Safe Systems, a national provider of fully-compliant IT and security services for community banks and credit unions, has published a free white paper, “2017 Community Bank Information Technology Outlook,” which is now available for download on its website. The white paper is based on results from a survey the company conducted to identify IT priorities for community financial institutions, and features survey feedback on 40 questions from approximately 100 respondents from community banks with asset sizes of $100 million to more than $1 billion.

The data indicates that compliance and regulatory issues continue to be driving factors for community banks through 2017 and beyond. Additional key survey highlights include:

  • More than 91% of respondents currently outsource their security monitoring;
  • Nearly 77% of respondents claim they are spending more on technology today than they have in the past; and
  • 94% of survey participants foresee cybersecurity as their greatest security challenge in the coming year.

“As a provider of IT, compliance and security services tailored to meet the specific needs of community banks and credit unions, we understand the importance of identifying the right set of priorities and investment strategies that will help institutions succeed,” said Darren Bridges, president of Safe Systems. “Our main objective in developing this survey was to help these organizations gain valuable peer data for how similar institutions are effectively using IT investments to support their business strategy and to assist them in making informed business decisions relative to this important investment.”

To gain more insight into the key challenges, goals and opportunities facing community banks today, please download the full report here.

About Safe Systems

Safe Systems was founded in 1993 to provide compliance-centric IT and security solutions exclusively to financial institutions. The company has become one of the leaders in the industry, managing hundreds of financial institutions representing more than $61 billion in combined assets, 1,100 locations and more than 20,000 network devices. Safe Systems’ IT network management services are the bridge between the core and other third-party applications. These cost effective solutions include IT support and managed services, internal network/cloud design and installation, hosted email, business continuity and disaster recovery, compliance consulting, security services, and IT and compliance training. Safe Systems helps financial institutions to significantly decrease costs, increase performance, and improve their compliance posture. For additional information about Safe Systems, Inc., please visit www.safesystems.com or call 877.752.0550.