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 …
The Complete IT Budget Planning Guide for Ohio Credit Union CEOs and CFOs
Every fall, it happens. Budget season arrives. Department leaders submit their requests. The finance team starts sharpening pencils. The board prepares to make difficult decisions. And somewhere in the middle of all that, technology lands on the agenda. Sometimes it’s a firewall that needs replacing. Sometimes it’s cybersecurity. Sometimes it’s a cloud migration. Sometimes it’s simply a bigger number than …
Cloud Migration for Ohio Credit Unions: What Should Stay On-Premises and What Should Move to the Cloud?
Not long ago, I was sitting with the leadership team of an Ohio credit union when their CEO asked a question I hear more often than you might think. “Rusty…everyone keeps telling us we need to move to the cloud. But nobody can tell me what actually belongs there.” That’s a smart question. Because the truth is… Not everything should …
NCUA vs. FFIEC vs. GLBA: Which IT Requirements Actually Apply to Your Credit Union?
If you’ve ever sat through an audit, prepared for an NCUA examination, or tried to answer questions from your board about cybersecurity, you’ve probably heard someone mention NCUA, FFIEC, or GLBA. Maybe all three. And if you’re like many of the credit union leaders I meet, you’ve probably wondered: “Are these all different regulations? Which ones actually apply to us? …
What Does a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan for an Ohio Credit Union Really Include?
A few years ago, I was sitting in a conference room with the leadership team of a community credit union. The conversation wasn’t about cybersecurity. It wasn’t about cloud migration. It wasn’t even about technology. The CEO looked across the table and asked a simple question: “Rusty, if we couldn’t open our doors tomorrow morning because our systems were down…what …



