Design data

Design data designDATA takes the time to understand your organization's business objectives to provide strategically aligned IT solutions. We’re agile. High tech.

They help you harness the power of IT through IT Managed Services, Data Center & Cloud, Cybersecurity, Productivity and more. designDATA is not quite like other firms. Consultative. Yet we’re not a startup: we are a thirty year old tech consulting and network engineering company. designDATA is a company of 80 professionals and we are growing quickly. We think we’re a perfect size – large enough to

offer all the benefits and stability of an established firm, small enough to have lunch with the CEO in the break room.

What happens if your AI-savvy staff member wins the lottery tomorrow and never comes back?Greg Starling, Head of Innovat...
07/29/2026

What happens if your AI-savvy staff member wins the lottery tomorrow and never comes back?

Greg Starling, Head of Innovation and Growth at Doyon Technology Group, has seen what happens to associations when critical information lives only in someone's head. "If it wasn't captured, why this system is doing what it's doing, that becomes a black box," he says.

Most associations moving fast on AI haven't documented the reasoning behind their systems: why they were built a certain way, what they're supposed to catch, what good output even looks like.

We wrote up what real AI governance looks like for associations, plus where to start if nothing's written down yet.

The best time to document was when you set up the tools; the next best time is today.

The full article link is in the comments!

If you've ever said "we really need to do something about our security" and then... not done anything, you're not alone....
07/16/2026

If you've ever said "we really need to do something about our security" and then... not done anything, you're not alone.

It's hard to know where to start when the options feel overwhelming and the costs aren't clear. Most security messaging assumes you're starting from scratch with a full IT team behind you. That's not the reality for most associations and nonprofits.

If you already have some things in place, the real question is what comes next, and in what order. Security builds in layers, and some layers matter a lot more early on than others.

If that's where you are, check out the link our comments for a useful read.

07/07/2026

What could your team do this year that felt impossible before AI? That's the question Tom Mercer left our Executive Learning Lab crowd with on June 25th, and we haven't stopped thinking about it.

The whole day kept circling back to one idea: the barrier to AI adoption at most associations isn't the technology. It's time, it's getting people aligned, and it's not knowing what doing this responsibly actually looks like.

Reggie Henry from ASAE put it best: replace fear with training and governance.

We heard how a national association built the internal buy-in to move from early AI experiments to real agents. We heard why judgment still has to be human, even when the output gets faster. We heard why clean data and documented process are the unglamorous work nobody wants to do but everyone needs.

And in the breakout rooms, the best insight came from each other. Hearing how the association down the street is handling this is worth more than most frameworks.

So, back to that question. What's something you could tackle this year that felt out of reach before?

Drop your answer below, or come talk it through with us in the Association & Nonprofit Technology Lab, our LinkedIn group for exactly these conversations. Link in comments.

06/30/2026

Your devices are only as safe as the accounts that protect them. Weak logins and other leave your home (and your nonprofit or association) exposed.

This Power Up training video shows you:

✅ Three easy fixes for stronger account security
✅ How to lock every “digital door” in your home
✅ Why associations and nonprofits need to prioritize secure accounts

The payoff will be safer data, safer networks, and more confidence online. Watch here: https://hubs.ly/Q04n2QD_0

Two days away. A few spots still open.Join us June 25 for the Executive Learning Lab, a full day designed for associatio...
06/22/2026

Two days away. A few spots still open.

Join us June 25 for the Executive Learning Lab, a full day designed for association and nonprofit executives who want real conversation about AI, cybersecurity, and building a culture where technology actually sticks.

You'll hear from Monica Pemberton, Amy Gavin, Aimee Pagano, and Greg Starling, and close the day with Reggie Henry reflecting on 30 years at the forefront of association technology.

It's a great lineup and a great room. Come be part of it.
Registration is complimentary. 🔗 https://hubs.ly/Q04ltyX60

What does 30 years at the forefront of association technology teach you?We're about to find out.Reggie Henry is joining ...
06/16/2026

What does 30 years at the forefront of association technology teach you?

We're about to find out.

Reggie Henry is joining us at the Executive Learning Lab on June 25 for a closing conversation before he turns the page on his remarkable tenure at ASAE. He'll reflect on how the industry has evolved, what this AI moment really means for association leaders, and where he thinks we go from here.

Candid. Insightful. One of a kind.
Grab your spot. Registration is free: https://hubs.ly/Q04lsmp20

AI strategy looks different for every association. The trick is knowing where you are in that process before deciding wh...
06/09/2026

AI strategy looks different for every association. The trick is knowing where you are in that process before deciding what comes next.

That is exactly what Greg Starling, Head of Innovation and Growth at Doyon Technology Group, will be digging into at the Executive Learning Lab on June 25 in his session Beyond the Chatbot: Getting AI To Actually Earn Its Keep.

Greg works with associations at every stage of the AI journey, so he knows what "stuck" looks like and what it takes to move through it. Wherever your organization is right now, this session will give you something real to act on.

Register here: https://hubs.ly/Q04jqtSF0

If your organization is trying to figure out AI, you're not alone. Most associations are somewhere in the middle of it, ...
06/03/2026

If your organization is trying to figure out AI, you're not alone. Most associations are somewhere in the middle of it, experimenting, second-guessing, and trying to bring their teams along at the same time.

That's exactly why we're so glad to have Amy Gavin joining us at the Executive Learning Lab on June 25. As Senior Director of Marketing and Technology at the American Society for Nutrition, she's been living this in real time. Navigating staff adoption, generational differences, and the gap between having a tool and actually building a culture around it.

Her session won't be a highlight reel. It'll be an honest look at what the journey actually looks like, from someone who's still on it.

Tower Club Tysons Corner | June 25 Secure. Scale. Serve.

Register here: https://hubs.ly/Q04jpjD40

Getting your whole organization to embrace AI takes more than turning on a tool and hoping for the best. Monica Pemberto...
05/26/2026

Getting your whole organization to embrace AI takes more than turning on a tool and hoping for the best. Monica Pemberton, VP and CIO at the American Council on Education, built a roadmap for how every department would learn it together, with structured training, a detailed communication plan, and the executive team completing the same exercises as everyone else.

She's sharing the full story at the Executive Learning Lab on June 25 at the Tower Club in Tysons Corner. 🔗 https://hubs.ly/Q04hSMlM0

Going to ASAE MMC & Tech in D.C. next week? Make sure you catch From Strategy to Systems: Your Association’s Frameworks ...
05/21/2026

Going to ASAE MMC & Tech in D.C. next week?

Make sure you catch From Strategy to Systems: Your Association’s Frameworks for AI Implementation, a session with Rob Shelton from our designDATA team on Thursday, May 28 at 11:45 AM. It's a hands-on, practical look at how associations can move from AI experimentation to real, operational AI, with a live roadmap and prompts you can take back to your team.

The designDATA crew will also be at Kiosk 249 all day. Stop by and say hi!

Get more details here: https://hubs.ly/Q04hwxS30

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