Lincoln, Nebraska – June 27, 2008 As rain kept falling across Iowa over the past few weeks, many living near rivers feared the worst. Unfortunately for the residents of Elkader, Iowa, the worst is exactly what they got. The Clayton County Register reported that the predicted crest for the Turkey River had been 24 feet. Instead, on Monday, June 9, the river crested at 31.9 feet–four and a half feet over the previous record. And as the Turkey River overflowed into downtown Elkader, many homes and businesses were inundated with water.
Among the hardest hit businesses in Elkader was Freedom Bank. With water up to the lower sills of its windows, Keith Garms, CEO of the Freedom Bank, told The Clayton County Register that the building had “suffered substantial damage.” Fortunately, the Freedom Bank staff was able to move much of the bank’s equipment, including its computers, to safety.
“After our bank flooded, I called Automated Systems and received a lot of help”
Freedom Bank contacted Automated Systems, Inc. on Tuesday morning for assistance setting up the Elkader servers at one of their branch locations so they could resume service to their customers as soon as possible. By Tuesday afternoon, two support team members from Automated Systems (ASI) were on the road to northeast Iowa.
On Wednesday morning, the support team arrived at the Freedom Bank branch in Monona, Iowa. Working with the employees of Freedom Bank, the support team got the Insite Banking Core™ and the Check Imaging™ servers up and running by Wednesday afternoon.
“They put the details together very quickly. The disaster Recovery Team that arrived was very knowledgeable and very responsive. Our servers were configured and up and running at our branch in Monona the same day they arrived.”
With the help of the local Internet Service Provider and the local telephone company, Internet Banking and Online Banking were also operational again by Thursday afternoon.
“After our bank flooded, I called Automated Systems and received a lot of help,” said Danielle Pape, Assistant IT Manager at Freedom Bank. “They put the details together very quickly. The Disaster Recovery Team that arrived was very knowledgeable and very responsive. Our servers were configured and up and running at our branch in Monona the same day they arrived.”
Because Freedom Bank has a Disaster Recovery agreement with ASI, a plan had already been established to quickly restore bank operation. The Disaster Recovery agreement guarantees that ASI will provide the necessary hardware and support to restore operation of the Insite Core Banking System at an alternate site of the bank’s choosing in the event of disaster at the bank’s main location. Disaster Recovery agreements are also available for Insite’s ancillary products.
While the residents of Elkader continue to clean up from last week’s devastating flood, they are able to conduct their banking business, thanks to the efforts of the employees of Freedom Bank and ASI. As a small company, we value our customers and are able to quickly respond when circumstances demand immediate action. Automated Systems, Inc. continues to offer our support and best wishes to the people of Elkader as they work to return their community to normal.
About Automated Systems, Inc.
Automated Systems, Inc. (ASI) has built strong relationships with community banks since 1981 to create the technological solutions necessary to address community bank management’s needs. ASI develops and supports software to help its customers operate efficiently and effectively. ASI also provides network support and consultative services to enable clients to maximize the latest technologies.
ASI corporate headquarters are at 1201 Libra Drive, Lincoln, Nebraska 68512, 402.420.6000 or 800.279.7312. For more information about the banking solutions from ASI, visit www.asiweb.com.
About Insite Data Services™
The Insite Banking System™ is a complete in-house or hosted core data processing solution utilizing a 100% Microsoft Windows environment: no Unix, no AS/400 and no mainframe. Automated Systems provides directly integrated solutions: image teller solution, check and document imaging, real-time telephone and real time online banking with remote capture. For more information about hosting from IDS, visit www.insitedataservices.com.