40 Years in BusinessISO 27001 compliantPublic sector: GSA · CMAS & TESMA (CA)

LA 562-298-5000 · Chicagoland 312-432-5300 · Phoenix 602-733-6807 · Client Support

Chicago · Outsourced IT

Outsourced IT Support in Chicago

A full IT function for Chicagoland businesses, with local engineers, clear documentation and no loss of control.

  • 40 years in business
  • ISO 27001 compliant
  • GSA contract holder
  • ISNetworld member
  • 1-business-day engineer reply

Get your free IT assessment

Communication

Let's Start a Conversation

What's the best way for us to contact you?

Outsourced IT support for Chicago businesses that want control without the overhead

Outsourcing IT does not have to mean handing your systems to a faceless call center in another time zone. For many Chicagoland organizations, it means a small team of engineers who answer to you, know your locations, and can be on site in the Loop, along the I-88 corridor or in the northwest suburbs when the work calls for it. BTI provides outsourced IT support from our office at 1441 Branding Ave., Ste 200 in Downers Grove, with a local number, 312-432-5300, that reaches people who work on Chicago accounts.

This page is for organizations deciding whether to outsource IT entirely, outsource part of it or replace a provider that is not working. We explain what outsourced IT covers, how it differs from building an internal department, what to look for in a Chicago provider and how the transition works.

Talk to a Chicago IT engineer

Who outsources IT in Chicago, and why

The organizations that call us usually fit one of a few patterns:

No IT department yet

Companies with 20 to 150 employees that have outgrown the "office manager plus a nephew" model, but cannot justify hiring a help desk technician, a network engineer and a security specialist.

A departing IT person

A long-time systems administrator is retiring or leaving, and much of what they know is in their head. Outsourcing gives the business continuity and documentation.

Unhappy with the current provider

Tickets go unanswered, nobody visits the site, or every project becomes a surprise invoice. Switching providers is a common reason to talk with us.

Multi-site complexity

Offices in Chicago plus warehouses or branches in the suburbs, Indiana or Wisconsin, where a single-office provider struggles to keep standards consistent.

What is included in outsourced IT support

Outsourced IT from BTI is a full IT function delivered as a service. A typical Chicago engagement covers:

  • User support: a help desk for everyday issues, account changes, new hires and departures. Coverage depends on your plan: choose from business-hours and extended-hours help desk options, set by contract, backed by 24/7 NOC/SOC monitoring.
  • Network administration: firewalls, switches, Wi-Fi and internet circuits at each site, including carrier coordination when a circuit goes down.
  • Microsoft 365 administration: email, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, licensing and security settings such as MFA and conditional access.
  • Device management: laptop and desktop setup, patching, antivirus, inventory and refresh planning.
  • Backup and recovery: protection for servers, cloud data and key applications, with periodic restore testing.
  • Vendor management: we handle the calls to your ISP, copier company, phone vendor and software publishers so your staff do not have to.
  • Security basics done consistently, with deeper services available through our cybersecurity practice and high-security enterprise partners.
  • Planning: regular reviews, a technology roadmap and budget forecasts.

When work has to happen in person, such as cabling, hardware swaps or a new office build-out, we schedule on-site IT support in Chicago.

Outsourced IT vs hiring in-house in Chicago

Chicago is a competitive market for IT talent. Hiring one generalist gives you one person’s skills, one person’s vacation calendar and a single point of failure. Building a team that covers help desk, networking, Microsoft 365 and security means several salaries plus tools, training and management time. You can see managed IT pricing for typical per-user ranges.

ConsiderationIn-house hireOutsourced IT with BTI
Skill coverageLimited to the people you hireA team with help desk, network, cloud and security skills
Coverage during vacations or turnoverGapsContinuity through documentation and a shared team
Tools (monitoring, backup, ticketing)Purchased separatelyIncluded in the service
Local presenceYesDowners Grove office and scheduled on-site work
Control of prioritiesDirectDirect, through reviews and a named point of contact

Many organizations land somewhere in between: one internal IT lead plus BTI for depth. That is co-managed IT in Chicago, and it is often the best of both.

What to ask any Chicago outsourced IT provider

  1. Where are your engineers, and who will actually visit our sites? Ask for the office address and how on-site visits are scheduled.
  2. What is documented, and who owns the documentation? You should receive network diagrams, credentials and asset lists, and keep them if you leave.
  3. What is in scope and what costs extra? Projects, after-hours work and new-site setups should be defined up front.
  4. How do you handle security incidents? Ask who responds, how you are notified and what tools are in place.
  5. What compliance experience do you have? For Illinois organizations this may include HIPAA, CMMC for defense suppliers, or BIPA considerations for biometric systems.
  6. How do we exit? A good provider makes leaving straightforward. That is part of why you can trust them while you stay.

BTI answers these questions in writing during every proposal. We have been in business for 40 years, operate under an ISO 27001 compliant program, and hold GSA contract vehicles.

Switching providers without disruption

Changing IT providers worries many companies because the outgoing provider controls the credentials and documentation. Our transition process is built for that:

  • Discovery and inventory of every system, account and circuit, verified rather than taken from old notes.
  • Credential handover coordinated with the outgoing provider, with admin access confirmed before cutover.
  • Tool deployment for monitoring, patching and backup, running in parallel before the old tools are removed.
  • Staff communication, so every employee knows how to reach the new help desk on day one.
  • A 30/60/90-day plan that addresses the most urgent risks first.

Industries we support across Chicagoland

Manufacturing

Plants in Elk Grove Village, Bedford Park and the western suburbs need production-floor networks, shop-floor PCs and ERP systems that stay up across shifts. Defense suppliers also need help preparing for CMMC.

Logistics and distribution

Warehouses along I-55, I-80 and I-88 depend on reliable wireless for scanners, stable connections to carriers and WMS platforms, and fast replacement of failed hardware.

Professional services

Law, accounting and consulting firms in the Loop and suburbs need secure document management, Microsoft 365 governance and dependable remote access for hybrid staff.

Healthcare

Clinics and specialty practices need HIPAA-aware IT. See healthcare IT services in Chicago.

In each case, outsourced IT works best when the provider learns the business, not just the technology. Our onboarding includes time with operations leaders so support priorities match what actually stops work.

Outsourced IT and AI adoption

Smaller and mid-sized Chicago firms want to use AI tools like Microsoft Copilot but rarely have someone to set up permissions, data labeling and policies. Because we already run your Microsoft 365 environment, we can prepare it properly and help your team adopt AI where it pays off. See AI services and solutions.

Planning for Chicago winters and hybrid work

Every Chicago business has had a day when the office is technically open but half the staff cannot get there safely. Outsourced IT should make those days uneventful. We set up secure remote access, cloud file storage and Microsoft Teams calling so employees can work from home without workarounds, and we test that setup before the first storm instead of during it. For sites that must stay staffed, such as warehouses and plants, we make sure network equipment is on battery backup and that we can manage it remotely when travel is difficult.

Service area

Service area: Chicago, Downers Grove, Oak Brook, Naperville, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Itasca, Lombard and surrounding communities.

Related services

Frequently asked questions

What does outsourced IT support include?

User help desk, network and Microsoft 365 administration, device management, backup, vendor management, baseline security and IT planning, with on-site work scheduled when needed.

Is BTI local to Chicago?

Yes. Our Chicagoland office is at 1441 Branding Ave., Ste 200, Downers Grove, IL 60515. Call 312-432-5300.

Can we outsource only part of our IT?

Yes. Many clients keep an internal IT lead and use BTI for help desk, security operations or projects. This is called co-managed IT.

How do you switch us from our current provider?

We inventory systems, coordinate credential handover, run new tools in parallel, communicate with staff and follow a 30/60/90-day plan.

Who owns our documentation and passwords?

You do. Documentation and administrative credentials belong to your organization and are handed over if you ever leave.

How soon will someone reply to our inquiry?

An engineer replies within 1 business day.

Our Chicagoland work

A few recent installs by our Chicagoland team, working from our Downers Grove office.

BTI commercial install, Chicagoland automotive dealership: exterior security camera
BTI commercial install, Chicagoland automotive dealership: phone and network equipment
BTI commercial install, Downers Grove: Avigilon security camera
BTI commercial install, Downers Grove: Openpath access control reader

Talk to a Chicago IT engineer

Tell us about your locations, users and current setup. An engineer replies within 1 business day. Prefer to talk? Call our Downers Grove office at 312-432-5300.

Communication

Let's Start a Conversation

What's the best way for us to contact you?

Business inquiries only.

IT Services

Let's Start a Conversation

What's the best way for us to contact you?

Top quality brands, expert engineering, transparent cost, and maximum ROI.