CUNA Technology Council Gives Best of Show Award to Switch Communications

CUNA Technology Council
March 1, 2010 | COMMENTS

The CUNA Technology Council presented its Best of Show Award to Switch Communications for its Network Access Point (NAP) data centers. The award was presented at CUNA's 2010 Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC), held Feb. 21-25, in Washington, D.C.

Switch Communications, also a new CUNA Strategic Services alliance, aims to provide interconnectivity and economies of scale for credit unions with its Network Access Point (NAP) data centers. Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, Switch's SuperNAP facility is known as a co-location center—it houses servers and storage systems for other businesses. SuperNAP's residents include top technology, media, financial and government entities. One of those businesses is providing the gateway for NBC to stream and broadcast its coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

When announcing the Best of Show winner, Rudy Pereira, council chair and senior vice president of operations and technology for Alliant CU in Chicago, said “Switch's SuperNAP is a great example of ‘cloud computing' at its best, which credit unions can leverage in terms of cost savings, business continuity and security issues.”

"It is great to be recognized by the CUNA Technology Council,” said Jay Liebe, director of integration, Switch Communications. “We feel strongly that the credit unions are an integral part of the economic growth of this country.  With the tools of the Switch SuperNap being extended to them through CUNA Strategic Services, credit unions will realize unparalleled cost savings and protect the integrity of their business with world-class co-location services."

Since 2001, the CUNA Technology Council has presented the Best of Show award to the exhibitor that demonstrates a commitment to delivering technology that will further the growth of products and services in the credit union marketplace. Vendors' products are evaluated according to affordability, the benefit to credit unions and their members, a commitment to open standards, currently in use, and health of the company.

(L-R) Rudy Pereira, CTC chairman and senior vice president, operations/technology, Alliant CU, Chicago; Jason Mendenhall, Switch Communications; Dan Mica, CUNA president/CEO; Jay Liebe, Switch Communications; John Franklin, CUNA chief operating officer; Belinda Caillouet, CTC executive committee member and vice president, information technology, Spokane (Wash.) Teachers CU.