A local information technology consulting firm is tapping group-buying site Groupon to offer its services at a steep discount — a $12,500 discount, to be precise.

Rolling Meadows-based Ajilitee, which specializes in analytics and cloud computing, on Tuesday launched a deal on Groupon that offers buyers $25,000 worth of consulting services for $12,500. The firm’s foray into group buying makes them among the first companies to experiment with the technology platform for the business-to-business sector, as Chicago-based Groupon and its rivals primarily offer consumer deals such as discounts on restaurants and salons.

“This is a new space for everyone involved, but we have high hopes and can see how things can piece together nicely,” Terrence Ryan, Ajilitee’s chief executive, told the Tribune. “But we’ve got to go through the test.”

Ryan said he and his marketing team started discussing how they could use social media in May of last year. Several months ago, Ajilitee approached Groupon with its idea to run a deal. The firm is also trying to expand its presence on LinkedIn and Facebook.

“You have to start to ask yourself: ‘As a business, what kinds of things can these channels do now that they’re maturing?’” Ryan said.

Ajilitee is running its deal through Groupon Stores, a self-service platform where merchants offer promotions to Groupon subscribers without having to wait to be featured as a main daily deal. Buyers of Ajilitee’s Groupon can choose between two packages of services. Each includes two consultants and fees, expenses and travel in the continental United States.

While the deal is available on the Groupon Stores site only through March 7, businesses that want the deal can buy it directly from Ajilitee through March 21. Ajilitee said its offer is best suited for companies with annual revenue of at least $500 million.

While business-to-business group buying deals are rare, Groupon is dabbling in the space through its Chamber of Commerce for its merchant partners. The company has lined up service providers in areas such as payroll and e-mail marketing and offers discounts on such services to member businesses. These discounts are part of a broader merchant outreach program that also includes networking events and Webinars on small business topics.