IT Ally was formed, the precursor to the IT Ally Institute
We exist to serve credit unions. In today’s technology-first landscape, the right tech can accelerate an organization’s performance. Having a misalignment in tech, overpaying for solutions, or, simply not planning appropriately for the future, can really hurt your credit union. These can become monumental deterrents to providing exceptional member experiences and having a sound bottom-line.
We’re here to help you think (and act) holistically when it comes to technology. We’ll help you align technology solutions, avoid overpaying, and plan for a future where standout member experiences are the norm!
What We Are All About
Helping you, as you help the member!
Consider the many facets of your members’ lives that are bettered by the credit union —
Imagine your credit union being poised to provide products and services at maximum efficiency, through technology – having complementary technologies that work for the organization, never against it — THAT is what we are ALL ABOUT!
We leverage decades of experience and knowledge working with credit unions and other financial institutions. We couple our expertise with our unique methodology (called ELEVATE), in order to achieve breakthrough results!
OUR VISION
To future proof Credit Unions through modern uses of technology.
OUR MISSION
We are a trusted technology ally for your institution that elevates your business performance and member experience and enables you to compete for market growth, securely.
How We Got Here
The Timeline
CU Ally Team
Michael Fillios
Founder and CEO
BIO
Michael C. Fillios is the founder and CEO of IT Ally Holdings, a Ally, LLC., a diversified holding company that provides IT and Cyber Advisory to family owned and private equity backed small and medium size businesses (SMBs) and Credit Unions.
In 2020, he launched CU Ally, to provide Digital, Cyber and Talent solutions for the Credit Union Industry. Fillios is a four-time CIO and senior global business and technology executive with 25 years of experience in transformation, change leadership and operations management in the Pharmaceutical, Industrials, Automotive, Banking and Consulting Industries. He most recently served as CIO for the Commercial and Payments line of business at Fifth Third Bank.
His first book, Tech Debt 2.0®: How to Future Proof Your Small Business and Improve Your Tech Bottom Line, was published by the IT Ally Institute in April, 2020. In 2020, he formed the IT Ally Institute to provide research, best practices, thought leadership and peer to peer programs for business and IT leaders at small and mid-sized businesses.
Michael is on the Board of Directors of INTERalliance, a non-profit that promotes careers in information technology to high school students in the greater Cincinnati region. He also leads the IT Leadership Roundtable for the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. Michael resides in Mason, Ohio with his wife Lisa, son Griffin and daughter Sydney, while his eldest son Mike lives in New York.
Sam Esfahani
Chief Strategist
BIO
Sam Esfahani currently works as a Senior Business Advisor at CU Ally. He completed his degrees in Engineering from Napier University in Edinburg, Scotland, and University of Omaha in Nebraska. He received his master’s degree in business administration from Central Michigan university.
Sam has worked for many Fortune 500 companies in various technology roles and responsibilities. He has worked for First Data, Litton, TD Ameritrade, Chase bank, Key bank, PSCU, Danske Bank, and AgFirst. He was the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for PSCU and AgFirst.
Sam was the recipient of top 100 CIO in the nation by CIO magazine in 2015 due to his innovative approach and successful implementation of “intelligent Platform” at PSCU.
He was also the final candidate two years in a row for “most innovation CIO in Tampa, Florida.” In addition, Sam served as the president of Tampa Bay Technology Leadership Association for two years.
Mike Varney
Chief Technologist
BIO
Michael L. Varney is an experienced IT and Finance executive with over 20 years in the commercial banking and credit union markets. As a transformative leader, Michael has held CIO and technology leadership positions in institutions from small to large, including being a ground floor executive for a de-novo institution that grew to be one of the most stable commercial banks in the country.
Michael has extensive experience leading digital transformation efforts for some of the largest credit unions in the industry; and has led enterprise wide projects involving digital member experience, electronic and p2p payments, ITM implementation, and infrastructure virtualization. Michael also has extensive experience in developing integration strategies to1 help credit unions get the most out of their technology investments.
In addition to his exhaustive experience in financial services operations, Michael has been a successful entrepreneur having started and operated companies in the retail, manufacturing, and IT consulting industries.
Michael holds degrees from both The University of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky University in Business Administration and MIS and spends time volunteering for Miami Valley Christian Academy in Newtown, OH. Michael resides in Cincinnati, OH with his wife and three children.
Our Allies
