Yes, you should trust your network administrator. As the owner of a IT outsourcing company that specializes in managing small business networks the reality is, we don't have an interest in our clients data beyond making sure it is secure, available and backed up. No one gets into this business because we want to get into other companies networks and steal their data. With that said, I would hope that you vetted the company you hired. Did you meet with them before hiring them? Did you ask for references? If they are a start-up without references, did they indicate what their history was prior to start up? I'll only speak for myself, but when I engage with a new client, I'm looking for a long term relationship and to become a trusted adviser to the management of the client company. My company sees greater benefits from helping our clients grow by providing the right technology to run their business and running that technology efficiently and cost effectively. When the client's business grows, my business grows. As for some of the questions I see about whether this type of outsourcing is cheaper; yes it is, often by a long shot. At least as far as small businesses are concerned. Most SMBs don't have the need for full-time IT staff. It's a waste of money and resources in most instances. And the reason why all the providers want to perform management remotely; it's because it allows them to be more efficient, cheaper and respond more quickly.