Background
CU Business Group (CUBG) provides consulting and transaction services to credit unions in all aspects of business lending and treasury management services. This includes providing guidance on business lending including origination, underwriting, documentation, portfolio management, independent loan reviews, as well as consulting and advice to manage commercial deposits for credit unions and their business members. CUBG serves more than 650 credit unions across the country. The staff of 70 employees is fully remote, with two colocation facilities.
The Story
In 2009 CUBG had about 20 employees and was growing at a healthy pace. This presented both opportunities and challenges as they matured their business processes, including their IT infrastructure and business applications. CUBG reached out to the ISOutsource Portland, Oregon office, seeking assistance with evaluating and supporting its IT infrastructure. This is when the long-term partnership between CU Business Group and ISOutsource was formed. As Rachel Snyder, EVP and COO at CUBG, said, “Both companies were growing at a similar pace with similar business models. CUBG had needs that ISOutsource could support, and the relationship was a great fit. Over time we have continued to grow our business as ISOutsource grew and expanded its business. It has been a great long-term partnership.”
The ISOutsource Portland team worked closely with CUBG staff to build a roadmap that simplified their IT, helped them save by creating efficiencies, and protected their infrastructure and data. Rachel adds, “CUBG has a full-time IT staff that takes care of their day-to-day support needs, and ISOutsource does the heavy lifting with our IT infrastructure.” Most recently ISOutsource supported CUBG with their initiative to become SOC2 compliant. ISOutsource and CUBG worked closely during the self-readiness phase to ensure all policies and procedures aligned with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) framework internally at CUBG.
The Result
CUBG and ISOutsource have formed a collaborative IT partnership that ensures technology is leveraged to help drive productivity at CUBG. Rachel shared, “I love that Kerry at ISOutsource is able to communicate the complex technical work we do into information that is easy for us all to understand, even if we are not technical experts.” CUBG has a secure, healthy IT infrastructure, educated staff on all things cybersecurity, and most recently, CUBG completed its initial SOC2 audit with no findings or exceptions! The trust that has been built over the past 14 years highlights the importance of having a proactive and collaborative relationship when working with your trusted IT advisor (internal or outsourced).
CUBG had needs that ISOutsource could support, and the relationship was a great fit. Over time we have continued to grow our business as ISOutsource grew and expanded its business. It has been a great long-term partnership.
The Future
The collaborative IT partnership will continue as it has for the past 14 years. Both companies plan to grow together, leveraging cutting-edge technology to ensure the team at CUBG is happy, productive, and supported. CUBG intends to continue enhancing its cybersecurity posture to protect its clients and their data. ISOutsource will continue to do the heavy lifting with CUBG’s IT infrastructure, including managing and maintaining all hardware and providing monthly maintenance that keeps the technology running smoothly.