The Loop
Mid-sized firms in the Loop often have one or two IT staff supporting whole floors. Co-managed IT gives them cover for after-hours work and building coordination.
Co-Managed IT Chicago
Keep your in-house IT person in charge and give them a help desk, security tools and specialists to lean on.
Get a Free IT Assessment- Your IT person stays in control
- Help desk overflow & after-hours cover
- Security & project specialists on call
Co-Managed IT Services in Chicago
Your IT person knows your business better than any outside provider ever will. What they don’t have is time, a second pair of hands or a security team behind them. Co-managed IT adds exactly that, without taking their job. Co-managed IT support works alongside your internal IT team instead of replacing it.
You decide the split. Some teams hand over the help desk so their IT lead can focus on projects. Others keep daily support and hand over security monitoring, patching and backups. Need a complete team instead? Outsourced IT support covers everything, and managed IT services explain the full model.
Still deciding whether to grow your own team? Read outsourced IT vs in-house IT in Chicago. For occasional help only, look at IT support services.
Why In-House IT Teams Choose Co-Managed IT
One or two people can’t answer every ticket, watch every alert, patch every machine and still deliver the projects leadership wants. Something always slips, and it’s usually security or documentation.
Co-managed IT takes the repetitive work off their desk and gives them backup for vacations, sick days and the 2 a.m. alert, so they can focus on work that moves the business.
What You Can Hand Over
Everything below is part of one monthly plan. Pick a topic to see what is handled for you and how it works in a Chicago office.
Fewer Tickets on Your IT Lead’s Desk
Password resets, printer problems and everyday requests go to the help desk, so your IT person can work on what matters.
Routine tickets are handled by the outside help desk using your own rules and escalation paths. Your IT lead only sees what truly needs them, with full notes attached.
- First-line support for all staff
- After-hours & weekend coverage
- Vacation & sick-day cover
- Escalation to your team when needed
A Security Team Behind Your IT Team
Threats are monitored around the clock and alerts are handled or escalated, so nothing waits until Monday.
Alerts are triaged around the clock, so nothing sits unanswered over a weekend. Your team gets a monthly summary and keeps the final say on every change.
- 24/7 monitoring & alert response
- Endpoint protection & patching
- Email security
- Monthly security reports
Extra Hands for the Big Projects
Migrations, office moves and new systems get specialist help, so your team doesn’t have to stop everything else.
Specialists join for the length of a project and hand everything back, documented, when it is done. Your IT person stays in charge of decisions and timelines.
- Microsoft 365 & cloud migrations
- Office moves & network upgrades
- Server replacements
- Project management
Better Tools Without Buying Them
Your team gets professional monitoring, ticketing and documentation tools that are expensive to license alone.
Monitoring, ticketing and documentation tools are shared with your team, so everyone works from the same screen. No separate systems and no hidden information.
- Remote monitoring & management
- Ticketing system
- Shared documentation
- Reporting dashboards
Specialist Help Your IT Team Can Call On
- IT Help Desk
- Cybersecurity
- Cloud Services
- Network Management
- Backup & Disaster Recovery
- Microsoft 365 Support
- vCIO & IT Strategy
- IT Assessments
- VoIP & Phone Systems
- Compliance & HIPAA
- Email Security
- On-Site IT Support
Why Chicago Offices Choose Ping Chicago
Plenty of companies can fix a laptop. These are the three reasons clients mention most when they explain why they picked Ping Chicago.
IT Support From People Who Know Chicago
Your technicians know how Loop high-rises handle building access, why basement server closets flood in summer storms and how long it really takes to reach Oak Brook at 4 p.m. That local knowledge turns into faster, calmer fixes.
- On-site visits across the city & suburbs
- Experience with building-managed networks
- Every office documented from day one
Problems Fixed Before They Stop Work
Your network, devices and backups are watched around the clock. Most issues are caught and fixed before anyone in your office notices, and the rest are explained to you in plain English.
- 24/7 monitoring of devices & network
- Updates installed after hours
- A monthly report on what was done
One Price, Written Down Before You Sign
You get a written per-user quote after a free assessment, with every included service listed. No hourly surprises, no emergency rates and no fine print about what counts as extra.
- Flat monthly fee per user
- Everything included, listed in writing
- Clear terms & notice period
Co-Managed IT in Popular Chicago Neighborhoods
Co-managed IT fits companies big enough to have their own IT staff. These are the areas where those companies are concentrated.
West Loop & Fulton Market
Growing tech and professional firms in the West Loop and Fulton Market use co-managed IT to keep up while they hire.
River North & Streeterville
Healthcare and agency offices in River North and Streeterville add security monitoring and compliance help to their internal team.
O’Hare Corridor
Logistics companies near O’Hare pair their in-house IT with round-the-clock monitoring for warehouses and dispatch systems.
Lincoln Park & Lakeview
Medical groups and professional practices around Lincoln Park and Lakeview often have one IT lead for several locations. Co-managed IT adds the help desk and monitoring behind them.
Western Suburbs
Suburban headquarters in Oak Brook, Naperville and Schaumburg use co-managed IT to support city branches without hiring there.
South Loop
Healthcare and education organizations in the South Loop often have a small IT team. Co-managed IT adds after-hours monitoring and extra hands for projects.
Evanston & the North Shore
Companies in Evanston and the North Shore with their own IT lead use co-managed IT for the help desk overflow and security monitoring around the clock.
Co-Managed IT vs. Going It Alone vs. Outsourcing
Three ways to run IT when you already have internal staff. Typical per-user rates for full plans are in managed IT services pricing in Chicago.
| Topic | Co-Managed WithPing Chicago | In-House Team Alone | Fully Outsourced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who stays in control | Your IT person | Your IT person | The provider |
| Help desk capacity | Your team plus a full help desk | Your team only | Provider help desk |
| After-hours coverage | Included | On-call burnout | Included |
| Security monitoring | 24/7 | Business hours at best | 24/7 |
| Vacations & sick days | Covered | Gaps | Covered |
| Internal knowledge | Kept in-house | Kept in-house | Moves to the provider |
| Best fit | Teams with 1 to 3 IT staff | Large IT departments | No IT staff at all |
What Changes for Your IT Team
Co-managed IT is measured by how much your internal team can finally get done.
Less Burnout
Routine work and night alerts move off your team’s plate.
Round-the-Clock Security
Threats are watched even when your team is offline.
Projects That Finish
Specialists keep big projects moving.
Better Tools
Your team gets professional tools without new licenses.
Co-Managed IT for Chicago Industries
Organizations with their own IT staff but specialist needs get the most from co-managed IT.
Healthcare
Security monitoring and HIPAA documentation alongside your internal IT staff.
ManufacturersHelp with plant networks and older systems while your team runs daily operations.
SchoolsDevice rollouts, network upgrades and help desk overflow during the school year.
Auto DealershipsDealer software, multiple locations and 24/7 monitoring alongside your IT lead.
What Chicago Clients Say
4.9
Average client rating
Tickets Closed in 12 Minutes
Our old provider took a day to answer. Now a typical ticket is closed in about 12 minutes, and password resets happen while I’m still on the phone. Our staff stopped complaining about IT within the first month, which never happened before.
Switched in Just 3 Weeks
We were nervous about changing providers with deadlines ahead. The whole move took three weeks, email and files kept working throughout, and every login and device was documented. Not one person missed a day of work because of it.
1 Bill & No More Surprises
We used to get surprise invoices every time something broke. Now it’s one predictable monthly bill, and problems get flagged before we notice them. Planning our IT budget takes five minutes instead of an argument with the owner.
Cost Clarity, Honest Fit & Next Steps
You get a written split of responsibilities and a monthly price after the free assessment. If your team only needs project help, you hear that too.
- Written per-user quote
- Honest advice on fit
- You decide the next step
Co-Managed IT in Chicago FAQs
What is co-managed IT?
Co-managed IT is a partnership between your in-house IT staff and an outside team. Your people stay in charge, and the outside team adds help desk capacity, security monitoring, tools and specialist skills.
Will co-managed IT replace our IT person?
No. The point is to support them. Your IT person keeps control of decisions and gets backup, tools and time for the projects only they can do.
Who decides which tasks you handle?
You do. Responsibilities are agreed in writing before the start and can change as your needs change.
How much does co-managed IT cost?
It is usually priced lower than a full managed plan, because your team keeps part of the work.
Is co-managed IT only for larger companies?
It suits any company with at least one IT person. Smaller teams without IT staff are usually better served by small business IT support.
Can you cover our IT person’s vacation?
Yes. Vacation, sick days and after-hours coverage are among the most common reasons companies choose co-managed IT.
Do you work with our existing tools?
Yes, where possible. If your tools work, they stay. If they leave gaps, you get access to professional monitoring, ticketing and documentation tools.
Who has admin access to our systems?
Your team keeps full admin access. The outside team gets only the access it needs for its agreed tasks, and every change is logged.
Can you help with one big project only?
Yes. Migrations, office moves and network upgrades can be done as projects, with or without an ongoing co-managed agreement.
How do we get started?
It starts with a free assessment of your systems and a conversation with your IT staff about where they need help. You then get a written plan with roles and pricing.
Related IT Services in Chicago
Need something slightly different? These services cover the same ground from another angle.
- Managed IT Services ChicagoOne monthly plan for your help desk, security, backups and network.View service
- IT Support Services ChicagoFast help with laptops, accounts, Wi-Fi and on-site fixes.View service
- Small Business IT Support ChicagoIT plans sized and priced for teams of 5 to 50 people.View service
- Outsourced IT Support ChicagoA complete IT department for your office, without hiring one.View service
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