What Financial Institutions Should Budget for in 2022

Many of us thought 2021 was going to be the downhill side of the pandemic. I recall working on a webinar presentation that we hosted last summer and including the words, “Now that the pandemic is...

FFIEC Replaces, and Expands, the Operations Handbook

Back in June of this year the FFIEC released an update to the 2004 Operations Handbook called Architecture, Infrastructure, and Operations (AIO). As the lengthier name implies, this was not simply...

New FFIEC Guidance for Access and Authentication

In response to an expanded cybersecurity threat landscape, the FFIEC just issued an update to agency expectations for access and authentication to financial institution products and systems. This...

Third-Party Solution Makes It Easy for Community Bank to Enhance InfoSec Program

Implementing a technology-enhanced information security program doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Working with a third-party expert can make the process easier and smoother than managing all the...

2021 Hot Topics in Compliance: Mid-Year Update

While the COVID-19 pandemic certainly isn’t over, financial institutions have learned valuable lessons so far. In retrospect, the pandemic’s impact on community banks and credit unions hasn’t been...

How Financial Institutions Can Enhance Board Reporting and Governance with Technology

As financial institutions face greater expectations for corporate accountability from regulators, effective board reporting and governance are becoming even more essential in the banking sector....

Cybersecurity Shouldn’t Be Keeping You Up at Night

Benefits of Integrating Technology into Your InfoSec Program

Information security (InfoSec) is a critical aspect of keeping an organization’s computers, networks, sensitive information, and users safe from potential threats. Integrating technology into a...

Automating Your Information Security Program: How Technology Can Get Policies Off the Shelf

Working with paper-based information security policies can be limiting for financial institutions. Automation allows banks and credit unions to take their policies off the shelf and move them...

5 Areas to Outsource So Your IT Administrator Can Go on Vacation

It’s summertime. And COVID restrictions are finally being lifted. Maybe now your IT administrator can go on vacation—if there’s someone available to fill in. Third-party IT and security service...

What CEOs Should Know about Disaster Recovery

Disaster recovery—the process of restoring IT infrastructure, data and systems in the aftermath of a major negative event—is a specialized area of technology that’s not always top of mind for...

Kids on Banking – 3 Years Later…

  It’s been almost 3 years since our 25th anniversary, and thus, the introduction of our Kids on Banking project. Designed to give us a refreshing perspective on banking from the minds of...

Is Your Financial Institution BCM Compliant?

It’s been a few years since the FFIEC updated its BCM IT Examination Handbook and expanded its focus from “business continuity planning (BCP)” to “business continuity management (BCM).” While most...

After the Disaster: Real Community Banking Recovery Stories

Even the best-laid plans can go awry—especially after a disaster. Our real-life stories from actual community financial institutions underscore the importance of having an effective disaster...

The 4 “Rs” of Disaster Recovery

Organizations can be impacted by a natural or manmade disaster at any time. Having an effective approach to disaster recovery (DR) can help banks and credit unions meet their regulatory...