While there are so many exciting things to look forward to in 2019 for ICS, I thought it would be good to briefly reflect on a some of the highlights of the last few months of 2018 which helped to set the course ahead.
New Clients
In the last 6 months, we have been fortunate to sign 3 new clients.
There have been a mix of both Superannuation Funds and Fund Managers - ranging from small to large - who have joined the ICS client community, and we are extremely excited to help them in their data and analytics journey.
As you can imagine, we see a lot of different requirements from the various clients. This is to be expected, considering their different ways of operating. We are also seeing very interesting new ideas. These are shared within the client community and shape our future product road map.
However, all the clients share these three common needs:
1. Consolidated single source of data
Small or large, all our clients share the same common data problem - disparate data sources and no single place to store it with sufficient controls.
2. Business intelligence reporting
Our clients are keen to realise value from their data ASAP. Our integrated BI solution, based on Microsoft Power BI, has proven effective for them to quickly establish reports and insights to support their business.
3. High service level and cost certainty
A critical component that our clients look for, is a high level of investment data management experience, the ability to have open discussions, and a service level where ICS is often seen as an extension of our clients' teams. Further to this, we have seen a strong desire for our clients to manage and control costs, through a model that gives certainty as well as promotes a true partnership.
We are thrilled to welcome these clients to our community and looking forward to more announcements in the near future regarding further additions.
If you would like to know more about how we service the new clients, please do not hesitate to reach out to me via email. I will be happy to meet with you to discuss more.
New Office
With the acquisition of the new clients in 2018, it has been time for us to expand our staff base, predominantly in our operational area to support implementations of new clients and support of existing clients.
In December last year we relocated to:
Suite 505, Level 5
195 Macquarie Street
Sydney NSW 2000
These premises have set us up for growth in the coming years, and we look forward to welcoming the ICS community, including clients, prospects and staff to the new office.
New Staff
Continuing on that note, we are delighted to announce the addition of our newest staff member - Paul Harney.
Paul joined us in January 2019 after almost 5 years with State Street. Paul is an exceptional operator, who comes highly recommended. He has already participated in workshops for both new and existing clients, where he has demonstrated the high level of energy and enthusiasm for wanting to help our clients.
Paul works in the capacity as Investment Systems Consultant, assisting our implementations and support team, reporting to Mike Small.
New Website
After working with our clients and talking to people in the industry over the last few years, we have been working towards fine-tuning our solution to offer what our target audience is looking for.
At the highest level - it comes down to 3 main components:
State-of-the-art-technology
Unparalleled service
Cost Certainty
Luckily, we did not have to change course from our initial direction. Instead, we changed our language slightly to reflect the alignment between what we offer, and what our clients seek.
This has been reflected with a refresh of our website.
I invite you to click the picture below and take a tour.
I wish you all the very best for 2019.
