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.

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

If your team is still manually preparing board reports or copy-pasting data between spreadsheets, there's a faster way. ...
05/19/2026

If your team is still manually preparing board reports or copy-pasting data between spreadsheets, there's a faster way. Your Microsoft 365 subscription already includes two tools to save time on these tasks.

On May 28, join us for a free live Zoom demo of Copilot agents, Analyst and Researcher, in action. Watch Analyst transform messy data into a grant tracker in minutes. And see Researcher combine internal documents with web sources to produce a board-ready briefing in no time.

You’ll also leave with useful copy/paste prompts tailored to nonprofits and associations.

Save your seat here: https://hubs.ly/Q04h4Vsw0

Intermediate level. Open to everyone, designDATA clients and anyone else who wants to learn about Copilot tools.

05/12/2026

Phishing emails look more real every day. Would your team know how to spot them?

This Power Up training video shows you:
📧 Three golden rules for email security
📧 How to stay one step ahead of phishing attempts
📧 Why nonprofits and associations can’t afford a slip-up

Get safer inboxes and stronger trust with your community. Watch here: https://hubs.ly/Q04g57F70

05/06/2026

Here's something we hear a lot right now: "Our staff is already using AI, but we don't really have a plan for it yet."

If that sounds familiar, June 25 was made for you.

The Executive Learning Lab returns this summer at the Tower Club in Tysons Corner. This year's theme is Secure. Scale. Serve, and the day is built around helping association and nonprofit leaders turn that uneasy feeling about AI into a strategy they actually feel good about.

Spots are limited and registration is open. Come spend a day with people who understand your AI struggles and know how to tackle them. https://hubs.ly/Q04fGJbd0

Most association staff aren't waiting for an AI policy. They're already experimenting. And that's not a criticism! It's ...
04/28/2026

Most association staff aren't waiting for an AI policy. They're already experimenting.

And that's not a criticism! It's just what happens when useful tools are easy to access and no one has given them a clearer path. But when every person is making their own judgment calls about what data goes in, which tools are safe, and whether that AI-generated content is ready to send, the exposure adds up fast.

We wrote about what that actually looks like, and what it takes to get ahead of it. Read the blog to get more information: https://hubs.ly/Q04dL5Yn0

Ever wished you could answer "what happens if...?" before committing to a plan? That's exactly what this session is buil...
04/21/2026

Ever wished you could answer "what happens if...?" before committing to a plan?

That's exactly what this session is built for. On April 30, we're hosting a free open Excel training on Zoom covering Excel’s built-in analysis tools.

Register here: https://hubs.ly/Q04cJKkc0

Together, we’ll:

📊Model multiple outcomes with What-If Analysis tools like Scenario Manager and Data Tables for

📊Test constraints and optimize decisions with the Solver add-in

📊Work backward from a desired result and identify the input values needed to achieve it with Goal Seek

You'll leave knowing how to evaluate options, reduce risk, and make informed decisions with tools already inside Microsoft 365.

Intermediate level. Open to everyone, designDATA clients, and people who are looking for ways to use Excel more strategically in your day-to-day work.

04/07/2026

Public Wi-Fi is really convenient, but that convenience comes with risks.

This quick Power Up training video helps you spot unsafe networks before you connect and build safer habits online that protect you and your mission.

Connect safely and with fewer risks when you and your team work on the go. Watch here: https://hubs.ly/Q0491DDn0

AI adoption in associations is picking up fast, and with that momentum come many important questions. Things like: Who's...
03/31/2026

AI adoption in associations is picking up fast, and with that momentum come many important questions.

Things like: Who's responsible for how it's used? What does success actually look like? Where does AI fit in our work, and where does it need more oversight?

When you tackle these decisions before you roll out a new tool, you create the foundation that makes it stick long-term.

Our latest blog walks through the key decisions and structures worth having in place before day one, so your team can move forward with clarity and confidence.

Read it here: https://hubs.ly/Q048fg9J0

Here's a question worth sitting with: if you asked your AI right now which members are most at risk of leaving, could it...
03/24/2026

Here's a question worth sitting with: if you asked your AI right now which members are most at risk of leaving, could it actually answer that? Or would someone have to go pull three reports, copy them into a spreadsheet, and make their best guess?

That gap is exactly what Greg Starling, Head of Innovation & Growth at Doyon Technology Group, digs into in his latest article. He calls it The Four-Layer Test, and it's a surprisingly honest look at where most organizations actually stand with AI versus where they think they stand.

Spoiler: Layer 3 (where you've got AI tools everywhere but none of them connected) is way more common than Layer 4, and way more dangerous than Layer 1.)

🔗 https://hubs.ly/Q047MHZd0

03/19/2026

AI is showing up in associations in small but noticeable ways.

Marketing teams are able to draft event copy faster.

Program staff can summarize long reports in minutes.

Finance can automate certain mundane tasks.

Those improvements matter. But at some point, the bigger question becomes: how does this translate into real results?

In our latest article, we break down the Four Levels of Association AI, from early experimentation to fully integrated, organization-wide intelligence that supports retention, revenue, and member engagement. https://hubs.ly/Q045mWH-0

If your team is thinking about what the next few years should look like (and what needs to happen now to get there), this framework offers a practical way to start the conversation.

Take a look and see where your organization might fall on the ladder.

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