In early 2021, AAA Central Penn – one of 27 AAA clubs across North America – was simultaneously growing its IT operations, maintaining an internal technology function and relying periodically on their managed IT service provider, Omega Systems, to provide auxiliary support for complex IT problems. The provider-customer relationship was straightforward and, frankly, minimal. But under new leadership, AAA Central Penn sought a more meaningful partnership with Omega Systems, ultimately building a strategic, symbiotic relationship that exemplifies the benefits of co-managed IT.
Learn more about the evolution of this trusted partnership between AAA Central Penn and Omega Systems.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) was founded in 1902 and serves more than 60 million members in the United States and Canada, delivering a variety of automotive services – notably roadside assistance – as well as travel, insurance and financial services. AAA is comprised of 27 regional clubs. AAA Central Penn, based in Harrisburg, PA, serves over 335,000 members across central Pennsylvania.
When Hector Lopez was hired as Vice President of IT at AAA Central Penn in February 2022, the club had already been working with Omega Systems. At that time, Omega was hosting AAA Central Penn’s infrastructure in their SOC 2 certified data center as well as providing 24x7x365 help desk support for technical issues. While the relationship raised no immediate red flags, Lopez understood his primary task needed to be a thorough evaluation of the club’s existing IT challenges and an equally comprehensive redefinition of its relationship with Omega Systems.
“When I first joined, I had heard positive feedback internally about Omega Systems, but it was important for me to assess their capabilities myself. I visited their headquarters, met with their leadership team and quickly recognized the potential for a stronger, more strategic partnership. I knew I wanted to lean into that army of specialists.”
– Hector Lopez, Vice President of IT, AAA Central Penn
This initial visit marked the beginning of a deeper collaboration that would evolve over time to meet AAA Central Penn’s expanding IT, security and compliance needs.
One of the immediate challenges Lopez identified was how tickets were being prioritized. While Omega’s team used a standard prioritization system based on the number of users impacted, these thresholds didn’t always align with AAA Central Penn’s operational needs. For instance, a single member waiting for service at a counter, unable to complete a transaction due to a technical issue, required swift resolution despite the seemingly small scale of the problem.
Lopez and his team alongside Omega Systems worked closely to develop a customized prioritization system for AAA Central Penn. Together, they created a list of key terms and definitions that helped Omega’s help desk technicians quickly understand the urgency of certain operational or member-related issues. This refinement allowed Omega to deliver more efficient, tailored support. As a result, AAA Central Penn began to see improvements in ticket resolution times and customer satisfaction.
Having witnessed the benefits of collaboration and communication first-hand, it was quickly clear to Lopez that Omega Systems had the operational maturity and personalized commitment to aid AAA Central Penn not only in meeting additional IT challenges but in designing and implementing a comprehensive IT strategy.
Early on, Lopez likened their working relationship to a soccer team.
“On a championship team, you need to have strength on defense, in the mid-field and on the offensive line. Omega is our defensive line; they ensure everything works as expected, new features and enhancements are tested and rolled out, and ultimately that what should work does work when we need it to. With that level of defense, my offensive line at AAA can focus on core business goals and prioritize the tasks we usually don’t have time for.”
Mid-fielders, of course, employ their skills and adaptability to support both offensive and defensive players, and the Omega team expressed a clear interest in taking over that role for AAA Central Penn as well. Thus, that was the vision the two organizations began to work towards.
As a member of the broader AAA federation of clubs, AAA Central Penn is expected to maintain strict adherence to cybersecurity standards – the likes of which have been steadily increasing over the years due to the rising nature of threats. Facing stringent audit and accreditation requirements and no longer able to manage the growing responsibilities in-house, Lopez turned to Omega Systems.
“We were essentially looking for a virtual CISO (Chief Information Security Officer), and after my first introduction to their security and compliance team, I knew Omega had exactly the expertise I needed. Not only could you feel the energy and passion from leaders like Rick Mutzel [Omega’s Manager of Technology], but they were pioneering new solutions that truly bridged the gap between security and compliance.”
Innovative solutions like Smart Comply, Omega’s managed IT compliance solution, soon proved to be invaluable for Lopez and his broader team.
“Smart Comply makes it easy for us to gather the information we need for compliance, allowing us to focus on larger goals while feeling confident in both our cybersecurity posture and reporting capabilities.”
In addition to their technological prowess, another notable impression Omega Systems has made over the years has been the quality of and commitment to relationship management. Omega’s dedicated technical account manager (TAM) takes responsibility for the overall partnership, evaluating needs, reviewing challenges and successes and facilitating future growth by bringing the necessary technical resources and subject matter experts into the fold.
For AAA Central Penn, the value of this mature and mutually respectful relationship cannot be overstated.
“In this type of co-managed relationship, there’s a mentality shift: you have to be comfortable and confident not doing it all yourself. Omega is a true extension of our IT team. We set clear expectations, hold each other accountable and at the end of the day, everything’s on the table. If we don’t agree on a strategy or a response, we allow both sides to be heard. It’s an almost cathartic experience because we know regardless of which way the pendulum swings, both sides are committed to the end result.”
The partnership between AAA Central Penn and Omega Systems has continued to evolve in recent years.
Omega’s round-the-clock IT help desk has expanded their support efforts for the club while consistently increasing customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores; the team currently maintains an organization-wide CSAT nearing 99% – a near perfect representation of the successful partnership.
AAA Central Penn also continues to look to Omega for deeper levels of strategic IT support, particularly in the areas of security and compliance. In 2024, they implemented Omega’s Smart Guard solution – a comprehensive managed detection and response (MDR) service that combined proactive threat detection with 24×7 security operations and incident response.
“Security standards are getting stricter, and it’s important for us to be ahead of the game. We never want to be surprised by an unexpected cyber-attack or an auditor’s question, and that’s part of the reason we adopted Smart Guard. With MDR, we have 360-degree visibility of our security environment and a clear picture of everything that’s happening between the lines.”
For Lopez, this type of robust security service aligns AAA Central Penn with AAA’s mega clubs that boast more robust resources and budgets.
“We don’t have the luxury of building and hiring a 30-person security team to watch our systems and data day in and day out; we can’t do that affordably. But our relationship with Omega Systems puts us at that caliber and flexes a muscle that we otherwise couldn’t afford or build on our own.”
The evolution of the relationship between AAA Central Penn and Omega Systems showcases the power of collaboration and strategic partnership. What began as a basic help desk support arrangement has grown into a full-fledged partnership, where Omega Systems plays a critical role in helping AAA Central Penn meet its evolving IT needs and organizational goals. Omega’s ability to adapt, innovate, and provide customized solutions alongside personalized service has allowed AAA Central Penn to navigate an increasingly complex security and compliance landscape. By fostering a relationship based on trust, transparency, and mutual respect, both companies have built a long-term, sustainable partnership that is poised for continued success in the future.
Dive deeper into these managed services offerings from Omega Systems to better understand how we support customers like AAA Central Penn in meeting their IT, security and compliance objectives.