Looking back on the SS&C Advent Geneva® development process over the past five years, two themes emerge from the work we have accomplished. The first is the value of client collaboration and feedback – which are key components of the Geneva roadmap. The second is our capacity and commitment to continually reinvest a substantial percentage of revenues into R&D. In Geneva’s case, that amounts to an average of around 18.5% of revenue per year. We invest that in the more than 160 people directly involved in Geneva development, as well as the resources to deliver a truly modern solution suite that empowers our clients to optimize their operational performance.
Recently, we hosted a client webinar exploring the last five years of reinvestment. As we were preparing for the conversation, it was inspiring to see the wealth of capabilities built into the platform in that time span; it is driven by what matters most to our clients and is delivered in a dynamic user experience.
At a high level, our Geneva investment priorities fall into four categories:
- Portfolio, Fund and Investor Accounting: Complex investment accounting is the heart of the Geneva platform – our “bread and butter.” The top priority is making sure Geneva remains the gold standard in asset class coverage and fund structure capabilities.
- User Experience: There is continuous investment to make Geneva more intuitive and adaptable to the way people work. Our rollout of a web-based user interface, user-focused workspaces, and asset class-focused workflows are examples of this effort in action.
- Modern Platform: As technology advances, we continue to modernize Geneva with higher levels of automation and intelligence, helping to lower the total cost of ownership and improve data access.
- Managed Services: The full Geneva suite is now available in a managed services model, which enables firms to take advantage of Geneva without expanding their internal infrastructure and IT footprint. We are excited by the response to this offering and we expect adoption to accelerate.
A number of criteria are considered when deciding what features and functionality should be added to Geneva. When the end of LIBOR was announced, for example, we moved quickly out of the gate to engage with the organizations leading the transition to ensure that our clients’ voices were heard and that Geneva was ready well in advance of the changeover to risk-free rates. We also listen for common needs among clients. The launch of Geneva’s data governance and task management functionality was the result of multiple clients expressing the need for a more seamless data governance solution than their in-house efforts afforded them. Since its development, it is now incorporated into the core Geneva platform and is further enhanced with artificial intelligence to speed data resolution.
Beyond enhancing Geneva, we have also invested in building out the Geneva ecosystem through integrations with complementary solutions in the SS&C family. These include:
- SS&C Recon: a reconciliation tool
- Tax Optimizer: a tool for analyzing the tax impact of trades and holdings
- SS&C Eze OMS: trade order management and compliance
- Vision FI: a reporting solution
- E-Investor: automated investor onboarding
Above all, we pay very close attention to client needs and expectations, whether in everyday conversations, through client events and focus groups, or through our periodic relationship surveys. These are extremely valuable to us and we encourage and welcome every client’s participation.
It’s not often that we take a step back and appreciate what has been accomplished over the last five years. This award-winning platform has a dedicated, cross-functional team behind it supporting its growth and empowering our clients. For a better understanding of the full breadth of Geneva and the thought that goes into it, get in touch, or request a demo.
