California Credit Union Leverages Cisco Technology, ZAG to Boost Member Accessibility
“We’ve unified our technology around Cisco to mature our security and ensure the wellness of our network and overall systems. We’ve built a trusted relationship with ZAG over the years and rely on them to take care of what we need and provide that expertise.”
— Network Operations Leader, California Credit Union
With deep roots in California, the credit union is made up of more than 70,000 members across the southwestern United States. Financial institutions like this rely heavily on tools and resources that ensure their members can seamlessly access financial data and make the best money-related decisions. This requires a forward-thinking approach for technology investments and infrastructure to support ongoing innovation.
The credit union relies on ZAG Technical Services to help build a secure framework for ongoing implementation of technology, including Cisco networking and security hardware and software. In 2015, the credit union turned to ZAG to assist with its data center refresh strategy, and since then has led projects to ensure the institution’s regulatory compliance internally, as well as within the state of California and at the federal level.
“We have strong internal resources that are able to manage the day-to-day operations, but ZAG helps support building the foundation of the technology before we implement it,” said its network operations leader. “They provide the initial analysis and figure out all the details so that we can move forward with our plans.”
Customer Challenges
The credit union’s mission is to provide a secure financial experience for members, which can be a challenge in the current cybersecurity threat landscape. “It is our duty to protect our members’ data and their money, and to do so by also complying with regulatory oversight,” said the network operations leader. “Our goal is to exceed expectations to make sure we’re protecting our members while also making sure they have the tools and resources they need.”
“This client has always prioritized the security of their members over the years by implementing technology that helps achieve more secure infrastructure,” said ZAG President Greg Gatzke.
Additionally, with the addition of a new omnichannel way to manage members’ finances, the credit union needed a technology infrastructure to help support the new technology in a safe, secure way. The credit union needed a partner that was able to help them identify the best possible solutions for their needs and implement the tools so that the institution’s internal IT teams could manage the day-to-day operations.
Solutions
ZAG recommended updates to the credit union’s networking and security tools, as well as the addition of multi-factor authentication (MFA), with the following tools from Cisco:
- Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is a security policy management platform that provides secure access to network resources, meet compliance requirements, and enhances infrastructure security.
- Cisco Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) is an intelligence-powered, enterprise-class advanced malware analysis and protection solution that provides visibility into potential threat activity. This allows the credit union’s internal IT team to detect, contain, and eliminate potential threats through malware.
- Cisco Umbrella uses the internet’s infrastructure to enforce security and block malicious activity before a connection is ever established.
- Cisco AnyConnect provides a unified security endpoint agent that delivers multiple security services to protect the enterprise, including remote access, posture enforcement, web security features, and roaming protection.
- Cisco DUO offers credit union employees unified access security and MFA technology that verifies user and device trust and limits access to protected applications.
- Cisco Security Enterprise Licensing Agreement (ELA) provides the credit union with an easier way to manage licenses needed to run network infrastructure and application software support.
Customer Benefits & Outcomes
Over the years, ZAG has worked alongside the credit union to provide more modernization of its network environment and increased security measures. “The network is the most critical part of our infrastructure and once we had this in place, we were able to build on it as the backbone,” said the credit union’s network engineer. “After the network was upgraded with more redundancy, we were able to work on improving our security posture with Cisco products.”
ZAG also works with the credit union to provide ongoing consultation for technology investments on the team’s roadmap to help set them up for success. One item on the list is the eventual shift to a cloud-based infrastructure that fits within the security framework the institution requires.
“We’ve unified our technology around Cisco to mature our security and ensure the wellness of our network and overall systems,” said the network operations leader. “We’ve built a trusted relationship with ZAG over the years and rely on them to take care of what we need and provide that expertise.”
Customer profile
Customer: Credit Union
Customer size: Privately held
Region: Western United States
Industry: Financial
Partner: ZAG Technical Services
Software and services
- Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
- Advanced Malware Protection (AMP)
- Cisco Umbrella
- Cisco AnyConnect
- Cisco DUO
- Cisco Security Enterprise Licensing Agreement (ELA)
