Questions businesses ask before choosing an IT partner

Managed IT services is a model where a technology partner proactively manages your business's IT infrastructure, security, and helpdesk for a predictable monthly fee instead of billing by the hour when something breaks. At WEBIT, managed IT includes unlimited remote and onsite support, 24/7 monitoring and patching, Microsoft 365 administration, Security Essentials protection on every managed device, a named Client Success Manager, a dedicated Field Engineer, regular health assessments, and a CIS Controls security baseline. A vCIO with an 18-month technology roadmap, a vCISO, and managed compliance are available as add-ons. Onboarding is completed within 30 days, and every engagement is backed by a 90-day money-back guarantee.

WEBIT answers live phone calls in under 60 seconds, acknowledges every ticket within 15 minutes, and averages a response time of under 2 minutes. These are measured metrics, not aspirational targets. Your dedicated Field Engineer already knows your environment before an issue occurs, which shortens the time between contact and resolution. Your Service Statement also sets response targets by priority: 1 hour for critical issues such as an outage or an active security incident, 2 hours for high, 4 hours for medium, and 8 hours for routine requests. On the Priority support level, critical and high issues are also covered weekday evenings until 10 PM and on weekends and holidays from 8 AM to 10 PM.

Break-fix IT means you call a provider when something goes wrong and pay for each incident. Managed IT is a proactive model where a provider monitors, maintains, and secures your systems continuously under a monthly agreement. WEBIT moved from break-fix to managed IT in the early 2000s, well before most IT providers adopted the model. The difference matters because proactive monitoring prevents most incidents before they affect your business, while break-fix gives a provider a financial reason to let problems happen.

A virtual CIO is a senior technology advisor who works with your leadership team to align technology decisions with business goals. A vCIO builds your 18-month technology roadmap, plans your annual IT budget, manages vendor relationships, and runs a quarterly Technology Business Review. WEBIT offers a dedicated vCIO as an add-on to managed IT, and a vCISO for businesses that need a named security advisor. If your business has 20 to 200 employees and depends on technology to operate, a vCIO is usually worth it. Learn more about strategic IT services.

Co-managed IT is for businesses that have internal IT staff but need more coverage, security expertise, or strategic support. WEBIT fills the gaps without replacing your internal team. Common arrangements include WEBIT handling security, helpdesk overflow, after-hours coverage, or major projects while your staff runs the day-to-day environment. Fully managed IT is for organizations with no internal IT department, where WEBIT handles everything. Co-managed support starts at $69.99 per end user per month on Essential, $99.99 on Priority, and $189.99 on Always On. Get a ballpark with the co-managed IT pricing calculator.

During the 30-day onboarding, WEBIT audits your current IT environment, documents every system, application, and configuration, identifies immediate risks and gaps, and moves your support over to WEBIT's team. You receive a current-state report and a prioritized remediation plan. If you add a vCIO, that work becomes the foundation of your 18-month technology roadmap. Your team keeps working without interruption throughout the process.

A Technology Business Review is a structured quarterly meeting between WEBIT and your leadership team that covers IT performance, security posture, budget, upcoming projects, and progress on your 18-month roadmap. It keeps technology decisions visible and accountable to your business goals. TBRs also produce the documentation auditors and boards often ask for to confirm that IT governance is active. TBRs are part of WEBIT's vCIO service.

WEBIT's cybersecurity is built in layers for businesses with 20 to 200 employees. Security Essentials is included on every managed workstation and server: Zero Trust endpoint protection that blocks anything not explicitly allowed, application allowlisting, DNS filtering, and vulnerability management. Security Advanced adds Microsoft 365 threat detection and response, advanced email security, Microsoft 365 backup, security awareness training with phishing tests, and dark web monitoring. Optional add-ons include Duo multi-factor authentication, managed SIEM with 24x7 alerting, Shadow AI protection, a business password vault, and privileged access management. Every client is baselined to the CIS Controls, and managed compliance for frameworks such as NIST CSF, HIPAA, and CMMC is available.

Managed Detection and Response is a security service that continuously watches your endpoints, accounts, and user behavior for threats that traditional antivirus misses. When a threat is detected, a security team responds right away to contain it before it spreads. MDR matters because the gap between a breach and its discovery is often days or weeks, and damage grows the longer an attacker goes unnoticed. The Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report tracks how attackers get in each year, and stolen credentials, phishing, and exploited vulnerabilities remain leading entry points. WEBIT provides detection and response for Microsoft 365 through Security Advanced, protects endpoints through Security Essentials, and adds 24x7 log alerting with managed SIEM.

WEBIT protects against ransomware in layers: Zero Trust application allowlisting that stops unapproved programs, including ransomware, from running; continuous threat detection and response; email security to block the phishing messages that start most attacks; multi-factor authentication to stop credential-based entry; privileged access management to remove standing admin rights; and backup with offsite copies so you can recover without paying. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than one million complaints in 2025, with reported losses of nearly $21 billion. Ransomware will be attempted against most businesses. The question is whether your defenses hold when it is.

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is a set of guidelines from the National Institute of Standards and Technology that helps organizations manage cybersecurity risk. Version 2.0 organizes that work into six functions: Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover. Regulators, cyber insurers, and auditors recognize it as a benchmark for security maturity. Every WEBIT client starts with a CIS Controls baseline, which maps directly to NIST CSF. Full NIST CSF alignment, including policies, control mapping, evidence collection, and audit support, is part of WEBIT's Managed Compliance service, which can also cover the NIST AI Risk Management Framework.

Yes. Security awareness training is part of WEBIT's Security Advanced package. It runs year-round with simulated phishing tests modeled on real attacks, followed by short training for the people who need it most. The goal is consistent reflexes, so when a real threat arrives your team recognizes it and knows what to do. People are one of the most common entry points for ransomware and business email compromise, which makes training one of the highest-return security investments a business can make.

If you are a WEBIT client with an active incident, call support at 630-523-0220 right away. If you are not a client yet, call 630-526-8030. WEBIT's average response time is under 2 minutes, and your dedicated Field Engineer already knows your environment. The response sequence is immediate triage and containment, isolation of affected systems, investigation to find the entry point and scope, remediation and recovery, and a post-incident report with recommendations to prevent a repeat. If your business carries cyber liability insurance, WEBIT coordinates with your insurer throughout.

WEBIT publishes its prices. Support starts at $89.99 per computer user per month on Essential, $129.99 on Priority, and $229.99 on Always On, plus a per-device fee for endpoint management and Security Essentials. Where you land depends on your support level, device count, security add-ons, backup, and advisory services. For example, 25 computer users and 5 email-only users with 30 workstations, 2 servers, and Security Advanced comes to about $3,673 per month on Essential support. The base agreement covers unlimited remote and onsite support, 24/7 monitoring, Security Essentials on every device, a Client Success Manager, and a dedicated Field Engineer. A one-time onboarding fee, stated in your quote, applies, and every engagement is backed by a 90-day money-back guarantee. Get an instant estimate with the managed IT pricing calculator or see pricing.

Both, so your price reflects what WEBIT actually supports and protects. Support is priced per computer user. Endpoint management and Security Essentials are priced per managed device, with servers at a higher rate than workstations. Email-only staff have their own lower rate, and shared mailboxes are free. The pricing calculator shows exactly how users and devices add up for your business.

No. Your agreement covers unlimited remote and onsite support with no per-ticket fees. Work outside the agreement, such as projects, after-hours work, and emergency or holiday work, is billed at published professional services rates ($300 flat for a move, add, or change, $225 per hour for projects, $300 per hour for extended hours, and $450 per hour for emergency and holiday work) and approved before it starts. The Priority support level adds emergency coverage for critical and high-priority issues outside normal business hours: weekdays from 5 PM to 10 PM, and weekends and holidays from 8 AM to 10 PM. Your agreement also states its three price mechanisms up front: a 5% increase on each anniversary, a quarterly reconciliation of user and device counts, and pass-through of vendor price changes such as Microsoft licensing. You approve all hardware and project costs before anything is purchased, and hardware is sourced at cost with no markup. WEBIT has received the BBB Torch Award for Ethics twice.

WEBIT agreements are month-to-month with no minimum term. Either party can end the agreement with 90 days' written notice, and any termination fee is limited to the fees through that notice period. Every engagement also starts with a 90-day money-back guarantee: if you are not satisfied with WEBIT in the first 90 days, you get every dollar back. The full terms are in the Master Services Agreement and the Service Statement.

No. WEBIT does not accept vendor commissions or kickbacks for recommending hardware, software, or services. Every recommendation reflects what fits your environment and your roadmap. Hardware is sourced at cost with no markup, you see the full cost of every purchase before it is made, and the reasoning behind every recommendation is documented and available to you.

Yes. WEBIT aligns healthcare IT environments to the HIPAA Security Rule, including access controls, audit logging, encryption in transit and at rest, automatic logoff, and transmission security. WEBIT signs a business associate agreement and maintains the documentation auditors request: access logs, patch records, risk assessments, and incident response procedures. Every client starts with a CIS Controls baseline, and WEBIT's Managed Compliance service maps your environment to HIPAA technical safeguard requirements and keeps the evidence current. See IT for medical practices.

Yes. WEBIT aligns IT environments for financial services firms to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, including the FTC Safeguards Rule standards for protecting customer financial information. WEBIT maintains audit documentation, manages access controls, and configures security monitoring aligned to GLBA and applicable state requirements. For RIAs and registered firms, WEBIT also helps prepare for FINRA and SEC cybersecurity examinations. See IT for financial services.

WEBIT supports the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF 2.0), the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, CIS Controls, the HIPAA Security Rule, the GLBA and FTC Safeguards Rule, SOC 2, PCI DSS, CMMC and NIST 800-171, and cyber insurance readiness. Every client is baselined to the CIS Controls at no extra cost. WEBIT's Managed Compliance service covers two frameworks, with additional frameworks available, and includes policies, control mapping, evidence collection, and audit support.

Most cyber insurers now require specific controls before issuing or renewing a policy: multi-factor authentication, endpoint detection and response, backup with tested restores, email security, and documented incident response procedures. WEBIT implements and maintains these controls through Security Essentials and Security Advanced, with Duo MFA and backup available as add-ons. WEBIT also helps prepare the documentation insurers request at application and renewal, and a WEBIT vCISO can complete insurer security questionnaires with you.

Yes. WEBIT's Managed Compliance service maps your environment to the frameworks that apply to you, identifies gaps, delivers a remediation plan, and maintains the evidence auditors request. For clients in regulated industries, WEBIT keeps compliance documentation current all year, so an audit or examination does not turn into a scramble. Clients with a vCISO also get quarterly security reviews that track compliance posture. See cybersecurity and compliance.

The clearest signals are slow or unresponsive support, surprise invoices, no proactive strategy or roadmap, recurring problems that never get fully fixed, a provider that reacts to incidents instead of preventing them, and a general sense that IT is a cost rather than a business asset. If your provider cannot explain your security posture, your technology plan, or the return on your IT spend, those are signals too. WEBIT offers a no-obligation discovery call to review your current environment and give you a clear picture of where you stand.

WEBIT's project team manages the transition with zero operational disruption as the goal. It starts with a full environment audit in the first two weeks of onboarding. Systems are documented, administrative access is transferred, and monitoring is turned on. By day 30, your team is fully supported by WEBIT with no gap in coverage. WEBIT coordinates the handoff with your previous provider where needed, including recovering documentation and system access that belongs to your business.

No. WEBIT's onboarding is designed to prevent disruption during the transition, and your team keeps working normally throughout. The 30-day onboarding runs alongside your current support arrangement until the handoff is complete, so there is no gap in coverage.

Your business owns its IT assets: domain names, server configurations, software licenses, user accounts and credentials, backup data, and documentation of your systems. A provider may hold administrative credentials or licenses in its name on your behalf, but those should be transferable. If your current provider claims ownership of your domain, data, or configurations, that is a serious concern. WEBIT helps clients recover the documentation and access that belongs to them during the transition.

WEBIT is a 100% employee-owned managed IT and cybersecurity firm that has served Chicagoland businesses since 1996. Every person on your account is an employee-owner with a personal stake in your success. WEBIT accepts no vendor commissions, onboards no more than two new clients per month to protect service quality, backs every engagement with a 90-day money-back guarantee, and has won the BBB Torch Award for Ethics twice. WEBIT was named a Forbes Small Giants honoree for 2025 and 2026, is part of the Buildkin family of employee-owned companies, and has never been owned by a private equity firm. Learn more about WEBIT.

WEBIT became employee-owned in 2022. Employee ownership means team members hold a real share of the business and share in its success. For clients, it means the engineer who answers your support call and the advisor who builds your roadmap both have a direct stake in doing the work well. There are no outside investors or private equity owners pushing to cut service corners or maximize ticket volume. Read the WEBIT story.

WEBIT Services was founded in Naperville, Illinois in 1996 by Eric Rieger. The company has served Chicagoland businesses for 30 years, making it one of the longest-tenured managed IT providers in the region. WEBIT moved from break-fix IT to a proactive managed services model in the early 2000s and became employee-owned in 2022. Today WEBIT is part of the Buildkin family of employee-owned companies.

WEBIT focuses on businesses and nonprofits with 20 to 200 employees across Chicagoland, including DuPage, Kane, Cook, Will, Lake, McHenry, DeKalb, and Kendall Counties. The best fit is an organization with no internal IT department, or a lean internal team that wants co-managed support, that sees technology as a strategic asset rather than just an operating cost. WEBIT is selective and onboards no more than two new clients per month so every client gets the attention they signed up for.

Yes. WEBIT serves businesses across eight counties in northern Illinois: DuPage, Kane, Cook, Will, Lake, McHenry, DeKalb, and Kendall. The Naperville headquarters is the base of operations, onsite field service covers the whole region, and remote support reaches your team wherever they work.

Limiting onboarding to two new clients per month is how WEBIT protects the service existing clients rely on. Every new client gets a full environment audit, documentation, a security assessment, and a 30-day onboarding. Taking on more at once would dilute the attention each one receives. It also keeps WEBIT selective, focused on clients that are a strong mutual fit rather than on volume.

Yes. WEBIT serves medical practices, dental offices, specialty clinics, senior living communities, and allied health organizations across Chicagoland. Healthcare IT requires HIPAA Security Rule expertise, support for EHR and imaging platforms (including Epic, Oracle Health (Cerner), eClinicalWorks, Veradigm (Allscripts), NextGen, and PACS), and fast response for systems that affect patient care. WEBIT signs a business associate agreement and keeps HIPAA documentation current from onboarding forward. See medical, dental, and senior living IT.

Yes. WEBIT serves RIAs, accounting firms, insurance agencies, wealth management practices, and other financial services organizations across Chicagoland. Financial services IT involves alignment to GLBA and the FTC Safeguards Rule, FINRA and SEC cybersecurity examination standards, and state requirements such as insurance data security laws. WEBIT implements the controls those frameworks require, maintains audit documentation, and helps prevent wire and payment fraud. See financial services and insurance IT.

Yes. WEBIT has a long history of serving nonprofits, social service agencies, libraries, and food access organizations across Chicagoland. Nonprofit IT involves support for donor management platforms (Blackbaud, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, Bloomerang, DonorPerfect), Microsoft 365 nonprofit licensing, security for donor and beneficiary data, shared devices for volunteers, and IT planning aligned to grant cycles and budgets. See nonprofit and library IT.

Yes. WEBIT serves manufacturers, printers, and distributors across Chicagoland. Manufacturing IT requires segmentation between OT and IT networks to protect production systems, ERP and MES support (Epicor, Microsoft Dynamics 365, EFI Pace, Pageflex, Global Shop Solutions), CAD and CAM support (SolidWorks, Autodesk), CMMC readiness for defense suppliers, and ransomware protection built for environments where downtime carries a measurable hourly cost. See manufacturing and distribution and logistics IT.

Yes. WEBIT serves AEC firms across Chicagoland with IT built around design and construction workflows: CAD and BIM support (AutoCAD, Revit, Civil 3D, SolidWorks, Autodesk Construction Cloud, SketchUp), construction platform support (Procore, Sage 300, HCSS HeavyJob and HeavyBid), storage built for large files, jobsite connectivity and mobile device management, and protection for design files and project data. See architecture, engineering, and construction IT.