Hedge IT Blog

With mounting regulations, stringent reporting requirements and heightened investor expectations, we know that managers who are considering starting a hedge fund have a lot to think about. So, we joined forces with KPMG to host a jam-packed half-day seminar and networking event yesterday in New York City: Hedge Fund Launch 2.0: Navigating the New Environment.
 
During the event, we had the pleasure of bringing together over 100 investment management professionals for an exciting and educational day. Attendees heard from over 30 notable industry experts engaging in panel discussions on an array of topics related to launching a hedge fund.
 
Here’s a look at some of the insights and lessons learned from a few of our favorite panel discussions.

Read More »

VMware, the original virtualization company, is continuing to evolve as virtualization technology heads towards the commodity department.  The company’s newest push is around the concept of End-User Computing. 

With its end-user computing products and strategy, VMware is aiming to give IT the tools and means to transform “siloed desktops, applications, and data into centrally managed IT services, delivered to end-users securely, on the device of their choice.”  This means allowing IT to centrally set policies, encrypt data, ensure corporate governance is followed and do much more on all devices a user may use.

Read More »

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. 


 

Read More »

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.

Read More »

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!

Read More »

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.

Read More »

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.

Read More »

Today we released our Best Practices for Managing IT Security Risks: A Hedge Fund Manager’s Guide, which we developed with eSentire.  Following is a sneak peak of the guidance included in the 10-page guidebook.  Assuming we have whet your appetite, you can download the entire guidebook here or attend our upcoming webinar on the topic (register here).

Managing Security Threats Facing Hedge Funds

Most successful cybersecurity attacks in today’s environment occur via three different methods: malware via email, malware via a website download (drive-by download or man-in-the-middle) and transfer via USB. In most cases, an employee will download an unsuspecting virus or open an unsuspecting email, triggering a malware attack that could open the door for further intrusion. Alternatively, a trend becoming more common is the threat of employees transferring information onto USB drives (whether knowingly or unknowingly), resulting in an internal security breach. Externally –and regardless of the intrusion method – attacks typically follow a similar path from start to finish. Global security firm Lockheed Martin has identified steps to what they call the “cyber kill chain.”

• Reconnaissance: Collecting information and learning about the internal structure of the host organization
• Weaponization: How the attacker packages the threat for delivery
• Delivery: The actual delivery of the threat (via email, web, USB, etc.)
• Exploitation: Once the host is compromised, the attacker can take advantage and conduct further attacks
• Installation: Installing the actual malware, for example
• Command & Control: Setting up controls so the attacker can have future access to the host’s network
• Actions or Objections: The attacker meets his/her goal (e.g. stealing information, gaining elevated privileges or damaging the host completely)

Read More »

Here on the Hedge IT blog, we love to talk about the cloud. However, most of our discussions focus on the technology and operational considerations for investment firms. This week, we’re taking a different approach and looking at the cloud from a business perspective. On Tuesday we explored the business case for moving to the cloud. Today, we’re taking the CFO’s point of view.
 
You’re a hedge fund CFO. Your CTO has proposed moving the organization’s IT infrastructure to the cloud using a third party service provider. What questions should you ask to gain a better understanding of the impact this change could have on your team and the firm at large?

Read More »

While the technology benefits of moving to the cloud are well known, the business case for moving to the cloud is just as important. The hedge fund industry is increasingly moving towards cloud computing not only for the vast technology benefits, but also for the enhanced efficiencies, high quality technology environment, and numerous cost savings.  Read on to learn the business case for adopting cloud computing technology at your firm.

Transferring from CapEx to OpEx
Today, many hedge funds are grappling with ways to achieve efficient operations while remaining as competitive as possible.  Companies are examining the costs associated with their IT departments in order to determine the best way to make their technology more cost effective. For many firms, this means moving to the cloud. One of the major benefits of adopting cloud computing technology is the resulting movement from CapEx to OpEx.

This shift allows a decrease in capital expenditures (CapEx) and an increase in operational expenses (OpEx), providing potential tax benefits. The tax benefit is the result of OpEx allowing for the deduction of expenses in the current year and the cutting of tax liability applied to net income. Furthermore, there are few upfront capital expenditures associated with adopting a cloud model as there with building out in-house comm rooms and data centers. This is because cloud providers deploy a “pay-as-you-go” service model. 
 

Read More »

Recent Posts / All Posts

Connect with Us

• Contact Us