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About Cois Sionna Desmond Credit Union 

Cois Sionna was established in Askeaton, Co. Limerick, in 1967. Over the years, additional branches were added in Kildimo, Pallaskenry, Shanagolden, and Foynes. In 2015, they merged with Estuary Credit Union in Glin, and in 2019, they merged with Desmond Credit Union in Newcastle West to become Cois Sionna Desmond Credit Union. Cois Sionna Desmond currently has assets of €170 million with almost 27,000 members. They employ 24 full-time and 14 part-time staff and contribute almost €2 million to the local economy annually.

The Business Requirement

In December 2016, the Central Bank released an IT Risks Thematic Review, increasing awareness in the Credit Union sector about new areas of IT risk. Cois Sionna Desmond needed to address internal gaps highlighted in this review. They decided a new IT hardware partner was necessary to bring the desired change to their environment. After putting their concerns out to tender, Viatel Technology Group was deemed capable of driving their changes forward.

From the beginning of the IT partnership, Cois Sionna Desmond required support from Viatel Technology Group as they embarked on a journey with their IT environment, needing extensive upgrades. Their antivirus solution was outdated, and monthly IT reports from a previous supplier lacked detail. Viatel Technology Group understood their goals and worked together to create a scalable platform to help Cois Sionna Desmond grow.

The Viatel Technology Group Solution

When Viatel Technology Group came to us, they were selling a service that they’ve lived up to. Everything we have asked for; we have been given and more. Every time we have asked for assistance, we have been taken through each step of the way with their team. We trust their knowledge of the projects they work on with us and they ensure these are completed with as minimal disruption as possible. That’s how they have become our Trusted Technology Partner.

Brigid Bergin, IT Officer, Cois Sionna Desmond

Viatel Technology Group recognised that while the IT environment needed improvement, incremental investment and strategic planning over a few years would be the best approach. This included patch management and implementing a new backup strategy.

In the second year of the partnership, a VSan environment was installed with offsite Disaster Recovery (DR). This was completed out of hours, causing minimal disruption to the Credit Union’s members and staff.

Key Results

 As a result of their IT partnership with Viatel Technology Group, Cois Sionna Desmond Credit Union now has a top-end system that is scalable and aligned with their plans for future growth. Working with an experienced IT team, Cois Sionna Desmond has built a strong relationship with Viatel Technology Group as a trusted IT partner who understands their business challenges and will support them every step of the way as they grow.