In the fast-moving world of asset management, where every second counts and where accuracy is critical, we really need to look at the technology supporting trading operations. While it would be almost impossible to manage your front-office trading operations without a sophisticated real-time trading platform, the reality is that your backend infrastructure deserves just as…
While we all recognize the need to replace older technology to provide new features and more automation, the decision to adopt new technology is often deferred due to the perceived high cost. It’s easy to make quick judgments by comparing initial expenses, but a comprehensive understanding demands a more thorough analysis. Enter the concept of…
All industries and most companies experience some degree of “boom and bust” as they weather economic cycles. Good times allow growth and expanding profits, while market downturns result in reduced revenues, smaller margins and tremendous pressure on costs. Capital Markets operations, which rely almost exclusively on transaction-based fees, are a prime example of this phenomenon….
In today’s data-driven world, organizations heavily rely on analytics to drive informed decision-making and gain a competitive edge. However, the process of extracting valuable insights often faces significant challenges due to poor data quality. According to recent studies, a staggering 50 to 80% of employees in organizations spend countless hours grappling with mundane data quality…
My last update on the growing Technology Gap that exists in many firms was the third in a series of three discussing actions you can take to promote a plan to start upgrading or replacing technology solutions that no longer meet your operation’s current and evolving needs in an increasingly competitive marketplace. And yet, this…
In my last update on the growing Technology Gap that exists in many firms, I wrote about conducting regular software audits. These can identify licenses and even full applications that can be retired, help to manage costs when you renew contracts by eliminating unused features, or by consolidating contracts for applications used by two or…
In my last update on the growing Technology Gap that exists in many firms, I wrote about the benefits of developing a Strategic Technology Plan. This is, I believe, one of the best ways to identify your technology needs and build consensus on the required actions and timing for their implementation. Identifying the gaps in…
I have received a fair number of comments on my article about the Technology Gap that exists in most companies, one that grows larger over time, along the lines of: “So, what do we do about this?” Over the next few days, I am going to share three ideas with you. While none of these…
Most organizations focus on generating profit, which is appropriate as companies need to make money to stay in business. However, the pursuit of profit, particularly immediate profits, with other needs excluded, can be detrimental to long-term market success. In many firms, the costs required to maintain technology systems are deferred and deferred again to maximize…
For many years I was responsible for what we used to call DRP – Disaster Recovery Planning. Back then, technology platforms were likely to be stand-alone, and while they were important, our business could keep going for a few hours until a failed system was restored. So, the process really was about planning what to…
Most of us are living with legacy technology for many of our middle- and back-office functions that was never designed to support the more complex investment types we deal with today. While there are ways to record these investments in our systems, doing so may require manual processing and the creation of dummy CUSIP’s to…
Most of us working in an investment management shop will be familiar with this scenario: There is a powerful and capable order management system in place, as it would be impossible to manage today’s trading volumes without one. However, investments in middle- and back-office technology have not kept pace. There is a growing “technology gap”…
Also known as the “Big Quit” and the “Great Reshuffle”, these terms all refer to the tendency for significant numbers of employees to leave their jobs during and after the COVID-19 pandemic at rates never seen before.