Case Study, Managed IT & Cloud Services
How Five Rural Iowa Branches
Found Themselves in the
Same Cloud
First State Bank needed fast, reliable access to banking applications across five locations spread across 35 miles of rural Iowa. Aureon's Cloud Suite and SD-WAN solved it, immediately.
Partnership Overview
Five Rural Branches, One Connectivity Problem
First State Bank serves customers across five towns in northwestern Iowa, Ida Grove, Battle Creek, Danbury, Mapleton, and Odebolt, spread over 35 miles of rural Highway 175. Insufficient bandwidth at every location meant employees couldn't reliably access banking software when they needed it most, and transactions were dropping mid-stream.
When loan officers needed to work at another branch, accessing their desktop and applications was a slow, complicated, and often inefficient process. The bank lacked the network architecture to connect its five locations into a seamless system, limiting employee productivity and customer service quality.
Bandwidth Limitations Across Five Branches
Insufficient bandwidth at every location meant employees couldn't reliably access banking software, and transactions were dropping mid-stream, directly impacting customers across five rural communities.
No Cross-Branch Application Access
Loan officers working at another branch faced slow, complicated access to their desktop and applications. The bank lacked network architecture to connect its five locations into a seamless system.
A Complete Cloud and Network Overhaul for Rural Banking
Aureon deployed a comprehensive solution combining cloud-hosted applications and a software-defined wide area network to connect all five First State Bank locations into one seamless, resilient system. Banking applications were migrated to the Aureon Cloud, eliminating the need to maintain on-site hardware while delivering immediate performance improvements.
SD-WAN eliminated the single points of failure that had plagued the bank's older network, improved data security, and boosted speed across all locations. Enterprise-grade managed firewall and Proactive Care round out the solution, giving First State Bank a complete, expert-managed IT operation for a rural bank in Iowa.
Aureon Cloud Suite
All critical banking applications, check processing, EFT origination, new account documents, HR and payroll, migrated to the Aureon Cloud, eliminating on-site hardware and delivering immediate performance gains.
Cloud WAN (SD-WAN)
A software-defined wide area network connects all five branch locations into a single, resilient voice-and-data network, eliminating single points of failure and enabling seamless cross-branch application access.
Managed Firewall Security
Enterprise-grade protection for sensitive personal and financial data, without requiring in-house security expertise, which is difficult to recruit in rural Iowa.
Proactive Care
Unlimited network monitoring, maintenance, patching, data backup, and support, giving First State Bank a complete IT operation managed entirely by Aureon's team of experts.
Seamless Banking From Any Branch, From Day One
The implementation of the full Cloud Suite and Cloud WAN solution went off without a hitch, no disruption to bank operations, no customer impact. Benefits were immediate: faster application access, no mid-transaction dropouts, and full cross-branch connectivity from day one. Loan officers can now access their full desktop and all banking applications from any of the five branch locations.
Immediate, Seamless Implementation
The full Cloud Suite and Cloud WAN deployment caused zero disruption to bank operations. Benefits were immediate, faster application access, no mid-transaction dropouts, full cross-branch connectivity from day one.
Work From Any Branch, Anywhere
Loan officers now access their full desktop and all banking applications from any of the five branch locations, or from anywhere. What was once a slow, complicated process is now seamless.
An IT Infrastructure Worthy of Small-Town Service
"In rural Iowa, it can be challenging for businesses to secure the amount of bandwidth they need and to find knowledgeable IT professionals to join their team. Aureon solves both issues for First State Bank. They have the network we need, and they are our IT professionals. We are grateful to have their team of experts supporting us."
Kathy Weiss
Senior Vice President & Compliance Officer, First State Bank
Community Banking · Northwestern Iowa · 5 Branch Locations
Big Enough to Serve, Small Enough to Care, Backed by the Right Technology
First State Bank has long been known in northwestern Iowa for its attentive, personal approach to banking. With five locations spread across 35 miles of rural Highway 175, serving communities in Ida Grove, Battle Creek, Danbury, Mapleton, and Odebolt, the bank's commitment to its customers is clear. But as the bank grew, bandwidth limitations across all five branches began to undermine that commitment, causing connectivity failures mid-transaction and making it nearly impossible for staff to access banking software reliably.
Aureon stepped in when the IT group supporting First State Bank was acquired, and immediately identified the path forward: a combination of Cloud Suite and Cloud WAN that would unify the bank's five locations into a single, resilient network. Every critical banking application, from check processing to HR and payroll, was moved to the Aureon Cloud, and SD-WAN replaced the fragile, siloed network architecture that had held the bank back.
The results were immediate and lasting. Zero mid-transaction dropouts. Seamless cross-branch access for every employee. Enterprise-grade security without the cost of in-house IT talent. In a rural market where both bandwidth and IT professionals are hard to come by, Aureon solved both problems in one, becoming First State Bank's entire technology team.
Frequently Asked Questions
First State Bank's five branch locations across northwestern Iowa all suffered from insufficient bandwidth. Employees couldn't reliably access banking software when they needed it, and transactions were dropping mid-stream, frustrating both staff and customers. Cross-branch application access was also a problem: when loan officers worked at a different location, accessing their desktop and files was slow and complicated. In rural Iowa, limited bandwidth and scarce IT talent compounded the challenge.
Aureon's Cloud Suite migrates and hosts a bank's critical applications, check processing, EFT origination, new account documents, HR and payroll, and more, in the Aureon Cloud, where they are fully managed and protected. For First State Bank, this eliminated the need to purchase and maintain costly hardware, removed the burden of software management from bank staff, and delivered immediate performance improvements. As Kathy Weiss noted, "This is Aureon's area of expertise. They had the IT infrastructure in place already."
SD-WAN (software-defined wide area network) connects multiple locations into a single, resilient network that combines voice and data traffic more efficiently than traditional networks. For First State Bank, this meant eliminating the single points of failure that caused connectivity disruptions across its five branches. SD-WAN also improved data security, boosted network speed, and made cross-branch application access seamless, loan officers can now work from any branch as if they were at their home location.
Aureon provides Managed Firewall Security for First State Bank, enterprise-grade protection fully managed by Aureon's team. In a banking environment that handles sensitive personal and financial data, this is essential. Beyond the firewall, Aureon's Proactive Care package delivers unlimited network monitoring, maintenance, patching, and data backup, ensuring the bank's systems are always protected and up to date without requiring in-house security expertise.
Recruiting skilled IT professionals to rural Iowa is genuinely difficult, and for a five-branch community bank, building and retaining an internal IT team is neither practical nor cost-effective. Aureon solves this by acting as the bank's entire technology team: providing the network infrastructure, cloud platform, security, monitoring, and unlimited support that First State Bank needs. As Kathy Weiss put it, "Aureon solves both issues for First State Bank. They have the network we need, and they are our IT professionals."
Ready to Solve Your Bank's IT Challenges?
Whether you're managing multiple branch locations or navigating the IT talent shortage in rural markets, Aureon's managed technology solutions can keep your team connected and your customers served.
