The Trigger
Technology spend was rising, but leadership could not explain the return.
A $5B, 250,000-member credit union was spending more on technology every year with no clear line of sight to what that spending returned. It had no formal information security organization, an aging core banking platform, and rising FFIEC scrutiny – with no multi-year technology strategy tying any of it to the board’s business objectives. The board could not get a straight answer on cyber risk, and leadership could not say whether technology was protecting the institution or quietly exposing it.Â
The MandateÂ
- The CEO needed more than another IT manager.
- The institution needed an executive who could own technology outcomes end to end.
- Build a credible, long-term technology strategy aligned with business goals.
- Establish a robust information security program that would satisfy regulatory examiners.
- Bring technology spending under control and improve investment visibility.
- Modernize the aging core banking platform. Report technology performance and cyber risk to the board in clear, actionable business terms.
What Our Leadership Did
Owned the outcome end to end.
Built the strategy that didn't exist.
Established the institution's first multi-year business-and-technology strategy, tied directly to board objectives and growth targets, so every technology dollar mapped to a business outcome.
Stood up a security program examiners could trust.
Created the information security organization from the ground up, implemented zero-trust architecture, and formalized enterprise incident response and defense-in-depth under FFIEC/NCUA oversight - turning an unanswered board question into a documented, defensible program.
Put technology spend under executive control.
Instituted a disciplined IT financial model with budget controls and monthly CEO-level metrics, replacing rising, opaque spend with governed, transparent investment.
Modernized the core and the member experience.
Modernized the core banking platform and established a hybrid-cloud operating model across Azure, AWS, and Jack Henry. Delivered a modern, cloud-native digital banking platform spanning web, mobile, chat, and video for 250,000 members.
Built the bench, not a dependency.
Developed the internal leadership and capability so the gains remained after the transformation; the institution came out stronger and self-sufficient, not reliant on outside help.
The Results
Measurable business and technology outcomes.
20%
asset growth over three years, enabled by a technology strategy aligned to the business.Â
10–12%
year-over-year IT-cost reduction through a disciplined financial model.Â
100%
FFIEC examiner readiness through a formal information security program and zero-trust architecture.
4.8
App Store rating on the new digital banking platform across 250,000 members.
100%
core availability across a modernized, hybrid-cloud operating model.Â
“Our technology capabilities were behind the curve for an institution of our size, even as we were pushing hard on product innovation, enhancing the member experience, and driving member growth. It became clear that if we wanted to compete with the best digital experience in our market and truly lead with a mobile‑first paradigm, we needed a much stronger technology and security foundation.Â
The steps Mark Blazek led fundamentally changed that trajectory. The framework he put in place gave us the ability to scale, established a clear long‑term strategy for continuous enhancement, and enabled better member experience that supported sustainable growth.”
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Josiah Leverich, SVP Deposits & Payments
Measurable business and technology outcomes.
These outcomes were delivered in-seat as the institution’s SVP, CIO & CISO – the same caliber of executive leadership Teremark deploys as fractional, interim, and advisory technology leaders.Â
The Results
Facing an exam, an aging core, or technology spend you can’t account for?