Microsoft 365 Security Best Practices for Ohio Credit Unions

I was talking with a credit union leader once when she said something I hear quite a bit. “Rusty, Microsoft takes care of the security, right?” My answer was: “Microsoft takes care of a lot of it. But not all of it.” And that distinction matters. Microsoft 365 gives credit unions access to powerful tools like Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, …

How Should an Ohio Credit Union Build an Annual Technology Strategy Meeting Agenda?

I was sitting with a credit union leadership team once when the CEO asked a question that sounded simple. “Rusty, what are we supposed to talk about in an annual technology meeting?” It was a good question. They already had regular IT conversations. They reviewed help desk issues. They approved hardware purchases. They discussed cybersecurity when something made the news. …

What Every Ohio Credit Union Board Should Know About Cybersecurity

I was sitting in a board meeting once when a director asked me a question I wish more people would ask. “Rusty, how much of this cybersecurity stuff do we actually need to understand?” It was a good question. Because the board had just listened to a presentation filled with acronyms. Firewalls. MFA. EDR. MDR. SIEM. By the time it …

How Should an Ohio Credit Union Prepare for a Cyber Insurance Renewal?

I got a call once from an organization with a problem that wasn’t really an insurance problem. Their cyber insurance renewal questionnaire had arrived. At first, nobody was particularly concerned. Then they started reading the questions. “Do you use multi-factor authentication?” Yes. Well…mostly. “Do you regularly test your backups?” We have backups. But when did we last test a full …

Artificial Intelligence for Ohio Credit Unions: Where Should You Start?

Not long ago, I was having a conversation with a credit union leader who asked me a question I’ve been hearing more and more. “Rusty, everybody keeps talking about AI. Are we already behind?” I understood the concern. Artificial intelligence seems to have gone from something we talked about someday using to something employees can access from their phones in …

Does Your Ohio Credit Union Have a Technology Roadmap for the Next Five Years?

A few years ago, I was sitting in a board meeting when a director asked a simple question. “Where do you see our technology five years from now?” The room got quiet. Not because anyone lacked experience. Not because people didn’t care. Because no one had ever asked the question quite that way before. The conversation had always focused on …

How to Switch Managed IT Providers Without Disrupting Your Credit Union

Changing your managed IT provider can feel a little like replacing the engine in your car while you’re driving down the highway. Your employees still need to serve members. Online banking still has to work. Phones still have to ring. Cybersecurity can’t take a day off. It’s no wonder many credit union leaders put off making a change—even when they …

Should Your Ohio Credit Union Work with One Technology Partner or Multiple IT Vendors?

I was talking with the CEO of a community credit union a few years ago when she said something that made me laugh. “Rusty, every technology problem turns into a game of finger-pointing.” The internet provider blamed the firewall. The firewall company blamed the server. The phone vendor blamed the network. The software company blamed Microsoft. Meanwhile… Her employees still …

The 10 Biggest IT Mistakes Ohio Credit Unions Make (and How to Avoid Them)

Over the years, I’ve learned something about technology. The biggest problems usually aren’t caused by bad people making bad decisions. They’re caused by good people who are simply too busy. A server replacement gets pushed to next quarter. A cybersecurity policy doesn’t get updated. A backup gets installed…but nobody remembers to test it. Before long, those small decisions begin to …