Case Studies

Centurion Makes Disaster Recovery Testing Quick and Easy at Lake Michigan Credit Union

Client Profile
Institution: Lake Michigan Credit Union
Address: 3809 Lake Eastbrook Blvd. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
Telephone: (616) 242-9789
Web site: www.lmcu.org
Director of Information Systems: Greg Sopcak
Assets: $624 million
Members: 90,000
Locations: 13
Employees: over 200
Founded: 1933
Data Processing Solution:
Episys by Symitar Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jack Henry & Associates

Change was in the air at Lake Michigan Credit Union in the spring of 2002. The coming together of four credit unions in March meant a new name for the institution and a community charter of four counties. Add to that a move to in-house data processing, along with the construction of a new computer room, and it would be enough to make the head spin for most financial institutions. Not so for Lake Michigan Credit Union.

As with everything the credit union sets out to do, detailed planning and affiliation with strong partners eased the transition. But the changes meant some additional planning was in order. Having outsourced data processing in the past, the credit union's service bureau had always taken care of disaster recovery testing. The responsibility would now fall squarely on the shoulders of Lake Michigan Credit Union. Luckily, the credit union knew where to turn for help.

Jack Henry Introduces Centurion
Jack Henry & Associates had already played a vital role in the credit union restructure, fulfilling critical data processing requirements. The Jack Henry Symitar system by the name of Episys provided a complete data processing package. Sys-Tech, also a Jack Henry subsidiary, handled the design and construction of the new computer room.

It was therefore not surprising to Greg Sopcak, Director of Information Systems at Lake Michigan Credit Union, that one of the top disaster recovery organizations in the country would also be a Jack Henry group. The credit union looked no further than Centurion Disaster Recovery®.

Having worked with a different disaster recovery vendor as a Symitar user at another credit union, Sopcak saw that Centurion offered the better alternative. "As a Jack Henry company, Centurion has a relationship with Symitar and is up to date with the technology," he says. "In fact, the Episys system is already installed at the Centurion hot site; I knew this would greatly ease recovery."

"Because the Symitar system is pre-loaded on Centurion's hardware, the recovery time is four to six hours faster than with other disaster recovery vendors. Centurion's preparedness is a terrific timesaver."
          Greg Sopcak
          Director of Information Systems
          Lake Michigan Credit Union

Let the Testing Begin
A test was scheduled at Centurion's Angola, Indiana recovery center, located only 2 hours from the credit union's main office in Grand Rapids. In preparation for the September test, Centurion provided Sopcak a worksheet to be completed regarding hardware and software requirements. "Being new to both Symitar and Centurion, we had questions," relates Sopcak. "Centurion was very helpful in answering them all."

Two weeks prior to the test date, backup tapes from a particular day were sent to Centurion's Angola recovery center. The tapes included backups for the Episys, voice response and home banking systems. When Sopcak and a computer operator from the credit union arrived at the Centurion center for the test, all the systems had been loaded.

Sopcak found one of the most helpful aspects of Centurion's service to be the provision of a very detailed checklist, outlining loading and recovery procedures. In a true disaster, Centurion and credit union representatives would follow the checklist to load the tapes, then get the system up to the point where it had stopped.

For this particular test, Sopcak and his associate followed Centurion procedures to post the transaction log and bring the system to the start of the business day being tested. "The checklist included everything we needed to do to get the system up and running," notes Sopcak.

Quite the opposite was true in his experience with another disaster recovery vendor that required the credit union to develop these procedures. Sopcak is pleased to report, "Centurion and Symitar work so closely together that they were able to develop the checklist without our help."

The testing itself simulated the failure and recovery of the Symitar host. In roughly five to six hours, Lake Michigan Credit Union successfully completed the entire test. That included all online systems, such as audio response, home banking, teller transactions, and file transfer. From the remote branch and corporate office, two credit union employees were testing the Episys system remotely, posting transactions and making sure they had system access. All necessary functions, including the printing an issuing of checks and money orders, were performed.

"Centurion has the technical expertise to help small credit unions, whose IT staffs are limited, and also has the depth of resources to handle the large credit unions." - Greg Sopcak

Support - Before, During and After
With Centurion's knowledgeable staff on hand - and access to Symitar's expertise - everything went smoothly. "Centurion was well prepared for any problems we might encounter," says Sopcak. When a minor issue did arise during testing, Centurion and Symitar immediately joined forces to rectify it - without any finger pointing. "Because Symitar and Centurion are both under the Jack Henry umbrella," says Sopcak, "they work together to resolve issues and see that the job gets done."

Again, Centurion stands apart from other disaster recovery vendors, which require the credit union to contact the data processing provider in the event of any problems. According to Sopcak, "Centurion makes it very easy on the credit union."

Even before the testing was underway, Centurion's superior support was evident. The credit union was informed when backup tapes were received at the recovery site and data restored. During the test itself, Centurion's communication expert who set up the router checked in to ensure that communications to the branch were functioning properly.

Since the test, Centurion has made a recommendation that Lake Michigan Credit Union create system tapes more frequently, on a monthly basis. This rotation would safeguard against potential loss of data. The credit union is implementing that procedure and welcomes any recommendations Centurion may have.

Quick and Easy Recovery
Next year, Sopcak plans to conduct a more comprehensive test, involving more departments and users. Performing more transactions and daily work simultaneously will test the ISDN connection between the credit union and Centurion to ensure that it has sufficient capacity and that the speed is not diminished.

Not only is quick transmission an issue, but a speedy overall recovery time is also critical. "Because the Symitar system is pre-loaded on Centurion's hardware, the recovery time is four to six hours faster than with other disaster recovery vendors," says Sopcak. "Centurion's preparedness is a terrific timesaver."

Prepared for Disaster
And because the procedures and documentation are already in place, Lake Michigan Credit Union's disaster recovery plan need only point to Centurion. In the case of an actual disaster, the credit union would simply contact Centurion's on-call staff for instructions regarding recovery. "Our relationship with Centurion has squelched my fears of a disaster scenario," says Sopcak.

In Sopcak's estimation, Centurion has proven itself to meet the testing requirements of credit unions. In fact, he says, "Centurion's expertise and service provided exceeded my expectations."

That's why he doesn't hesitate to recommend Centurion to others. Sopcak relates, "Centurion has the technical expertise to help small credit unions, whose IT staffs are limited, and also has the depth of resources to handle the large credit unions." When it comes to credit union disaster recovery and testing, Centurion is Sopcak's unparalleled choice.