Hedge IT: A hedge fund technology blog by Eze Castle Integration

Blog Entries from 03/2013

Our 60-Second Answer to Why Go Eze Private Cloud?

Posted by Mary Beth Hamilton on Thursday, March 28th, 2013

Cloud computing is becoming a standard IT deployment method for the investment management industry. In fact, our 2012 survey found that 8 in 10 investment management firms are either currently or planning to use a cloud service. So once a hedge fund or alternative decides to go cloud the next question is "why go Eze Private Cloud?"

Well, we have the perfect answer to that, and you can have it in just 60-seconds. Watch our quick video and learn why Eze Private Cloud is the investment industry standard for cloud services.

Categorized under: Cloud Computing Eze Castle Milestones Infrastructure Launching A Hedge Fund Outsourcing Trends We're Seeing Videos And Infographics

Recapping the 2013 London Hedge Fund Cloud Summit

Posted by Kulvinder Gill on Tuesday, March 26th, 2013

london cloud summit 2013 On 19^th March, the Eze Castle Integration team in London hosted their first-ever Hedge Fund Cloud Summit at the Prince Philip House.

Eze Castle Integration along with leading experts in the financial services industry - INDOS Financial Limited, Morgan Stanley Prime Brokerage, Bloomberg, Credit Suisse Prime Services, Lucidus Capital Partners LLP, Portman Square, LLP, eSentire, Global Relay, and Simmons & Simmons - came together to provide a half day educational seminar featuring a wealth of information on the cloud to over 100 hedge fund and alternative investments firms.

Categorized under: Cloud Computing Infrastructure Outsourcing Security Trends We're Seeing

Best Practices for Managing Security Risks (Webinar Recap)

Posted by Jessica Sipprelle on Thursday, March 21st, 2013

in case of security break glass Last week, we hosted a webinar with eSentire on best practices for managing security risks. eSentire is the leading managed security service vendor protecting 25% of the global hedge fund market by AuM. During the webinar, the company's director of marketing, Mark Sangster, and our own vice president of client technology, Steve Schoener, explored topics including the scope of cyber threats, the anatomy of a cyber attack, continuous security monitoring and security policies and procedures for hedge funds to consider. Read on for a full recap of the information covered during the event.

Categorized under: Security Disaster Recovery Hedge Fund Due Diligence Hedge Fund Operations Privacy Compliance Trends We're Seeing

Hedge Fund Infographic: You know you're a Private Cloud User if...

Posted by Jessica Sipprelle on Tuesday, March 19th, 2013

Today, we're excited be hosting the 2013 London Hedge Fund Cloud Summit at the Prince Philip House in London. The event features a variety of industry experts participating in thought-provoking panel disccussions focused on the cloud adoption trends shaping the investment industry. Conversations will touch on everything from the differences between public and private clouds to cloud security and application hosting.

In honor of this event and to provide a visual to help encapsulate the many benefits that come from leveraging a private cloud, we have published a new infographic entitled “You Might be a Private Cloud User If…” Check it out to see the top 10 signs that you are likely a private cloud user. For more information and details on the 2013 London Hedge Fund Cloud Summit please visit the event page. Also, be sure to look out for a recap of the event here on the Hedge IT blog next week!

you know you're a private cloud user if...infographic

Categorized under: Cloud Computing Eze Castle Milestones Hedge Fund Due Diligence Hedge Fund Operations Hedge Fund Regulation Launching A Hedge Fund Trends We're Seeing Videos And Infographics

What are Investors Thinking...When it Comes to Hedge Fund IT?

Posted by Mary Beth Hamilton on Thursday, March 14th, 2013

Yesterday our VP of client technology, Steve Schoener, presented on a California Hedge Fund Association webinar about building an institutional infrastructure at today’s hedge funds. A lofty topic (so consider this a basic primer), Steve focused on four key discussion areas, which we’ll recap here. They were:

Investor Expectations of IT
On-premise & Cloud solutions: Which is right?
Security Risks & Best Practices
Disaster Recovery How-Tos

You can watch the 30-minute webinar now or keep reading below.

Categorized under: Infrastructure Cloud Computing Hedge Fund Due Diligence Hedge Fund Operations Launching A Hedge Fund Outsourcing Security Trends We're Seeing

Hackers are Watching: New security threats facing investment firms

Posted by Dina Ferriero on Tuesday, March 12th, 2013

As you’re probably aware, the topic of cybersecurity has been splashed prominently across headlines lately. Earlier today, the US director of national intelligence, James Clapper, identified cybersecurity as the top global threat – even more treacherous than terrorism.

Security Headlines In his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Clapper cited several attacks on banking websites where sensitive customer data was compromised, as well as a security breach at an oil company that resulted in the destruction of 30,000 computers. If hackers are capable of such large-scale, damaging attacks, could investment management firms be at risk? What should you be doing to better protect your firm’s critical systems and data?

The truth is both large, well-established hedge funds and smaller startups are equally at risk of intrusion. Hackers may target large firms because they see an opportunity to profit from their substantial asset pools. Additionally, they might be after the notoriety associated with successfully hacking a well-known fund’s critical systems, especially in cases that will likely garner media attention. For smaller funds, hackers are likely after intellectual property, namely business plans, market forecasts and investment strategies.

Categorized under: Security Data Loss Prevention Hedge Fund Operations Trends We're Seeing

Is the Asia Hedge Fund Market Going Cloud? A Q&A with Serge Bukhar

Posted by Kulvinder Gill on Thursday, March 7th, 2013

Last year, Eze Castle Integration expanded their award winning Eze Private Cloud services to Asia. The Eze Private Cloud is used by more than 2,000 hedge fund professionals worldwide to simplify operations, minimise upfront capital costs and gain a highly resilient, enterprise-grade IT infrastructure on par with billion-dollar funds.

I recently sat down with Serge Bukhar, Executive Director of International Operations at Eze Castle Integration, to talk about the hedge fund market in Asia, and the attitude and adoption of cloud computing.

What is the current state of the hedge fund industry in Asia?

Singapore and Hong Kong are the hedge fund capitals in Asia. We have seen a contrast between the status of large and small hedge funds in Asia. Many larger funds are struggling, with some shutting down, while smaller funds are increasingly doing well and delivering positive results to their investors. Both groups, however, are looking for ways to increase efficiencies and reduce costs.

Categorized under: Trends We're Seeing Cloud Computing

AIFMD’s Impact on US Hedge Funds: An Expert's View

Posted by Jessica Sipprelle on Tuesday, March 5th, 2013

Last week, we hosted a webinar covering AIFMD’s impact on US based hedge funds. The event featured Bill Prew, Founder of INDOS Financial Limited, and provided a high level overview of the changes that AIFMD will potentially bring to the alternative investment industry. Prew specifically focused on how US based managers will be impacted by this legislation. Read on for a summary of the main topics covered during the event, including an overview of AIFMD and the considerations and upcoming changes for US managers.

About the Expert
Bill Prew is the founder of INDOS Financial Limited. Before founding INDOS, he was the chief operating officer at James Caird Asset Management, a hedge fund with offices in London and New York. He has also served in various senior roles at Barclays Global Investors and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Following a summary of the information presented by Mr. Prew during our recent webinar.