About the Amon Carter Museum of American Art
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas, is more than just a museum, it’s a cultural anchor. With a collection of paintings, sculpture, and photography, Amon Carter’s mission is to connect people with American art in ways that inspire reflection, education, and community.
As a mission-driven institution, the Amon Carter invests intentionally to maximize public impact. Every dollar saved and every risk avoided means more energy goes toward exhibitions, educational programs, and community engagement. For organizations like the Amon Carter, IT is not just about keeping systems running; it’s about protecting the mission to connect people with American art, inspire learning, and strengthen community through culture.
The Challenge: Long-Time IT Leader Retires
When the Amon Carter Museum’s longtime IT Director announced her retirement, the organization hit a pivotal moment. She had run the museum’s entire IT operation for years, and her departure exposed a single point of failure and a looming knowledge gap.
Responsibility for what comes next fell to Sherrie Fanning, Director of HR & Shared Services. IT was not her primary domain, but she now had a clear choice: hire another internal IT leader or rethink their IT operating model.
“One person can be brilliant on day one,” Sherrie noted, “but once the day-to-day sets in, no one can stay an expert in every area, and it rarely makes sense to staff a full bench of specialists in-house.”
Rather than repost the role, Sherrie asked peers for recommendations and began meeting with providers. Aldridge quickly stood out as a leading MSP with a proven track record serving mission-driven organizations. After conversations with several firms, the fit was clear. “I did look at other MSPs, but I didn’t get the same feeling I got with Aldridge. We could get expertise in so many areas that we couldn’t get by hiring one person. I knew Aldridge was the right partner.”
The museum chose Aldridge to gain the depth and continuity of a full team, modern best practices, and predictable coverage so that staff could stay focused on the mission while the IT foundation grew stronger.
Aldridge’s Co-Managed IT Solution
Aldridge implemented a co-managed IT model with Amon Carter. Instead of replacing one retiring leader with another, Aldridge absorbed two vacant IT roles while the museum retained one on-site team member. The museum kept a familiar on-site presence and gained the scale, expertise, and continuity of a much larger IT team. Aldridge’ co-managed model included four components:
Technology Management
The museum’s infrastructure was modernized, outdated backup systems were replaced with reliable solutions, and clear standards were set for device lifecycles and warranties. Staff gained dependable tools that support their daily work. Licensing and vendor relationships were consolidated, removing duplicate systems and creating a unified IT plan that is aligned with the museum’s operations.
Cybersecurity
The museum’s old approach to cybersecurity was surface level. Antivirus scans and password rules created a false sense of safety, but in reality, they were exposed and avoiding disaster by chance.
Sherrie recalls how eye-opening it was to see the difference:
“You don’t know what you don’t know, and we didn’t even realize all of the hidden cybersecurity risks we were dodging until we partnered with Aldridge. Something bad could have happened, luckily it didn’t, but it could have. I feel much more protected today than ever before.”
With Aldridge, luck has been replaced by risk management and layers of protection. Continuous monitoring, multifactor authentication, and real-time detection stop attacks before they spread. Cybersecurity has shifted from a checklist task to a mission-critical shield that safeguards the museum’s data, team members, and donors.
Support
Day-to-day issues now follow a clear process. The museum handles Level 1 support, and Aldridge provides escalation for advanced troubleshooting and specialist expertise. Resolution times have improved, and the internal team is no longer consumed by complex requests. Aldridge also manages onboardings and workstation setups, taking on time-intensive tasks that don’t need to be handled internally.
As Sherrie put it:
“Workstation setup used to take a lot of time and troubleshooting. Now everything arrives ready to go, and the process is simple.”
By removing these burdens, Aldridge frees the museum’s staff to focus on strategic initiatives and the work that matters most to their mission.
Strategy
The museum works with a dedicated Aldridge Client Success Manager who drives IT strategy, helps plan and budget for initiatives, and stays aligned with the museum’s goals so technology is always ready to support them. From day one, Jorge stepped into that role and, as Sherrie explains, “I treat Jorge like he works here, he’s truly part of our team.”
As her trusted advisor, Jorge helps shape every technology decision, from fine-tuning specialized art registration software to guiding large-scale initiatives. He makes the complex approachable, “Jorge’s always willing to put things in my terms if I don’t understand what we’re talking about.”
Behind him stands a deep bench of Aldridge consultants in infrastructure, cloud, and cybersecurity, ready to weigh in when complex challenges arise. Together, they map out an 18–24 month IT roadmap and budget, conduct regular Technology and Strategy Reviews with leadership, and continually adapt the museum’s IT plan to support priorities like digital preservation, visitor engagement, and security compliance. As Sherrie put it after one session, “He helped me with the budget, we almost got it done in two hours. I was like, this guy’s amazing.”
Where Amon Carter is Today
The Amon Carter Museum no longer depends on a single IT leader. What was once a point of risk is now a stable and scalable model supported by a full team. Instead of relying on luck or stretching staff beyond their expertise, the museum has depth, continuity, and clear processes.
Security is stronger, budgets are predictable, and staff spend more time on exhibitions, education, and community engagement. Sherrie no longer carries the weight of IT alone. She has a dedicated advisor in Jorge, backed by the full Aldridge team, ensuring every decision is aligned with the museum’s goals.
For the Amon Carter, IT is no longer a hidden vulnerability but a strategic strength. Partnering with Aldridge transformed the uncertainty of leadership transition into a foundation for long-term resilience, allowing the museum to stay focused on advancing its mission.
Empower your mission with trusted IT.
Aldridge empowers nonprofit organizations to focus on their mission by providing secure, scalable IT solutions supported by a local team that understands the unique challenges of mission-driven organizations. Contact Aldridge today to talk about your IT needs.
