Computerworld
Quick Menu
Search



Ads by TechWords

See your link here


Subscribe to our e-mail newsletters
For more info on a specific newsletter, click the title. Details will be displayed in a new window.
IT Management
Computerworld Daily News (First Look and Wrap-Up)
Computerworld Blogs Newsletter
The Weekly Top 10
More E-Mail Newsletters 
Computerworld 2007Subscribe to Computerworld
40 years of the most authoritative source of news and information for IT leaders.

Nasdaq CIO confirms move to open-source Instinet apps

Plans are under way to integrate the technology platforms of Brut, Nasdaq and Instinet
 

Sign up to receive Management Resource Alerts

May 16, 2005 (Computerworld) -- Nasdaq Stock Market Inc.'s CIO said last week that the exchange will scrap its proprietary SuperMontage order entry and execution system in favor of an open-source system from electronic broker Instinet Group Inc., which Nasdaq agreed to acquire last month.


The move to switch systems is a key part of Nasdaq's effort to integrate its technology with that of Instinet and Brut LLC, which it bought from SunGard Data Systems Inc. for $190 million last fall.


Nasdaq CIO Steve Randich said that SuperMontage, which went online two years ago after a three-year, $107 million development effort, is built on Hewlett-Packard Co. NonStop servers and software. Nasdaq has been trying to move away from that proprietary platform in favor of an open-source system with better price/performance, Randich said.


"With the [Instinet] acquisition, we can do it faster in terms of a schedule," he added.


Tom Jordan, CEO of Jordan & Jordan Inc., a New York-based technology consulting firm that specializes in the financial services industry, said Nasdaq is well positioned to integrate the Inet technology from Instinet because of its recent experience merging its systems with Brut's.


Randich said Nasdaq has completed two of the three planned phases for integrating Brut and its order execution system. The logical layers have been integrated, he said, but the task of physically combining systems into Nasdaq's Connecticut data center remains. By the second half of 2006, Randich plans to have taken the trading platforms of Brut and Instinet, both now located in New Jersey, and installed them in Connecticut.


Jordan noted that "anytime you're merging two electronic trading systems, there's some degree of challenge associated with that. I was struck that Nasdaq said it would adopt Instinet's trading platform, whereas [the New York Stock Exchange] said it would continue its hybrid model after acquiring Archipelago."


The NYSE announced the proposed acquisition of electronic communications network Archipelago Holdings Inc. earlier this month.


Randich said his greatest challenge while juggling the technological integration of the three platforms is to convince Brut and Instinet customers that their lives won't change as a result of the acquisitions.


Juggling Protocols


Randich said he plans to keep continuity in the customer-facing order systems by using a single version of the Financial Information Exchange (FIX) protocol, a messaging standard developed specifically for the real-time electronic exchange of securities transactions. All three exchanges will "connect into the target platform, which is Instinet," he said.


Currently, only 20% of Nasdaq's orders come in over the FIX protocol. The remainder go over the proprietary CTCI, or computer-to-computer interface. Instinet uses its homegrown OUCH messaging format. Brut used its proprietary ECN Order API and FIX.


Randich said the new Instinet platform will support more than 100 million transactions per day, with peaks of over 20,000 per second.

Continued...
1 | 2 | NEXT  



Print this Story Send Us Feedback E-mail this Story Digg! Digg this Story Slashdot this Story
Sidebar: Nasdaq's Randich Discusses Financial Industry Mergers
Nasdaq CIO confirms move to open-source Instinet apps
"This company has what it calls a "best-shore" approach to help desk support. Translation: It's offshore -- and not really..." Read more...
"Ubuntu's always been popular with users, but not so much with server managers. Now, with Wikipedia moving from a hodge-podge..." Read more...
Read more Management posts or See all Blogs
Feds considering changes to H-1B application process in wake of report
Exploit code loose for six-month-old Windows bug
With market meltdown, which tech firms become predator or prey?
More top stories...
The Grill: Privacy is a thing of the past, says private investigator
Report: World Bank servers breached repeatedly
Apple asks judge to make iPhone lawsuit moot
Too much junk food, too little exercise and a 24/7 tether to technology? Your body ain't happy, friend. Let us count the pains.
Instruments on the surface of Mars have detected falling snow that is likely evaporating before it reaches the planet.
One positive development stemming from the collapse of Wall Street may be a boost in interest in computer science and IT careers among students who were previously interested in financial services jobs.
Getting new software installed on Linux doesn't have to be hard, but it can differ depending on what you're installing.
Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS.
Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready?
All Zones
Application Performance Zone
Business Continuity Zone
The File Data Management Zone
Security Management Zone
The SAS Zone
Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone
Windows Protection Zone
The Enterprise Search Zone
Software as a Service Zone
The Security Zone

Ads by TechWords

See your link here
Turning information into a Competitive Advantage
Turning information into a Competitive Advantage
View this webcast now!
Go to the webcast 
SaaS Solutions for Remote Systems Management
Download this Technology Briefing, free, compliments of Dell.
(Source: Dell) The benefits of Software as a Service (SaaS) are extending their reach into systems management. So in addition to the more obvious cost control and rapid application deployment benefits, SaaS can be instrumental in filling needs for compliance, security and business continuity - all the while reducing costly infrastructure. Learn more in this brand new Technology Briefing.
Download this executive briefing download
The Importance of Application Management
Get this white paper now!
(Source: Dell) Efficient desktop application management is essential in normal day-to-day operations of any company. Whether you are introducing a new application or implementing an OS migration, the goal is the same: minimize disruptions and ensure user productivity throughout the process.
Download this white paper go
White Papers
Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services.
Business Transaction Management: Facilitating the Management of Virtual Environments
Quick Sizing Guide for SAS Grid Running on HP BladeSystems and EVA Storage
Prudential Financial protects its brand with Symantec Data Loss Prevention solutions
View more whitepapers