We do not have any passwords or documentation. Is that a problem?

It is normal. Most takeovers start with a domain name and a login or two. Ownership of the domain and hosting account is usually enough to recover the rest, and the audit shows where the gaps are.

Will you work alongside the old developer?

Happily, if they are available. A clean handover is faster for everyone. If they are not, the audit does the handover without them.

What if the whole thing needs rebuilding?

You will hear that early, with the reasons and a written quote. Content and data come across. Anything that would slow or weaken the new build is replaced, and you know which parts before work starts.

Do you take over WordPress sites?

Yes, often. Patching through a staging copy, a safe update kit, custom plugins maintained and the store's sales path monitored.

Rescue and Takeover

Someone else built it, they have moved on, and now it is yours to deal with.

The developer moved on or the agency closed, and the one person who understood the server left with them. Now the site is slow or the store throws errors, the passwords are missing and you are not sure what is even running. This is a large part of the work I do. I take it over, find out what is there, fix what is urgent, write it all down and keep it running from then on.

First, find out what you have

Reviewing an inventory of systems on a tablet.

The onboarding audit

Before changing anything I inventory it. Servers, sites, domains, DNS, email, cloud accounts, backups, certificates, integrations and who holds access to each. A read only script gathers the facts without touching anything live. You get one page showing what exists, what is at risk and what to do first.

Past takeovers have turned up servers still billing that no one knew about, backups that had never been tested, domains a month from expiry and a former contractor who still held admin on everything, including the account the business phones depended on. All found before they became a Saturday emergency.

Then close the doors that are still open

A steel padlock standing on a laptop keyboard.

Access review and leaver cleanup

Every password, key, API token and admin role gets listed, rotated or removed and handed to you in a password manager you control. Logins get two step sign in. Forgotten firewall rules get reviewed. The previous people are offboarded completely, while anything their accounts still ran keeps running.

You end up as the owner of your own systems, with a written list of who can do what, and the ability to let someone go without wondering what they still have.

Fix what is urgent, without making it worse

Servers in a rack, the kind of system a rescue starts with.

Careful repair of unfamiliar systems

Unknown systems get a backup proven to restore before anything is touched, then changes one at a time with a before and after check and a rollback ready. End of life servers get patched the same day and a rebuild planned. Broken stores get the sales path tested end to end. Slow sites get measured, then fixed at the cause rather than upgraded around.

Where a rebuild would serve you better, I say so and quote one that keeps your content and data. Either way you get documentation that the next person, or you, can follow.

How a rescue is priced

Onboarding audit

Full inventory of what you have, who can access it and what is at risk, with a prioritised action list. Half the audit fee is credited against the first fixes.

Emergency stabilisation

Something is down or actively broken. Proven backup, the urgent fix and a written account of what happened and what to do next.

Access review and offboarding

Every credential, key and admin role found, rotated or removed and handed over in a password manager you control.

Ongoing care

Monitoring, patching, backups and a monthly report after the rescue, billed for the hosting you use and the hours spent.

If you are in the middle of an outage, say so in the form and it is handled first.

Jobs are quoted in writing after a free scope, so you know the number before any work starts.

Where you stand afterwards

A clear list of what you are running, what it costs and what it is for
Every password and key in your hands, and the old ones gone
Urgent faults fixed with a backup proven first and a rollback ready
Documentation the next person can follow
An engineer who answers when something needs attention

Rescue questions

It is normal. Most takeovers start with a domain name and a login or two. Ownership of the domain and hosting account is usually enough to recover the rest, and the audit shows where the gaps are.

Takeovers I have done

Viscous Bits has been an irreplaceable partner to our business for years. They built us a Virtual Private Server and still maintain it, moved all of our lead generation sites onto it and modernized every one of them. They have built many web applications for us over the years and replaced our Zapier subscriptions with custom coded APIs, which took a recurring cost off our books. When we need a new site they help us stand one up in days with AI. If a lead ever goes missing they find it and get it back to us, and when one of our clients escalates a problem they respond right away. We are especially impressed with the personal service and quick turnaround time.

Eli Veck | Sellmore Windows & Doors

Often paired with: Managed Servers and Websites, Security and Privacy.

Tell me what you inherited

What it is, what is wrong and what access you have. If it is down right now, say so. You get a written plan back, free.

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