Around 2006, First Community Bank in Clinton, Ky., had a decision to make. The bank was growing, adding branches and needing support with its IT enterprise. As a long-time CSI core customer, the bank decided to implement CSI’s managed services as a way to access shared resources and expanded expertise beyond what the bank could accomplish in-house. Cheryl Hartsell, the bank’s vice president of operations, says managed services have made her job easier and the bank more efficient.
Making Life Easier
In her role, Hartsell wears many hats, with one of them being IT strategy and execution. Prior to managed services, this included such tasks as fielding user support questions and responding to network issues, all of which kept her from more strategic projects. “Managed services puts time back in my day,” Hartsell says. “For example, if an employee needs a password reset, they can call CSI for that, and it makes life easier. CSI can step in and take on things I don’t have the time to do, and it has reduced stress.”
CSI provides several managed services to help the bank operate more efficiently. This includes server management, help desk support, PC implementation, data vaulting backup and round-the-clock monitoring of the bank’s systems. “CSI offers the expertise that we don’t have the time or capability of providing,” Hartsell says. “They have been instrumental in helping us as we’ve grown as well as keeping my job sane day in and day out.”
Meeting Customer, Shareholder Expectations
For First Community, managed services means more than technology support. It also allows the bank to better serve its customers. “In today’s environment, every customer need is met with a computer,” Hartsell says. “Our customers have to be happy when they walk out the door, and if our computers aren’t working, they’re going to be frustrated. That’s a big influence on our day-to-day operations, and with managed services, we are able to manage our systems so they are the most efficient.”
“With CSI we have all the services and all the knowledge we need in our bank.”
Cheryl Hartsell
Vice President of Operations, First Community Bank
The bank also sees managed services as a way to create shareholder value. Given that many solutions are delivered as Software as a Service (SaaS), the bank can leverage cost savings across shared resources. “CSI Managed Services gives us access to solutions that are shared across its customer base, so we don’t have to buy the software individually,” Hartsell says. “That helps us control our costs, and our ROI is a lot better.”
Getting the Complete Package
One of the primary benefits First Community receives from managed services is the stability it brings to operations and productivity. Like other financial institutions feeling the pinch for qualified IT staff, First Community recognizes that managed services helps support continuous operations. “There can’t be a void in your IT structure,” Hartsell says. “And with managed services, there’s a lot of continuity. That’s why you can have a relationship with someone like CSI: in the case of employee turnover or unavailability, it takes the stress off the bank and management knowing that your systems are still operating.”
Overall, Hartsell describes managed services as the complete package for First Community. “CSI provides everything we need to stay in compliance and keep our systems as safe and secure as possible,” she says. “Expertise also is a big issue, and CSI gives us access to technology professionals not otherwise available to our bank. And that’s why managed services is so beneficial to us: With CSI we have all the services and all the knowledge we need in our bank.”