Members 1st builds a modern data lakehouse with 3Cloud and Azure

July 18, 2025

In today’s information-driven economy, success often hinges on an organization's ability to break down silos, integrate systems, and transform raw data into real-time insight that can drive smarter decisions. And with their extensive Microsoft Azure experience, that’s exactly what Microsoft partner 3Cloud helps organizations do.

A multi-time Partner of the Year Award winner, including both the Data & AI and Healthcare & Life Sciences categories in 2024, 3Cloud has been building on Azure since 2016. Fully dedicated to Azure, the team was founded by former Microsoft colleagues and has helped more than 1,600 clients with their Azure engagements.

This impressive track record made 3Cloud a natural choice when Members 1st Federal Credit Union decided they wanted to harness their data infrastructure to deliver more personalized, convenient experiences to their members.

Banking on better data to drive insights

Pouring 20 terabytes of data into one accessible lake

Together, 3Cloud and Members 1st went to work on a daunting challenge: incorporating over 20 terabytes of data from more than 15 disparate sources into a cohesive, scalable framework. Their ambitious effort led to the creation of M1-360, a cutting-edge data lakehouse purpose-built for Members 1st in the Microsoft Azure ecosystem.

By combining Azure SQL, Azure Data Factory, and Azure Databricks, 3Cloud was able to help Members 1st extract, log, and centralize enterprise-wide data into M1-360. With this foundation, Members 1st became an early adopter of Microsoft Fabric, a complete data analytics platform with AI-driven capabilities that blended seamlessly with their M1-360 solution built on Azure services. M1-360 helps the credit union derive valuable data insights for more informed decision-making. Data analysts at Members 1st can create customized reports for business units that update daily in Fabric’s secure OneLake environment.

“These reports used to be done manually—sometimes only monthly because they were so intensive,” said Greg Lowe, Data Architect at Members 1st. “Now, business units run reports daily, and it frees up our data analysts to do more analytic work.”

3Cloud helped architect a solution that used the credit union’s metadata to automate processes and support continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD). This approach ensures that code changes are automatically deployed. “Implementing CI/CD deployments really helps us maintain consistency and stability because we aren’t introducing bad code,” said Lowe. The company also established rules to govern its IT environment and remain compliant with regional regulations and industry standards.

Unlocking more intelligent innovations in a fraction of the time

This modern, flexible data platform has improved the business agility of Members 1st and helped them derive timely data insights to facilitate executive decision-making. M1-360 contains over 20 terabytes of data and refreshes daily in less than two hours. Machine learning models that took 36 hours to run can now be done in three to four hours, a reduction of about 89%. When the credit union needs to update integrations with its customer relationship management software, it now takes 30 to 40 minutes, compared to three to four hours previously.

One early use case supported a quarterly credit card marketing campaign. The marketing and data teams collaborated to build a machine learning model that calculated which members were most likely to respond positively to an offer. Rather than calling members at random, Members 1st reached out to a select group, and sales teams were more successful. The marketing team now has more granular insights into how well a campaign is performing, and audience segmentation has also improved, providing members with more personalized advertising.

“One of our recent credit card preapproval campaigns delivered impressive results,” said McAllister. “With advanced data analytics, we saw a 30.4% lift over conventional campaigns, issuing 3,634 new cards with a total card limit of $27.9 million. This success demonstrates the strength of our data-driven strategy in elevating marketing performance and personalizing member experiences."

As the credit union continues innovating to support its long-term goals, 3Cloud aims to help them elevate member experiences with personalized services and offers. “With 3Cloud’s expertise and the capabilities of Azure, we transformed our data infrastructure and enhanced our member experience,” said McAllister. “This journey highlights how a data-driven approach and strong collaboration can unlock innovation.”