PASADENA, Calif.-Like many IT managers in the industry, Dennis Fore of Pasadena Service Federal Credit Union's essentially runs a one-person show.
"From an IT perspective, it's on me to make things happen," said Fore, who has held the post since 1984.
With 11,442 members, $93.9 million in assets, three branches and 28 employees, Pasadena Service FCU has its share of IT challenges.
Though Fore regularly communicates with his CEO about issues and concerns, it's his responsibly to quickly address problems to ensure the member experience is not negatively impacted.
"I attend classes and do a lot of studying on the side to stay current," said Fore. "I Google questions often to get answers as well."
But some questions require additional experience. For example, recently Fore experienced a problem with the credit union's firewall. When issues like this arise, he must rely heavily on third-party contractors for assistance. "We work with a lot of approved vendors that have remote-in access to our system," said Fore. "So we have that support, and the phone support too, which helps."
Pasadena Service may be a "small" shop, but Fore said the credit union is in a good position when it comes to maintaining and implementing technologies.
"We do use a lot of turnkey solutions but we are at the right size to leverage the technology that is available to us. We are growing at a good pace."
No IT Man Is An Island
Aside from continuing education, Fore attends as many industry conferences as possible. It's not so much that he has cabin fever, but more so that he enjoys the opportunity to rub elbows with other IT executives and vendors.
"Interfacing with these colleagues is absolutely a huge help to me," said Fore, who most recently attended NAFCU Technology and Security Conference. "A big issue and challenge for us is member privacy and task management and vulnerabilities related to disaster recovery, so being able to learn more about these topics is great."
Partnering with vendors has allowed Pasadena Service FCU to operate at the level of a credit union four times its size, Fore believes. "We have had a virtualized environment for the last four years. This allows the network to be managed from a centralized location."
As for what benefits being smaller might offer, Fore pointed to more streamlined decision-making. "There is no red tape so we can execute IT initiatives quickly. I think there is just more flexibility."
When Fore wants to discuss new opportunities he believes will benefit the member experience, topics are broached at a weekly meeting with his CEO. "We are really in constant communication but the weekly meetings keep us on track," said Fore.
On the horizon, Fore remains focused on implementations of mobile banking with an emphasis on remote capture. "As a small-to-mid-sized credit union, we are not on the bleeding edge of technology but we have the resources to stay a bit ahead of the curve. We like to stay as lean and mean as possible."
After 30-plus years in the industry, Fore said he still values the challenges and success experienced. "I really enjoy being involved in all aspects of IT and the great thing is that there are always more growth opportunities to discover."
