Configurable Technology Empowers Firms to Thrive in Uncertain Times
When focusing on innovation and scaling their businesses, investment managers continue to shift away from traditional approaches to their operating models. According to PWC, “A holistic strategy for reinventing how you operate, grow and innovate will, in the long run, be more efficient than addressing each individual business model pain point.”[1]
Leveraging innovative technology is critical to making a successful transformation. Yet, as investors continue to demand investment in unexplored markets, many firms ask: Is our approach to technology supporting our priorities or limiting our opportunities?
Choosing Between Custom or Standardized Solutions
In the past, investment firms have made difficult choices between employing a customized solution approach or a more standardized offering.
Customization has been the preferred technical approach for investment firms with specialized strategies, complex compliance needs, or unique operational requirements. Taking a more tailored approach to technology ensured these firms had software that was perfectly suited to their unique needs and workflows.
However, these firms found that building and integrating custom tools required a substantial upfront investment and, over time, the cost of ongoing support and maintenance put further strain on firms’ resources.
Custom-built solutions also often lacked the scalability and flexibility that firms need for growth. Upgrades were frequently too slow to keep pace in rapidly changing markets, leaving the firm without the required functionality to remain competitive.
Standardized systems, on the other hand, were typically more affordable and quicker to implement than customized solutions. These systems usually came with a wide array of features that worked well for a broad range of firms. And, because these systems focused on simplicity, they were often easier and more affordable to maintain.
However, as many firms learned, standardized solutions lacked the flexibility to adapt to the unique needs of specific accounts or asset types. As a result, many firms had to adjust their processes to fit the software, which often created inefficiencies. Firms with more complex workflows were forced to implement workarounds that increased their risk of errors.
In the end, investment firms realized that as their businesses grew and their operations became more complex, their standardized technical solutions were not always able to grow with them.
Best-of-Breed vs. All-in-One Investment Technology Solutions
Another consideration investment firms had to make was whether to choose a best-of-breed solution or to adopt an all-in-one technology platform.
In the past, investment firms often favored best-of-breed technology for its specialized features and innovative capabilities tailored to specific tasks like portfolio management, risk analysis, or compliance. This approach allowed firms to assemble a custom technology stack that met their unique needs.
However, managing multiple systems often led to integration challenges, inefficiencies, data silos, and complexities with vendor management.
In contrast, all-in-one platforms promised a more comprehensive, integrated solution that would streamline technology management and ensure consistent data across functions. These platforms simplified vendor relationships and delivered a seamless user experience.
Despite these advantages, most all-in-one solutions lacked the depth of functionality needed for specialized use cases, which limited the technical flexibility a firm needs to grow.
The Best of Both Worlds: Configurable, Flexible Solutions in One Investment Ecosystem
To meet the ever-growing demands of investment firms, innovative technology providers have combined the winning characteristics of each technical offering to create an investment ecosystem. These ecosystems are easy to configure and provide custom-feeling workflows and a seamless user experience.
This new breed of technology lets firms add components as their needs change. But instead of simply layering on more technology, these investment ecosystems offer deep, interconnected technologies, tools, and services that work together to support and streamline an investment firm’s operations.
At SS&C, we have leveraged this model to build the Genesis platform, a modern ecosystem that manages all facets of the investment lifecycle with unmatched depth – portfolio management, trading, analytics, accounting, and reporting.
Rather than distributing a firm's data, applications, and services across multiple locations or servers, the cloud-based Genesis platform enables teams to access their everyday solutions in one place with a single point of entry. Everyone – from the front to the back office – can trust that they are working with the same unified data source.
Leveraging an investment ecosystem ensures that your firm has robust technology that keeps pace with investor demands and future-proofs your operations.
Powerful and Adaptable: The SS&C Ecosystem
As the investment industry evolves, firms require platforms that balance simplicity with customization—scaling to meet their needs while delivering an exceptional user experience.
The future of investment technology lies in building systems that are both powerful and adaptable, enabling firms to navigate change and seize opportunities with confidence.
At SS&C, we’re at the forefront of this transformation, investing over USD 110M annually in wealth and investment technology solutions. By enhancing platform interoperability, we create seamless experiences that unify robust tools, teams, data, and insights—empowering firms to thrive in today’s dynamic landscape.
Learn more about Genesis or reach out to speak to an ecosystem expert.
[1]Bush, B., Friedenberg, K., Kastoun, R., Promisel, S. PWC. “Next in asset and wealth management 2025.” (13 January 2025). Retrieved from:https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/financial-services/library/asset-wealth-management-trends.html#transforming.
