As the old saying goes, "May you live in interesting times."

That's been the case this past year in credit union technology. That old saying is also considered a back-handed curse, but the challenges of deploying old-fashioned service across a growing array of high-tech channels also presents unprecedented opportunities, industry participants say.

"We really do live in interesting times. Absolutely fascinating, really, if you look at the explosion of mobile devices we've seen lately and all the opportunities they present," said Rick Roy, chief information officer at CUNA Mutual Group in Madison, Wis. "They also can scare the daylights out of you when you consider all the complexities they bring us in terms of compliance and security."