Data & Analytics Insights for Investment Management Firms

The search for alpha has pushed investment management firms into a domain where data reigns supreme. This has made the need for accurate, valid, consistent, relevant, and reliable data (“good data”) more important than ever.   Most successful investment management firms realize that high-quality data plays an integral part in fund management, especially when it comes to minimizing operational risk and maximizing alpha.   Data informs...

One way to quickly measure the operational efficiency of an investment management firm is to see how tightly coupled the decision-making process of an investment manager is with a vast amount of data available to the investment management firm. Most investment management firms have access to multiple sources of data, but a lot of that data is not utilized to its full potential, because it is not available during the decision-making process. In...

A Typical Investment Firm Scenario - Inconsistent Data Stored In Multiple MS Excel Workbooks Does this scenario sound familiar to your investment management firm? At the end of a time period (day, week, month), multiple Excel workbooks are linked together to generate another set of summarized workbooks which are then used to prepare numerous financial reports. This entire process is repeated at the end of each period, or as and when a request...

Typical Investment Management Firm Operations Scenario - Managers are unable to limit read-write access to data within Microsoft Excel workbooks With risk mitigation being one of the top concerns for an investment management firm investor, operational risk must be a priority for a successful investment management firm. In most investment management firms, an operations analyst, working with a Microsoft Excel workbook will have access to all of...

Operational efficiency is named as the #1 area of focus for investment managers to apply technology and innovation, according to the EY — 2017 Global Hedge Fund and Investor Survey. In fact, of all investment managers interviewed, nearly 60% said their organization is investing in or plans to invest in innovative technology solutions to drive operational efficiency. There is little doubt that more investment managers are looking for innovative...

Investment management firms are looking to cloud computing to improve operational efficiency and reduce information technology infrastructure expenses. Private Cloud provides several advantages for investment management firms. It provides the flexibility and scalability they desire while satisfying their security and regulatory concerns. In addition, when done correctly, the Cloud also increases the speed of deployment of new applications, as...

Cyberattacks are becoming more commonplace these days. 2017 saw an increase in cyberattack incidents all over the world. In the U.S., Equifax saw one of the largest cyber incidents with personal and financial information of over 143 million customers being stolen in one cyber attack. According to Bloomberg, “Extra spending on security and lawyers in the wake of the hacking helped push third-quarter operating expenses to the highest on record,...

Technology is driving huge changes in the financial services industry. In the alternative investment space, according to the Ernst & Young — 2017 Global Hedge Fund and Investor Survey, in the coming year, 50% of investment managers have plans to implement something innovative with their technology investments, and 40% said that they plan on automating manual processes. With constantly evolving investor demands and regulatory requirements,...

One of the most compelling tasks as a Chief Data Officer, or anyone in a management position, is learning how to best work with your employees. You can get any degree, certification, or obtain expertise in a skillset, but it will not prepare you for dealing with others. It will, also, not warn you of how diverse and complex people are, and that they all have specific objectives for their jobs and careers. Getting to know your employees and what...