Have you ever heard the term "Feed the Monster"? It's when someone has a problem and rather than do what it takes to fix it, they "feed the monster" and continue in their useless cycles. So, let me ask you a question: If your credit union pays so much money to its technology vendors, why do you still have to manage that monster in the server room? Some credit union executives like to walk by the server room and see the blinking lights and endless wires but it's probably safe to say that most view their server as a stressful and expensive piece of hardware that they'd rather someone else manage and maintain. Some credit unions have the budget for qualified IT departments that can handle such tasks but imagine what other important tasks your IT staff could be doing if they didn't have to worry about server uptime.
In the article Members Don't Care About Credit Union Software and Neither Should You, we asked whether credit unions are in the technology business or in the business of providing financial services. Your members want a pleasant and convenient experience with your credit union and, in this day and age, that requires you to provide the right technology in a painless and seamless manner. While your IT budget may make you feel more like you're a tech company than a financial institution, it is important to make the investment inconspicuous to your members. Allow your credit union technology partners to handle the technology so you can focus on providing an uncomplicated, user-friendly experience.
In the past, credit unions needed a large, clunky, complicated, and expensive server onsite. Many of your technology vendors may have required their software to be housed on these servers, further expanding the size and requirements of your server room. That is until credit union cloud solutions came along and slowly changed people's way of thinking. Credit unions no longer need that expensive hardware, taking up valuable real estate and inordinate amounts of your budget and time.
If you find you or your IT staff are spending too much time managing and maintaining old, expensive equipment, or you are struggling to find the funds necessary to upgrade aging servers, it's time to reconsider your approach. Stop wasting resources by fixing and managing hardware on your own. Consider taking your technology to the cloud, where the right partner can eliminate your headaches, leaving you more time to spend on members and less on feeding the monster in your server room.
