Where IT director helped this financial traders by providing full infrastructure update, ensuring that they remain competitive, as well as keeping their technology, data and customers secure.

Company Profile

This 15-year-old company specialises in trading on digital information for the stock market. They provide real-time audio news reports essential for the fast-paced trading environment. Their advanced IT solutions for traders ensure timely and accurate data delivery.

CEO’s Mission

The company’s structure and revenue streams are deeply intertwined with its web services, which are crucial for rapid data collection and delivery to end-users. However, some key parts of the platform had become outdated, and support for an audio delivery system was ending. This posed a threat to everything from financial trading IT security solutions to its monthly revenue streams. To address these challenges and ensure they remained competitive IT systems for traders, the company sought a third-party overview of the proposed infrastructure update to minimise risks and maintain its commitment to its customers.

CIO’s Objectives

  • Undertake a comprehensive assessment and review of all business requirements.
  • Design a cost-sensitive action plan that ensures stability and caters to future growth, keeping in mind the importance of IT infrastructure optimisation for financial institutions.

What the Director did

The IT Director assessed the current needs and mapped out a cost-effective action plan. This included evaluating whether to continue with the current developer or seek new tenders. The director ensured that the proposed infrastructure update was in line with both current needs and future growth plans.

Situation Report

A thorough audit of the existing infrastructure revealed weaknesses in service delivery and server security. This audit encompassed:

  • Outdated legacy technology affecting performance and user experience.
  • Current servers and their security protocols.
  • A competitor analysis to inform a strategic growth plan, ensuring the company remains competitive in IT systems for traders.

Addressed User Experience Issues

The director provided a strategic 90-day action plan targeting improvements with minimal service disruption. Recommendations included:

  • Replacing outdated audio technology.
  • Leveraging existing software subscriptions to reduce overheads.
  • Collaborating with web developers to integrate an HTML5 player, enhancing the secure trading technology upgrades.

Site Security Assessment

Open-source intelligence inspection of the current server system revealed several vulnerabilities. Over nine server vulnerabilities were identified, highlighting the need for maximising trading security with IT expertise.

Ensured Design and Structure Were Fit for Purpose

The Director provided an unbiased perspective on tools and development challenges. By combining the analysis and design phases, the company could explore digital innovations aligning with their business strategy.

Supporting Future Growth

Competitor analysis revealed potential growth areas, such as mobile apps and API connectors integrating with platforms like Microsoft Teams and Slack. The exploration of Artificial Intelligence applications could give the company a competitive edge. After running AI models and integration tests, the company aligned its business and digital marketing plans, aiming for a launch date that included obtaining Cyber Essentials certification.

The Results

  •  The high-level strategic assessment and infrastructure plan gave the company a clear direction in stabilising its current vulnerabilities and future growth.  
  •  Enabled the appointed developers to meet the build requirements without the client incurring any unexpected build costs.   
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