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AHEAD

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Chicago, IL · Website

4.4 (35 reviews across 2 sources, 3 locations)

Enterprise cloud, security, and managed services platform. CRN MSP 500 Elite 150. Founded 2007 in Chicago.

Last updated: September 10, 2026

Default Fit Score

21.1%

Under default weights. Sign in to customize.

Our Assessment

AHEAD currently ranks #41 of 94 active, scored IT providers in our Chicago-area database, with a Default Fit Score of 21.1% — right at the pool average of 20.9%. Scores recompute nightly from public data under our published methodology; no provider pays to be ranked.

Its public review footprint spans 35 client reviews averaging 4.4/5: Clutch 4.5/5 (5 reviews); Google 4.4/5 (30 reviews). Employees rate the firm Indeed 4.0/5 (38 reviews); Glassdoor 3.8/5 (202 reviews) — employee sentiment feeds the score because it predicts service stability.

We have not recorded any security certifications or frameworks for this firm. We track 3 office locations for it in the Chicago area, from Google Places. 5 notable company events (awards, acquisitions, milestones) appear in its record below.

Public Criteria Attainment

Scored on 4 public criteria. Sign in to see all 10.

Client Reputation11%
Employee Reputation26%
Proactive Issue Reduction38%
Security Certification10%

AHEAD Reviews by Source

Clutch
4.5(5 reviews)
Google
4.4(30 reviews)

Google Reviews by Location

AHEAD1 mi from Chicago
4.5(27)
AHEAD17 mi from Chicago
3.0(2)
AHEAD35 mi from Chicago
5.0(1)

Employee Review Sources

Indeed
4.0(38 reviews)
Glassdoor
3.8(202 reviews)

Employee Role Analysis

Proactive vs. reactive employee role mix based on workforce composition data.

52 proactive, 86 reactive

Strengths

  • + Listed on 4 industry directoriesClutch, Indeed, Manifest, Glassdoor
  • + 2 Chicago-area officesGoogle
  • + Serves Healthcare, Finance, Legal, Education verticalsvendor website (claimed)

Weaknesses

  • - Limited client review volume (35 reviews)Clutch, Google
  • - Recent ratings trending down (-1.4 vs all-time)Google
  • - Heavily reactive support model (62% reactive roles)Apollo

Notable Events

Company milestones and achievements

AHEAD and Harness Expand Strategic Partnership

AHEAD and Harness expanded their strategic partnership to help enterprises scale governed agentic software delivery for artificial intelligence initiatives.

Sep 1, 2026

AHEAD Named Collaboration Partner of the Year in Glean Partner Awards

AHEAD was named Collaboration Partner of the Year in the inaugural Glean Partner Awards.

Aug 27, 2026

AHEAD Receives 2026 Rising Star Partner Award From Wiz

AHEAD received the 2026 Rising Star Partner Award from Wiz.

Aug 20, 2026

AHEAD Opens UK Foundry Facility

AHEAD opened a Foundry facility in the United Kingdom, marking its operational entry into the European market.

Aug 11, 2026

AHEAD Partners With Tenzai on AI-Enabled Penetration Testing

AHEAD partnered with Tenzai to strengthen cyber resilience through AI-enabled penetration testing.

Jul 23, 2026

Recent Activity

Data changes from the last 90 days

Sep 1, 2026

Fit score 21.2% → 20.6% — client review standing fell as the market baseline shifted

Aug 19, 2026

Fit score 20.7% → 21.3% — client review standing rose as the market baseline shifted

Aug 17, 2026

Fit score 21.3% → 20.8% — client review standing fell as the market baseline shifted

Aug 9, 2026

Fit score 22.7% → 21.0% — lower employee review scores
Glassdoor rating 4.3 → 3.8

Aug 3, 2026

Fit score 21.8% → 22.5% — client review standing rose as the market baseline shifted

Frequently Asked Questions

How is AHEAD rated by clients?

AHEAD averages 4.4/5 across 35 public client reviews from Clutch, Google. We aggregate these nightly and weight them with Bayesian averaging so a handful of reviews can't dominate the score.

Does AHEAD hold security certifications?

We have not recorded security certifications for AHEAD from its website, vendor feed, or public registries.

Where is AHEAD located?

AHEAD is based in Chicago, IL and operates 3 office locations we track. Our rankings cover IT providers serving the Chicago metro area.

How does AHEAD compare to other Chicago MSPs?

AHEAD ranks #41 of 94 scored providers in our database under default weights. Use the comparison links on this page for side-by-side breakdowns, or run a custom evaluation to weight all 10 criteria for your own priorities.

For AHEAD: show off your ranking

This firm has earned a Ranked & Reviewed badge in our current rankings. If you work at AHEAD, you can embed it on your website — it links back to this profile and updates automatically as rankings change.

AHEAD — Ranked & Reviewed on IT Support Chicago (2026)
<a href="https://itsupportchicago.net/vendors/ahead?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=embed" title="AHEAD on IT Support Chicago"><img src="https://itsupportchicago.net/api/badge/ahead" alt="AHEAD — Ranked & Reviewed on IT Support Chicago (2026)" width="220" height="64" loading="lazy"></a>

Usage: link only to your own profile page, keep the current tier, and remove the badge if delisted. Google's guidelines recommend adding rel="nofollow" to embedded badges — that's fine with us. Full terms: itsupportchicago.net/badge.

Data last updated: 9/10/2026. Report an issue