February 9, 2017 | Jon Anderson, Senior Vice President, Sr. Business Analyst
An article posted to Forbes ("The Importance Of Data Access For Fintech," Zach Perret, February 3, 2017 ) discusses the importance of data, and its access, to the growth of the fintech industry. While this article addresses personal finance and banking, the same need for data and data flow hold true in the investment management part of the tech world.
Noting that the financial technology industry is fundamentally powered by data, the author mentions a trend where larger firms have been considering ways to cut off data for their clients accessing it through third-party applications. Rightfully, the author believes this would have a chilling effect on the technology and innovation that has benefited consumers.
On occasion, we have experienced this as well with other investment management related companies. Some firms become one-way consumers of data, reluctant or unable to distribute data. In a world where finance and investments are almost exclusively electronic records (not actual cash or certificates), this can slow product innovation that could ultimately benefit clients.
Archer, is proud to view data as a tool, not as a commodity to be controlled. (See the article, “The Practicality of Being Data Agnostic”) The ability to connect to a wide array of service providers, sharing data both to and from them, brings a virtual business ecosystem to life. It is the data flow through these connections that allows Archer to provide investment managers access to markets they may not have been able to reach on their own – creating opportunities for new products and expansion into new channels. The essence of this connected ecosystem is illustrated here:
I believe the lesson to be that data, on its own, provides little benefit. Just as food kept solely on display cannot fuel a body, data without connections does not fuel business growth. But data shared through a robust network of connections empowers growth and unleashes innovation.
Jon Anderson
Senior Vice President, Sr. Business Analyst
Jon Anderson, Sr. Business Analyst, works alongside other senior members of the Product and Technology team to identify and deploy solutions geared toward increasing investment managers’ operational efficiency. An experienced executive with 30+ years in the financial services and managed accounts industry, Jon has deep knowledge of data presentation and reporting, including building out reporting for new and existing clients. He has been with Archer since 2007, holding various roles including Marketing and Solutions. Jon currently is the lead facilitator for Archer’s Product and Reporting Committees and participates in the Performance Committee.
Get Started with Archer
Ready to accelerate your growth? Speak to a member of our business development team to see how Archer can help you hit your targets — faster.
Contact Us