AI Magazine Issue 2 2018- Boyas Drafting & Design, LLC

102 Acquisition International - Issue 2 2018 Viteos is a shadow-accounting firm which can turn the increasingly complex ecosystem of post-trade data, into neatly normalised, customised information that increases an investment manager’s capacity to scale and grow through the institutionalisation of processes and data. We spoke to CEO, Shankar Iyer as we look to gain more of an insight into their deep operational, technological and accounting expertise. ounded in 2003, Viteos employs 573 professionals worldwide, all offering a 24 hour service, five days a week. Headquartered in New York, the firm has delivery centres around the world which assist the company when serving its global clients. Tailored for each manager’s specific requirements, Viteos’ best thinking and best practices help managers grow. Shankar tells us about his business and ongoing strategy, outlining what techniques he employs to ensure that he achieves this. He talks us through the full range of services that the team provides, and the customisation of certain solutions which help improve the satisfaction levels of customers. “Here at Viteos, we offer customised, straight-through- processing and integrate post-trade operations across virtually every asset class, currency, border, or structure you can imagine. We offer a full range of shadow-accounting, middle- and back-office professional services for investment managers. Our deep operational and accounting expertise backed by state of art technology enables a high degree of control via automation. The result is a new level of scalability and flexibility to help you grow, whether you are focused on gathering assets, developing new strategies or entering new markets.” Delivering a fantastic service around the world, Viteos services the world’s largest hedge funds and its staff are vital in its success. Holding high levels of expertise and qualifications, if clients ever have any queries or issues then employees are in the best possible position to deal with the potential challenge. Operating within an increasingly technology dominated generation, Shankar predicts what key developments there will be within the accounting industry, and importantly, how Viteos will adapt around these potential issues. “Increased pressures on returns have driven many hedge funds to look for operational efficiencies to reduce costs and headcount. Demand for a robust institutional quality infrastructure continue to grow, especially with an enhanced regulatory regime. Outsourcing of back office functions has evolved to become a critical partner for hedge funds’ looking to optimise operational performance. Current trends point to information technology and compliance as being the Company: Viteos Fund Services LLC Contact: Shankar Iyer Address: 80 Cottontail Lane, Suite 430, Somerset, New Jersey, 8873, USA Phone: 001 732 356 1200 Website: www.viteos.com Making Things Simple F 1802AI64 most outsourced functions for hedge funds, with over $5 billion in assets under management. In accounting, reconciliations, collateral and order management all remaining the most commonly outsourced functions, with shadow accounting experiencing a new focus for institutional investors. “Essentially, the biggest driver to the growth in outsourcing, will rely heavily on the service provider’s ability to deliver infrastructure solutions to seamlessly run operations for complex asset classes. One potential catalyst to further outsourcing, is incorporating the attendant cost as part of fund versus management expenses. While caution must be exercised to gauge investors’appetite for a revised expense allocation, the sustained regulatory reporting burden has put this as a forefront consideration for many hedge funds.” Integral to its success, Viteos approaches technology differently, becoming an extension of the organisation. Clients choose individual components from any of its products to design their own bespoke, interoperable offerings. Services seamlessly integrate into the client IT landscape with a plug-and-play delivery model, gaining flexibility without any changes. By keeping data at the client site, the firm is able to mitigate security concerns. Ultimately, with Viteos well placed to adapt its surroundings, the company is increasingly excited about the future of Viteos. Shankar concludes that there are exciting times ahead for Viteos and the rest of the team. “Moving forward, we have begun offering licensing of our technology which we use to service our shadow accounting clients. This is the first time that we will offer our technology for licensing to a larger group, other than to our current clients. “Lastly, Viteos Universe; a modular collection of solutions, with robust straight through processing capabilities can turn your data into useful information. Intuitive from an accountant’s viewpoint, each module is engineered to handle post-trade activities with minimal intervention. The technology powerfully manages data flows of all types. It is thoughtfully designed for workflows, process by process it fosters collaboration, as well as intuitive dashboards that turn performance indicators into digital visuals of actionable information. Furthermore, with capabilities available on every device you have transparency and accessibility like never before.”