vt.enterprise offers custom software development services for banks and hedge funds

1. VTE’s IT Consulting
for Financial Firms
30-nov-09

2. Introduction
 Financial firms increasingly rely on information technology
 But IT departments may find themselves overburdened
 Projects tend to be spiky, but with deadlines that should not slip...
 Hiring (via exec. search) can bring resources, but this takes time...
 Consultants can bring immediate resolve w/o adding to headcount
 VT Enterprise has been serving financial firms since 2001
 Provides IT consulting and project management services
 Has developed an innovative reference data platform
 Has a proven track record with tier 1 and tier 2 customers
 This presentation details VTE’s IT consulting services
2 VTE consulting presentation / confidential 30-Nov-09

3. VTE’s IT project management approach
 VTE consultants form teams together with customer staff
 VTE can take full project management responsibility (if desired)
 Agile software development is deployed
 Short cycles between deliverables
 This allows for consistent incorporation of user feedback
 This is key to ensure the project stays on time and within budget
 VTE has a partnering approach that is focused and practical
 VTE has a proven track record within the financial industry
 Some customers compare the VTE team to the Delta Force;
 “Quick swift action with disproportionate results”
3 VTE consulting presentation / confidential 30-Nov-09

4. Agile software development is critical...
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 (optional)
Configuration
& Development
Project Planning Training
& Business Scrum & Support
Process Review
Application &
Data Reviews
1st functional deliverable Quick cycles Final fully functional software
Project Management Oversight
 Quick cycles of (fully) functional software deliverables
 Application & data review scrums in between these cycles
 Incorporates feedback, tests properly, delivers on time
4 VTE consulting presentation / confidential 30-Nov-09

5. Project methodology targets high quality
 Keep team motivated and anticipatory
 Daily brief (15 minute) status meetings
 Promote open and uninhibited collaboration
 Encourage people’s creativity for problem solving
 High quality systems result by incorporating
 Short incremental releases of fully functional software
 Unit and functional testing
 Continuous integration
 Issue tracking system and packaged deployment
 Code reviews and source code search engine
 Source control
 Virtualization for development / production compatibility
5 VTE consulting presentation / confidential 30-Nov-09

6. Open source software saves license fees
 Best of breed open source software is recommended
 Java, Python, GNU C programming languages
 Ubuntu Linux
 Mantis bug tracking
 Review Board
 OpenGrok source code browser
 Subversion source control
 DokuWiki
 Effective communication and collaboration are encouraged
 Use of issue tracking, wikis, and forums
 Avoid long meetings and/or endless e-mail threads,
 Avoid traditional waterfall SDLC
6 VTE consulting presentation / confidential 30-Nov-09

7. All projects benefit from agile approach...
 For example:
 Development of trading strategy tools (e.g. for credit derivatives)
 Development of transaction and P&L databases
 Development of pricing and risk allocation models
 Implementation of reference data solutions
 Integration of data license feeds
 Data migration between databases
 Web applications porting
 Cross system C/C++ porting
 And many more...
7 VTE consulting presentation / confidential 30-Nov-09

8. Project can be tailored to needs…
 A phased project structure is typically best
 Brainstorm/analysis
 Project proposal + contract
 Phase I (few weeks): envision
 Phase 2 (bulk of the project): build, test, and deploy
 Phase 3 (few weeks): training, support (can be optional)
 Wrap-up / debrief
 Project can be tailored in various ways
 Project team: customer staff / VTE staff (on-site or off-site)
 Note that VTE can provide cost-effective off-shore programming support
 Rates: fixed fee / hourly
 Software: open source / licensed
8 VTE consulting presentation / confidential 30-Nov-09

9. Recommended next steps
 First step is detailed plan
 Get NDA and/or LOI in place
 Investigate detailed needs plus user requirements
 Deliverable is implementation plan plus contract
 Details goal, milestones, team structure/leadership, fees (fixed/hourly), etc.
 Second step is the implementation phase
 Agile software development is used;
 Short cycles between software deliverables (2 weeks)
 Platform builds steadily and incorporates user feedback
 Key to deliver in time and on budget
 Open source software minimizes licensing fees
 Deliverable: fully operational software
p9 VTE ref data solution / confidential 27-Oct-09

10. THANKS!