Maps listing and named local engineers scores 9–10. A Long Island HQ with NYC service area scores lower than a Manhattan HQ.
10%
Industry SpecializationDedicated vertical service pages, named compliance certifications, named client references in media and entertainment. Listing “media” in a bullet list doesn’t count. Having a “Managed IT for Post-Production” page with named clients does.
10%
Service BreadthHelpdesk, network monitoring, endpoint management, cybersecurity (EDR/MDR), cloud, backup/DR, and strategic IT planning at the floor. Premium differentiators like vCISO, compliance-as-a-service, co-managed IT, and SIEM/SOC raise the score within band.

See exactly how we score every provider →


NYC Media & Entertainment MSP Comparison at a Glance

ProviderScoreBest ForKey StrengthLocationNotable Limitation
Valiant Technology8.2/10Creative agencies, hospitality brands23-year unbroken creative-industry focus, multiple Tier 1 awardsManhattan + Brooklyn + LANo public Clutch reviews
Xperteks7.3/10Apple-heavy SMB creative shopsApple-first MSP, Cloudtango MSP Select 2026Manhattan (463 7th Ave)Smaller team, no dedicated M&E page
Converged Technology Group6.3/10Mid-market and enterprise studiosCRN 2025 Triple Crown, 42 employees, named M&E verticalLong Island HQ, NYC satelliteLong Island HQ, acquired Aug 2025
TMG (ITMG)6.3/10Compliance-heavy agencies, publishing36 years, cyberCTRL GRC/SOAR/MDR/SIEM stackManhattan (Upper East Side)No Tier 1 industry award
MOHSO5.6/10Boutique creative agencies and production shopsDedicated M&E and ad-agency service pages, named clientsManhattan (Upper East Side)10 years old, 1 Google review
ETech 75.5/10Generalist Manhattan SMBs that touch mediaStrong Google signal (5.0/22), Manhattan officeManhattan (Diamond District)Media is 1 of 9+ verticals, no Tier 1 award
mac-tech3.9/10Post-production, audio, VFX, podcasting shopsExplicit creative-vertical pages, 21 years, SoHoSoHo NYCZero public reviews anywhere

The Top 7 MSPs for Media & Entertainment in New York

1
The 23-Year Creative-Industry MSP
8.2
out of 10
Trust Score

Score Breakdown

Reviews (35%)7.1
Awards (20%)9.0
Years in Business (15%)9.0
Physical Presence (10%)9.0
Specialization (10%)8.0
Service Breadth (10%)9.0
Valiant Technology managed IT services for media and entertainment in New York — homepage

Valiant has been doing one thing in New York since 2002. Tech for creative people. Agencies, post-production houses, fashion brands, hospitality groups. Their tagline literally reads “Stability. Security. Scalability.” in a market that usually demands all three at once.

Key Strengths

  • Two Tier 1 awards across the most recent cycle: CRN MSP 500 (2024) and Cloudtango MSP Select USA (2025)
  • The longest unbroken creative-vertical focus on this list. Twenty-three years.
  • Manhattan office at 307 7th Avenue plus Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Named leadership including Tom Boyle (CEO) and Georg Dauterman (President) is on the site, not buried in a LinkedIn lookup
  • Strongest Google signal in the M&E specialist tier: 5.0/32 reviews, more recent reviews than any other independent on this list
  • Partner stack reads like a creative-shop bill of materials: SonicWall, Microsoft, Cisco Meraki, Eset, Dell, Datto

Limitations

  • No public Clutch reviews on their profile, which knocks the Review Score even though Google and Cloudtango are both strong
  • Pricing leans premium. The Hourly Rate band on Clutch lists at $150 to $199 per hour, which is high for SMBs with under 20 seats
  • Not built for clients that want a transactional break-fix model. Valiant sells a relationship, not a ticket queue

Best For

Creative agencies, fashion and beauty brands, post-production studios, and hospitality-meets-content companies with 25 to 250 seats and a Mac-heavy environment.

Not Ideal For

Sub-15-seat startups looking for the cheapest possible per-user MSP, or pure Windows shops with no creative workflow at all.

Services

Managed ITCybersecurityUnified CommsCloud MigrationBusiness ContinuityMDMvCIO

Industries

Creative AgenciesAdvertisingFashion & BeautyHospitalityContent Production

Why They Rank #1

Valiant is the only firm on this list with both major Tier 1 awards inside the current scoring window AND a verifiable two-decade history of selling to creative buyers. Other firms either have the awards but treat M&E as one vertical among ten, or specialize in creative work but lack the third-party recognition that gets them through procurement at a larger agency or brand. Valiant has both. That combination is hard to manufacture.

2
The Apple-First NYC MSP
7.3
out of 10
Trust Score

Score Breakdown

Reviews (35%)6.6
Awards (20%)7.0
Years in Business (15%)9.0
Physical Presence (10%)8.0
Specialization (10%)6.0
Service Breadth (10%)8.0
Xperteks Apple-focused managed IT services in NYC — homepage

Xperteks built its identity on something most MSPs avoid. Macs. They started supporting Apple environments in 2001 when remote management tools were Windows-only, and they’re still doing it.

Key Strengths

  • Cloudtango MSP Select USA 2026 recognition (current cycle)
  • Twenty-four years of operation under continuous leadership. CEO Marcial Velez has run the firm since the early days.
  • Google rating sits at 4.9 across 15 reviews, the second-strongest signal on this list
  • Apple specialty is a real differentiator in creative environments where Final Cut Pro, Avid, Adobe Creative Cloud, and DaVinci Resolve workflows dominate

Limitations

  • No public Clutch reviews, which suppresses the Review Score
  • No dedicated “Media & Entertainment” or “Creative Agencies” page on xperteks.com. The Apple specialty is the M&E signal, but it’s implicit, not explicit
  • Smaller operation. Roughly 14 employees per public records. That’s a Pro for clients who value direct senior access. A Con for clients who need 24/7 follow-the-sun coverage

Best For

Mac-heavy SMB creative agencies, design studios, and small advertising shops with 10 to 80 seats who want hands-on technical depth on Apple environments.

Not Ideal For

Large multi-office studios needing a 40-plus engineer bench, or compliance-driven shops where the lack of named vCISO services is a gap.

Specialty

Apple / Mac-First24 YearsCloudtango MSP Select 2026

Creative Software

Final Cut ProAvidAdobe Creative CloudDaVinci Resolve

Why They Rank #2

Xperteks earns its position the hard way. Current Tier 1 recognition (this year, not last), a strong recent Google signal, and a niche specialty that genuinely matches creative-industry needs. The reason they don’t catch Valiant is structural. No dedicated M&E content, no named creative-industry client list, and a smaller delivery footprint that makes them harder to scale into for buyers above 100 seats.

3
The Larger Firm With Real M&E Credentials
6.3
out of 10
Trust Score

Score Breakdown

Reviews (35%)4.1
Awards (20%)8.0
Years in Business (15%)8.0
Physical Presence (10%)5.0
Specialization (10%)7.0
Service Breadth (10%)9.0
Converged Technology Group media and entertainment IT services Long Island NYC — homepage

Converged is the bigger company on this list. Forty-two employees, Long Island HQ, named media and entertainment vertical, and the rare CRN Triple Crown distinction that signals breadth of solution-provider work.

Key Strengths

  • CRN 2025 Triple Crown award. That’s three CRN lists in the same year: Solution Provider 500, Tech Elite 250, and MSP 500
  • Named Media & Entertainment vertical on their site, alongside Healthcare, Legal, Financial Services, and Higher Education
  • Service breadth runs deep. Enterprise networking, collaboration, data center and cloud, security, and their Assist360° managed services platform
  • Nineteen years in business with documented leadership and a 42-person team

Limitations

  • HQ is in Islandia on Long Island, not Manhattan. They have NYC service-area coverage, but the engineering bench lives outside the city
  • Acquired by Focus Technology Solutions in August 2025. Brand continues, but acquisition cycles introduce operational uncertainty in the first 12 to 24 months
  • Only 4 Google reviews. Low volume relative to the firm’s actual size, which suggests either acquisition-era turnover in review collection or a client base that doesn’t post publicly

Best For

Mid-market and enterprise media clients with 100-plus seats, multi-office studios, or M&E parent companies that need a single MSP capable of handling networking, security, AND IT services under one MSA.

Not Ideal For

Manhattan-based SMB creative shops that want their MSP located close enough to send an engineer in person within two hours.

Services

Enterprise NetworkingCollaborationData Center & CloudSecurityAssist360°

Verticals

Media & EntertainmentHealthcareLegalFinancial ServicesHigher Education

Why They Rank #3

The award profile is real, and the M&E vertical isn’t a footnote. But the Long Island HQ and the recent acquisition introduce two structural drags the methodology can’t ignore. Physical Presence and operational stability both matter when you’re trusting a single firm with a render farm at 2:00 AM on a Saturday.

4
TMG (Information Technology Management Group)
The 36-Year Cybersecurity-First Veteran
6.3
out of 10
Trust Score

Score Breakdown

Reviews (35%)4.8
Awards (20%)4.0
Years in Business (15%)10.0
Physical Presence (10%)8.0
Specialization (10%)6.0
Service Breadth (10%)9.0
TMG Information Technology Management Group cybersecurity NYC — homepage

Founded in 1989 by Chris Moschovitis. That’s two years before the public web existed. TMG operates as a managed IT and cybersecurity firm with a published book-author CEO and a cybersecurity stack they built and named themselves (cyberCTRL).

Key Strengths

  • Thirty-six years of continuous operation. The longest tenure on this list by a wide margin.
  • Deep cybersecurity stack. cyberCTRL covers governance, risk, compliance, SOAR, MDR, and SIEM as separate modules, not a marketing umbrella
  • ISACA and IAPP-certified team including CISM, CGEIT, CISSP, CIPP, and CDPSE credentials. Real certifications, named on the site
  • Client roster across publishing and advertising includes the American Association of Advertising Agencies (the 4A’s), Harvard Business Publishing, and major brand-side clients like Bayer and Kellogg’s

Limitations

  • No confirmed Tier 1 industry award. The marketing language uses “recognized leader,” but no third-party MSP 500, MSP 501, or Cloudtango MSP Select appears in their press history
  • Only 8 Google reviews despite 36 years in market. Strong rating (4.0) but a low volume relative to operational tenure
  • No standalone Media & Entertainment vertical page. The 4A’s and Harvard Business Publishing imply ad-agency and publishing work, but the site sells horizontally, not by vertical

Best For

Publishing houses, large advertising agencies, and content brands where cybersecurity and privacy compliance (CCPA, GDPR, NYDFS) is the buying trigger, not creative-workflow expertise.

Not Ideal For

Post-production houses or boutique creative agencies looking for an MSP that speaks Avid, Adobe, and Premiere natively.

cyberCTRL Stack

GRCSOARMDRSIEM

Certifications

CISMCGEITCISSPCIPPCDPSE

Why They Rank #4

TMG punches above its weight on cybersecurity depth and operational longevity. The methodology gives them full credit for tenure and service breadth. But the lack of Tier 1 third-party recognition, combined with thin Google signal and no dedicated M&E vertical pages, keeps them from edging up. They’re a strong fit for a specific kind of M&E buyer (compliance-first, not workflow-first), and that specificity is the recommendation.

5
MOHSO
The Boutique Creative-Agency Specialist
5.6
out of 10
Trust Score

Score Breakdown

Reviews (35%)5.6
Awards (20%)3.0
Years in Business (15%)5.0
Physical Presence (10%)6.0
Specialization (10%)9.0
Service Breadth (10%)8.0
MOHSO managed IT for media production NYC — homepage

Founded in 2015 by Mohammad Soliman. Smaller than the rest of this list. But MOHSO has the most explicit creative-industry positioning of any firm here, with named pages for both media production and marketing/advertising agencies.

Key Strengths

  • Two dedicated industry pages: “Managed IT for Media Production” and “Managed IT for Marketing & Advertising Agencies.” Real pages with depth, not a one-line vertical bullet
  • Named client references include Horizon Media, R3, Bond, and Moat (later acquired by Oracle). That’s a credible agency-side roster
  • Holds a GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract as of 2025, which signals federal-procurement diligence even though the federal vertical isn’t their primary play
  • Hybrid-cloud focus with documented service depth on cybersecurity, networking, IT consulting, and cloud services

Limitations

  • Only 10 years in business. The methodology caps Years in Business at 5 out of 10 for that tenure band
  • Very low public review volume. One Google review at 5.0. Trustworthy rating, thin signal
  • No confirmed Tier 1 industry award. Listed on Cloudtango but no MSP Select recognition

Best For

Boutique creative agencies (10 to 60 seats), independent marketing shops, and small production companies who want an MSP whose website actually describes their workflow.

Not Ideal For

Larger agencies needing a 30-plus engineer bench, or buyers who treat MSP tenure and award profile as a procurement gate.

M&E Pages

Media ProductionMarketing & Advertising Agencies

Named Clients

Horizon MediaR3BondMoat

Why They Rank #5

The specialization signal is the strongest on this list relative to firm size. If you read only the vertical pages, MOHSO sounds like a top-three pick. The methodology pulls them down for tenure and review volume, both of which are real constraints, not arbitrary penalties. Worth a conversation if your shop matches their named client profile.

6
ETech 7
The Generalist Manhattan MSP With a Strong Google Signal
5.5
out of 10
Trust Score

Score Breakdown

Reviews (35%)6.3
Awards (20%)3.0
Years in Business (15%)6.0
Physical Presence (10%)8.0
Specialization (10%)3.0
Service Breadth (10%)7.0
ETech 7 managed IT services Manhattan — homepage

ETech 7 sells managed IT services to a wide range of NYC small and mid-sized businesses. Founded 2012, Diamond District office, named CEO Emil Isanove, twenty-person team. Media shows up in their list of served industries alongside dental, legal, financial, food, non-profit, and pharmaceutical.

Key Strengths

  • Strongest non-Tier-1 Google profile on this list. 5.0 rating across 22 reviews
  • Real Manhattan office at 30 W 47th Street, named leadership, verifiable team
  • Service breadth includes managed IT, helpdesk, cybersecurity, cloud, backup and disaster recovery, and IT strategy advisory
  • Thirteen years in operation. Past the typical MSP attrition window of years 3 through 7

Limitations

  • Media and entertainment is one of 9 or more verticals on their site. No dedicated M&E service page, no named creative-industry clients
  • No confirmed Tier 1 industry award. Listed on Cloudtango but no MSP Select recognition
  • The generalist positioning is honest, but it means you’re not buying domain depth on Avid, post-production color pipelines, or SAG-AFTRA contractor onboarding

Best For

Manhattan small businesses with 15 to 75 seats whose technology needs are largely conventional, with media work as a minority of the operation rather than the core identity.

Not Ideal For

Buyers who need an MSP that has visibly invested in creative-workflow specialization, post-production support, or named agency-side client references.

Services

Managed ITHelpdeskCybersecurityCloudBackup & DRIT Strategy

Signal

5.0/22 GoogleManhattan Office13 Years

Why They Rank #6

ETech 7 is a credible Manhattan generalist with a notably clean Google signal. The reason they’re below MOHSO despite a better review profile is specialization. The methodology weights Industry Specialization at 10%, and ETech 7’s media positioning is thin. A solid pick if you want a Manhattan MSP and your media workload is incidental, not central.

7
mac-tech
The Apple-Specialist Post-Production Veteran
3.9
out of 10
Trust Score

Score Breakdown

Reviews (35%)0.0
Awards (20%)2.0
Years in Business (15%)9.0
Physical Presence (10%)7.0
Specialization (10%)8.0
Service Breadth (10%)7.0
mac-tech Apple post-production IT services SoHo NYC — homepage

mac-tech is the closest thing to a SoHo institution on this list. Founded 2004, located at 594 Broadway in the actual creative heart of New York, with explicit service pages for design agencies, advertising, post-production, VFX, audio production, and podcasting.

Key Strengths

  • The most explicit vertical-by-vertical M&E breakdown on this list. Separate pages for design, advertising, post-production VFX, audio, and podcasting
  • Twenty-one years of operation. Founded 2004
  • Acquired in January 2025 by Stable Rock Solutions, which adds HR and accounting services to their managed-IT line
  • SoHo office and Apple specialty match the creative-industry buyer profile precisely

Limitations

  • Zero public reviews. Not low. Zero. No Google reviews, no Clutch profile, no Cloudtango MSP Select
  • No confirmed Tier 1 industry award
  • The 2025 Stable Rock acquisition is recent enough that the operational shape of the combined firm is still settling

Best For

Post-production houses, audio studios, podcast production companies, design agencies, and VFX shops where the IT shop has to natively understand Apple-centric creative workflows.

Not Ideal For

Buyers whose procurement process requires public references, vendor scoring based on independent reviews, or third-party award validation as a gate.

Creative Verticals

DesignAdvertisingPost-Production / VFXAudioPodcasting

Profile

Apple-CentricSoHo21 YearsAcquired by Stable Rock (2025)

Why They Rank #7

mac-tech has all the qualitative signals of a strong M&E specialist. The score doesn’t reflect that. It reflects what’s publicly verifiable. Zero reviews, no Tier 1 awards, and a recent acquisition all suppress the score that buyer-fit alone would push higher. Worth a conversation if your workflow matches their explicit vertical pages and your procurement model can accommodate light public-signal evidence.


How to Choose an MSP for Media & Entertainment in New York

The wrong MSP for media isn’t a generic MSP. It’s a generic MSP that pretends to specialize. Pick the firm whose website, certifications, and client references match your actual workflow. But which signals matter most? Run the decision against four factors:

Workflow fit. Does the MSP’s site describe your environment, or could the page belong to any company? Look for named software (Avid, DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Creative Cloud, Pro Tools), named hardware patterns (NAS, render farms, color-managed displays), and named buyer pain (freelance contractor onboarding, file-size handling, project archival). Generic descriptions are a soft signal you’re going to be teaching them your industry on the clock.

Team size match. A 14-person MSP serving a 200-seat agency is going to struggle on Friday at 5:00 PM when three studios deploy at once. A 42-person MSP serving a 12-seat boutique is going to feel like an over-engineered relationship with a slow ticket queue. Match scale to scale. Most NYC creative shops between 25 and 100 seats land best with an MSP between 15 and 50 employees.

Geography signal. Manhattan-based clients with deadline-sensitive workflows benefit from an MSP whose engineers can physically reach the office within 60 to 90 minutes. Long Island MSPs serve NYC, but the response curve is different from a Manhattan or Brooklyn-based team.

Procurement gates. If you’re answering to a larger brand or enterprise parent, you’ll likely need an MSP whose third-party signals (CRN, Channel Futures, Cloudtango, Inc. 5000) pass the procurement filter. If your buying cycle is internal and informal, those signals matter less.

Most NYC creative agencies between 25 and 100 seats land best with Valiant. Larger multi-office studios should look at Converged. Compliance-heavy publishing and advertising shops fit TMG well. Boutique creative agencies and post-production houses should consider MOHSO or mac-tech depending on whether public signal or vertical specificity matters more for your procurement.


The Bottom Line

Valiant Technology earns the #1 position on this list because it’s the only New York MSP with both major Tier 1 industry awards inside the current scoring window AND a 23-year unbroken creative-industry focus. That combination is the hardest credential to fake. If your shop is a creative agency, fashion or beauty brand, post-production studio, or hospitality-meets-content company between 25 and 250 seats, they’re the most defensible starting conversation.

What if Valiant isn’t the right fit? Xperteks works for Mac-heavy SMB shops that want senior-engineer access. Converged Technology Group fits larger studios needing broader infrastructure depth. For compliance-driven work, TMG is the conversation worth having.

Browse all IT providers in New York to compare scores side by side.

Browse all MSP rankings →

Trust Score Breakdown

ProviderReviews
35%
Awards
20%
Years
15%
Presence
10%
Spec.
10%
Breadth
10%
Score
Valiant Technology7.19.09.09.08.09.08.2/10
Xperteks6.67.09.08.06.08.07.3/10
Converged Technology Group4.18.08.05.07.09.06.3/10
TMG (ITMG)4.84.010.08.06.09.06.3/10
MOHSO5.63.05.06.09.08.05.6/10
ETech 76.33.06.08.03.07.05.5/10
mac-tech0.02.09.07.08.07.03.9/10

Common Questions

Because the buying problem isn’t the same across the category. A 200-seat ad agency in Hudson Yards has a different infrastructure footprint than a 12-person VFX shop in DUMBO or a 60-person publishing brand in Midtown. The methodology produces a ranked list, but the right pick is workflow-dependent. Valiant ranks #1 on aggregate signal across the broadest M&E buyer base in NYC, but it’s not the only correct answer for every shop.
Six things, mostly. Native Mac and mixed-platform fluency. Familiarity with large-file workflows and NAS/SAN environments. Onboarding and offboarding flows tuned for freelance and contractor labor, which is constant in M&E. Knowledge of post-production color and audio chains that can’t be hard-rebooted mid-render. Awareness of guild contractor compliance like SAG-AFTRA or IATSE onboarding. And usually some pattern recognition on file archival and rights management that generalist MSPs don’t develop.
Roughly $150 to $300 per seat per month for a fully managed, security-included, creative-workflow-aware engagement in NYC. The lower end ($150ish) tends to come from generalist MSPs with media as one of many verticals. The upper end ($250-300+) reflects boutique creative specialists with senior-engineer staffing and white-glove response. Hourly rates for project work in this segment range from $150 to $199 per hour for the named firms on this list, per their published Clutch profiles where available.
Some, but not as much as it would in other categories. Boutique creative MSPs in New York frequently live on Cloudtango, CRN, and word-of-mouth instead of Clutch. Four of the seven firms on this list have no Clutch reviews at all. The Trust Score applies a penalty for Clutch absence (50% of the Clutch sub-weight is lost), but that penalty is shared across most of the candidate pool, so the relative ranking isn’t distorted by it.
Yes, but the size of the worry depends on the acquisition pattern. Acquisitions inside the last 12 months (mac-tech in January 2025 by Stable Rock, Converged in August 2025 by Focus Technology) are recent enough that the operational shape is still settling. Ask in your discovery calls about retention of key engineers, changes to MSAs, and whether the named leadership you’d be talking to is staying on. Acquisitions don’t disqualify, but they do warrant additional diligence.
Every six months minimum, and more often when scoring inputs change materially. Examples: a provider wins or loses a Tier 1 award, gets acquired, opens or closes a local office, or experiences a significant change in review velocity. The “Last updated” date at the top of this article reflects the most recent scoring cycle.