"
The wise man bridges the gap by laying out the path by means of which he can get from where he is to where he wants to go. "
~
 John Piermont Morgan


Straight Through Processing Straight Through Processing (STP) represents the greatest technical and operational challenges to the financial services industry. The need to move data through a firm has never been more critical. Venture Financial Systems Group, Ltd. understands those needs and can help your firm achieve significant, measurable STP results.

One of the greatest hurdles to achieving STP is determining the correct course of action through strategic planning. Successful implementation of STP will require significant analysis and potential overhaul of systems and organizational structures. Venture has in-depth expertise in every aspect of the trading cycle from both an operational and technical perspective. We are uniquely positioned to provide consulting expertise on all aspects associated with STP initiatives. Whether your focus is technical or operational, internal or external, front, middle, or back office, or buy vs. build, Venture can provide a customized solution to fit your needs.

Wherever your focus, opportunities exist at every point along the trading cycle for Straight Through Processing (STP) improvements. From pre-trade analysis, to trading, to post-trade management, and, finally, to reporting models, every area would benefit from STP enhancements.

  
 

STP is all about data and people. Financial services firms are dependent on data – accurate data that moves in, through, and out every second of the day and every day of the week. Firms that move that data more efficiently and optimize the workflows of those utilizing that data will reap greater rewards.

Industry pressures to shorten trading cycles and provide information on demand are forcing firms to reevaluate and reengineer all operations. Firms must embrace STP in order to remain competitive. Shortened trading cycles will put additional emphasis on improving risk management through front, middle, and back office operations.

Venture’s STP Methodology

Do you know where and how to properly focus your STP efforts? Can you identify the current and future operational and technical risks that exist within your firm? We have leveraged our extensive investment industry knowledge and our in-depth systems project experience to develop RUP4STP, a plug-in to the Rational Unified Process (RUP) product. RUP4STP focuses on the creation of the Business Model for a STP environment and identifies those projects that will yield the greatest return on investment. To learn more about RUP4STP, please click here. If you are not a RUP user, please contact the Venture STP practice for additional information on how we can put our STP methodology to work for your firm.

All areas within your firm represent potential focal points for STP analysis and reengineering. Achieving STP will require behavioral and environmental changes within the front and back offices of investment management firms. In effect, the back office moves to the front office. To achieve STP, firms need to rethink the current front and back office operating models.

Venture can help firms identify and execute the proper STP initiatives in order to improve the communication, management, and use of data to achieve a competitive advantage. Venture can provide solutions to streamline current processes throughout the trading cycle: data management, integration with data vendors, integration with data concentrators and matching utilities, establishing communication links in-line with industry protocols (e.g., XML, SWIFT, and FIX), moving from batch to real-time data delivery and processing, and the implementation of web-based applications.