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Moving to Amazon Web Services works best when someone plans the move, tests it and stays on after cutover. You get a local team that maps your systems, moves them in stages and keeps costs in check.
Get a Free IT AssessmentAmazon Web Services is a rented set of computing, storage and networking that runs in Amazon’s data centers instead of a closet in your office. An AWS migration moves your servers, files and line-of-business applications there, in a planned order. Done well, your staff sign in on Monday and see little difference except that things run faster and more reliably.
Most Chicago businesses that ask about AWS have a familiar problem. A server is five or six years old. The lease on a Loop or River North suite is coming up. A key application is slowing down, or the owner is tired of worrying about a single box under a desk. AWS can solve those problems, but only when the move is matched to how your business actually works.
That is why the first step is not moving anything. It is a review of what you run, who uses it, how much data you hold and what breaks if it is offline for an hour. From that, you get a written plan with a schedule and a monthly cost estimate. You decide whether to go ahead. Nothing moves until you say so.
Chicago offices deal with aging buildings, shared risers and the occasional storm or power flicker that takes a closet server down. Hosting critical systems in AWS takes that single point of failure out of your suite. Your data sits across multiple facilities, and your staff can reach it from the office, from home or from a client site in the suburbs.
AWS is also easy to overspend on. Servers are sized too large, old test machines keep running and storage piles up. A good migration right-sizes everything from the start and keeps watching the bill afterward. You get the benefits of AWS without a surprise invoice, and a clear answer to the question of whether staying put would have cost less.
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.
We start by listing every server, application, database and connection. Then we mark what should move as is, what should be rebuilt and what can be retired. Many offices find old servers that nobody uses but that still cost money to keep running.
You receive a written plan with a sequence, a timeline and a monthly AWS cost estimate. It names the risks, such as an application tied to old software, so there are no surprises on cutover night.
File servers, application servers and databases each have their own needs. Each is copied to AWS, tested and only then switched over. The old server stays available until you are sure the new one works.
Cutovers happen at night or on weekends, so your team keeps working during the day. If a problem shows up, there is a rollback step ready to bring the old system back quickly.
AWS only works well if your office connection is ready for it. We review your internet service, set up a secure link between your office and AWS and make sure remote staff can sign in safely.
Firewall rules, user access and network segments are set up with the least access needed. Staff only see what their role requires, and changes are documented.
Moving to AWS does not automatically back up your data. We set up backups for each workload, decide how long to keep them and store copies in a separate location from the main data.
Restores are tested on a schedule. You get a short report showing that a file or server could actually be brought back, and how long it took.
The first months matter most. We monitor performance, apply updates and review the AWS bill each month. Oversized servers are trimmed and unused resources are shut off.
Your staff call one help desk for anything, whether it is a password or a slow application. You do not need to learn AWS or hire someone who has.
Plenty of companies can fix a laptop. These are the three reasons clients mention most when they explain why they picked Ping 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.
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.
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.
Offices across Chicago and Cook County rely on aging servers for different reasons. The migration plan changes with the building, the staff and the industry, but the process stays the same.
Most Loop offices share a building’s internet riser, wiring closets and security desk. Managed IT here means working with property management on access and cabling, keeping remote access stable for commuters and scheduling after-hours work around building rules.
Creative agencies need fast Wi-Fi for large files and constant video calls, while medical offices near Northwestern Memorial need HIPAA-ready systems. Both get the same help desk, with security matched to the data they store.
Dental and medical practices, therapists and small firms run on a few critical systems: scheduling, imaging and billing. Managed IT keeps them patched, backed up and running before the first appointment of the day.
Point-of-sale systems, guest Wi-Fi and a handful of laptops can still take a shop offline. Managed IT separates guest and business networks and keeps payment systems updated and monitored.
Event, hospitality and professional offices near McCormick Place deal with seasonal rushes. Managed IT scales support around busy weeks and keeps shared and public spaces secure.
Practices and offices in Evanston and Skokie get the same remote help desk as downtown clients, with on-site visits scheduled for hardware, cabling and network work.
Logistics and distribution businesses near O’Hare run warehouses, scanners and shipping systems around the clock. Managed IT monitors those networks 24/7 and plans updates outside shift changes.
Many companies in Oak Brook, Naperville and Schaumburg run a suburban headquarters with a city branch. Managed IT connects both sites securely and supports staff at either location.
There are three common ways to get to AWS. The differences show up in planning, testing and what happens after the move.
| Topic | Ping Chicago | DIY With One IT Person | AWS Reseller or Large Consultancy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planning | Written plan, schedule & cost estimate | Often informal or in one person’s head | Detailed, but built for larger budgets |
| Local presence | Chicago team, on-site if needed | Your own staff on site | Often remote, sometimes out of state |
| Downtime | Cutovers after hours, rollback ready | Depends on experience with AWS | Planned, usually with a longer timeline |
| Cost control | Right-sized servers, monthly review | Easy to overbuy or forget resources | Focus on AWS spend, not total IT cost |
| Backups | Set up & restore-tested | Often assumed or skipped | Offered as add-on service |
| After the move | Help desk & monitoring included | Falls on the same one person | Separate support contract |
| Fit for small business | Built for 10 to 200 staff | Works for very simple moves | Often priced for larger companies |
The goal is simple: your systems run better and your team stops thinking about servers.
Core systems run in AWS instead of on aging hardware in your office.
Staff reach files and applications quickly from any location.
Backups and recovery steps are built into the new setup and tested.
You see what each workload costs and can adjust before it grows.
Different industries move different workloads, and each has its own timing and data concerns.
Document systems and client files moved with access controls and planning around court deadlines.
Healthcare PracticesPatient systems migrated carefully, with security and uptime planned around clinic hours.
ManufacturersERP and production data moved in stages so the floor keeps running.
Logistics CompaniesShipping and tracking systems migrated with minimal disruption to round-the-clock operations.
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.
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.
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.
After a free assessment you receive a written quote that lists what moves, when and what AWS will cost each month.
Most small offices with a few servers take four to twelve weeks from planning to final cutover. Simple file-server moves can be faster. Larger setups with databases or custom applications take longer because each piece needs testing before it moves.
Usually not for long. Data is copied to AWS while you keep working. The final switch happens in the evening or on a weekend and often takes a few hours. We plan it with you, and a rollback path is ready if needed.
It depends on how many servers you run, how much data you store and how heavily they are used. Many small offices typically spend a few hundred to a few thousand dollars monthly. A written estimate comes before any work begins.
No. Some companies are better served by Microsoft 365 alone, a different cloud or keeping a small on-site server. An honest review looks at your applications and budget first. If AWS is not the best fit, you will hear that.
Often yes, but it depends on the vendor. Some software needs a specific version, license or database setup. We check with the vendor and test before cutover so you do not lose access to something your staff rely on daily.
They stay available until you confirm the new setup works. After that, drives are wiped properly and the hardware is retired or recycled. You receive a record that the data was removed.
Access is limited to the people who need it, sign-ins use multi-factor authentication and data is encrypted. Logs are monitored for unusual activity. Security settings are documented so you can see exactly how things are configured.
No. After the migration, we handle monitoring, updates and billing reviews. Your staff use the same help desk they would for any other IT question. You get the benefit of AWS without building an in-house cloud skill set.
Yes. Many Chicago businesses move file storage, backups or one application first and leave the rest alone. A phased approach spreads cost and risk. You can add more workloads later if the first move goes well.
Costs are reviewed monthly, and servers are resized when usage is lower than planned. Budget alerts are set in AWS so surprises are caught early. If a workload does not make financial sense in the cloud, we tell you.
Need something slightly different? These services cover the same ground from another angle.
A free assessment shows what should move, what should stay and what it would cost each month.