Know Your Business Needs

The most critical aspect of any CRM implementation is to determine how your company is going to use the CRM.  A CRM can be a very powerful tool for developing new relationships, maintaining current client base and streamlining Operations processes.  Prior to any new implementation, a review of the current system should be done.  What in the current system is working well?  What needs improvement?  What is missing?  This exercise needs to be done with each department within your company. This will give your company the starting point of the “Must Have List” and “Wish List”.  This leads to the next component.

 A knowledgeable Implementation Team

Your company must have an implementation team that has stakeholders at all levels with knowledge of all business units.  If there is not a member of senior management with a stake to making the implementation a success, then it probably won’t be successful.  On the other hand, if only senior management is driving the move then inertia will take effect and within a few years you will be looking to move to another CRM. The best implementation teams have people from all aspects of the company on the team with one mid level person dedicated to the implementation. This person, working with the CRM vendor, ensures questions are answered quickly and the project is moving forward. 

Determine what needs to be in the CRM

No CRM has everything for everyone out of the box.  Sure there will be names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, but what else do your employees need to see for them to be successful in their jobs.  Customizations are inevitable.  There are two questions – “What are your needs/wishes?” and “What are you willing to pay for them?”  The question of what needs to be in the CRM and what can live in other systems is crucial analysis during implementation.  Correct placement and views of data makes for ease-of-use and knowledge at someone’s “fingertips”.  If something is critical to one of your business units, it is worth the cost for a successful implementation.   

Company Adoption

Once the CRM is implemented, then immediate company-wide adoption is vital. Solid training to explain how the CRM will work with current work flow, new designs of work flow and ease-of-use is essential to the end-user.  Training should be in short sessions of no longer than 1 ½ hours, starting with overviews, then break-out sessions for specific functionality.

 Choose the Right CRM Vendor for Your Industry

Most companies mistakenly think that choosing the right CRM vendor is the first priority.  If the other components have not been addressed, then even the best CRM vendor can’t ensure a successful implementation.  However, a CRM vendor with an understanding of your industry can be the difference between success and failure.  They must have extensive experience working with RIAs.  This does not mean that the approach to every implementation is the same.  The opposite is true. You need to identify your company’s needs but your employees shouldn’t need to spend precious implementation hours explaining how things work differently in RIAs than in other industries.  At UNAPEN, we ask questions to assist your company in looking at every angle and give different options that may not have been reviewed in the past.  This approach is not the fastest or the cheapest, but it will give your company a CRM implementation that will be successful.

Over the last decade, CRMs have become an integral part of core RIA infrastructure.  Its uses, look and usability vary widely with each CRM and RIA.  If your company is thinking of changing CRMs or optimizing the use of your current CRM, then I highly recommend delving into the 5 components that have been outlined in this article.  They will be the key to the future success of your CRM and your business.

Joan Walker is a Sr. Business Analyst at UNAPEN  http://www.unapen.com/

It is no secret that for the past 6 months there have been continual cyber attacks underway against banks and large financial services firms.  Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and American Express have all experienced targeted and sophisticated cyber attacks*.  Could you be next?  Are you prepared?

The bottom line is there is nothing you can do to prevent your firm from being a target.  Just like a burglar entering your home, you can’t stop them from trying; but there are things you can do to make it more difficult and, ultimately, provide them incentive to attack somewhere else.  To accomplish this, the best use of your time and effort is to reduce exposure, detect attacks and have a recovery plan in place.  In this first blog we will address reducing exposure.

Five Common Vulnerabilities

Are you sure that you know all the available services and open ports on your network?  If not, now is the time to find out.  Some items we frequently find exposed that are not used are:

1.)   Microsoft Small Business Server – This product is a great value for many small financial services firms and it provides a wide range of remote access options including VPN, Remote Web Workplace and Outlook Web Access.  However, all of these tools run on well known ports that are regularly attacked by automated scanners.  Any that are not needed should be disabled to reduce exposure.

2.)    Virtual Private Networking to Home PCs – In this day and age we all expect to be able to work from anywhere at any time we desire.  This has resulted in a proliferation of client-server and site-to-site VPNs between home networks and the office.  While this is great for productivity, it provides many people with a false sense of security; by providing automatic connection of home networks to the office, you are essentially connecting every system on that home network directly to your corporate network.  Is every machine on this home network monitored and protected against compromise at the same level as your corporate systems?  Typically the answer is no.  So, while the VPN protects traffic to and from the corporate network from interception or eavesdropping along the way, there is nothing to prevent a compromised home PC from being used to attack the corporate network from the inside.  So it is important to ask whether every employee needs remote access and whether direct connectivity between the two networks is required or if there is a more limited solution to meet the need.

3.)    Remote Access to Critical Infrastructure – Many IT Support organizations (internal and contractual) expose direct access to servers, firewalls and other critical components for remote management and troubleshooting.  As with the Small Business Server tools, these run on well known ports and are subject to automated scanning from the Internet.  If this access is required, is it locked down to specific source IP addresses?  If not, your sole protection is the username and password combination chosen; if these aren’t extremely complex, you will be compromised at some point.

4.)    Firewall Rules – The firewall is the primary protection for all your network systems from attackers on the Internet.  As such, it is a crucial component in your security posture.  For smaller firms, the rules that allow and block specific traffic are typically pretty simple.  However, if all changes and updates are not tested, you are asking for trouble.  Even the simplest rule set can be compromised by a firmware problem or configuration oversight.  This can be prevented by ensuring a full scan is completed anytime a firewall installation, change or update is done.

5.)    Web Sites – This area is much too vast to address in a paragraph or two.  The bottom line is if you offer access to sensitive information on your web site or interactive access into client accounts, you need to ensure all the software, web sites and tools are tested and verified by proper support personnel to ensure the design and operation is secure.

As you can see, there are many points of exposure that we may not ever think about.  Stay tuned for the next blog about detecting attacks and having a recovery plan in place for when and if those attacks are successful.

Well-Funded Hacktivism    http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/03/funded-hacktivism-or-cyber-terrorists-amex-attackers-have-big-bankroll/

American Express Knocked Offline    http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/03/29/american-express-denial-of-service-hack/2030197/

Ken Rode is the Director of IT Services at UNAPEN  http://www.unapen.com/

According to the Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI), Project Managers should spend as much as 90 % of their time communicating. This may surprise some or sound excessive until you realize that virtually every aspect of a Project Manager’s job involves communicating and exchanging information with others.   

 A project surely won’t get far without a solid plan, schedule & budget. But it is constant communication of the project’s status, to all of those with a vested interest in the initiative that really keeps moving a project toward success.  Active projects are living embodiments of effort and are in a constant state of change: 

• scope may evolve, 
• progress is made,
• constraints are identified,
• risks are mitigated,
• team members are brought in/allocated out,
• project plan tasks are added, removed and annotated.

Involvement with the Team is Critical

At the core of all of this activity is the Project Manager – monitoring, assessing, controlling and keeping everything together and organized. In a vacuum, the Project Manager achieves nothing. Without regular correspondence and status checkpoints with the team, he/she would be ignorant of the team’s challenges or constraints, which could result in a delay of a milestone and disappointment of the Project Sponsor.

He/she wouldn’t know, perhaps, that two team members aren’t conversing with each other regarding completed tasks, which could unnecessarily be constraining a person ready and willing to make progress on a dependent task.  A Project Manager’s involvement with the team is critical; it helps establish a clear view of project progress, identifies obstacles to project success and keeps everyone on the same page.

What about those that have a vested interest the project but are not involved on the project team? We’d call them stakeholders, and the topic of the importance of good communication continues in the next blog with a focus on communicating with non-team members.

 Next Blog: The importance of good communication – Project Stakeholders

 Alicia Gonzalez is a project manager at UNAPEN www.unapen.com.

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UNAPEN, Inc Receives 2012 Best of Madison Award

Madison Award Program Honors the Achievement

MADISON, CT August 10, 2012 — UNAPEN, Inc has been selected for the 2012 Best of Madison Award in the Systems Integration Services category by the Madison Award Program.

Each year, the Madison Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Madison area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2012 Madison Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Madison Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Madison Award Program

The Madison Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Madison area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Madison Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.

SOURCE: Madison Award Program

CONTACT:
Madison Award Program
Email: PublicRelations@awardprogram.org
URL: http://www.awardprogram.org

###

We are honored to receive this annual award from the Madison Award Program for the work we do in Financial Services, Education and Non-Profit Organizations both in Connecticut and around the USA.  See the press release .  

2 weeks ago Forrester Research, Inc. released a report for Q3 2012 that evaluated the top CRM suites for midsize organizations and described it as “The 18 Providers That Matter Most And How They Stack Up“ .  They used 400 product feature, platform and market presence criteria to asses each solution and then ranked them. 

ClientLogix Built on CRM Leader – SalesLogix

Eight CRM software products earned Forrester’s “leader” status.  One of these CRM leaders was Sage SalesLogix, the foundation for the UNAPEN ClientLogix product.  Forrester’s high level explanation for giving leader status to SalesLogix was that “Sage SalesLogix is proven and user friendly”.

Extensive Track Record and User Base

Time and user counts bear this out when you see that SalesLogix has been a leader in the CRM market for well over a decade and has more than 300,000 users worldwide.  The advanced customization capabilities of the product allow us to integrate portfolio accounting data to create a specialized CRM and Business Intelligence platform designed for investment management – ClientLogix.

 David Gemma is a Managing Director and CMO at UNAPEN, Inc.   (What’s a UNAPEN?)

 Connect with David on Google+

Desired by many, attained by few? Not necessarily. As with many multi-faceted topics, project success is measured by many different criteria:

• Some Project Managers define success as being all about the money…did the project come in under budget?
• Others define it by time…did the project finish by a certain date?  
• At UNAPEN, it’s also very much about the quality of the output – was the product (ClientLogix) or service (UNAPEN consulting) delivered in accordance with the specifications?

For many, the strength of the client relationship is the most important factor; solid client partnerships lead to the possibility of additional business and/or referrals to prospects. Many times, it is a combination of all these criteria that set the stage for evaluating whether or not a project was successful. Because these criteria are malleable and ever-evolving, their order of importance is often dictated by the project sponsor.  

For example, project sponsors may agree that forgoing certain requirements is essential for coming under budget. In this case, budget would be the most important element to determining project success.

Prepared and Proactive

It has been my experience that the success of a project isn’t defined as a project that has had no issues. I recognize that may sound alarming, but the truth is, issues will always arise! By anticipating these issues and approaching them like speed bumps—methodically and with caution – they soon become but minor blips in the project timeline. That’s not to say that a Project Manager shouldn’t strive to have as smooth and risk-free a project as possible, only that being prepared in the event that issues arise can help provide a more proactive approach toward resolving these unforeseen complications.

No matter how success is defined or measured, there are several characteristics of a project that definitely help ensure smoother execution.  If you’re a Project Manager, what I am considering the number one characteristic will come as no surprise. If you’re new to the field, it will make sense to you immediately. Look for the next blog to find out.

 Next blog: The importance of good communication within a project team.

Alicia Gonzalez is a Project Manager at UNAPEN (What’s a UNAPEN?)

4 years ago we put together an article for Family Wealth Report Viewpoint: On selecting managed services providers that used the analogy of a siege on a medieval castle to talk about IT security and Business Continuity for investment managers and wealth managers.  I reread the article the other day and it has stood the test of time rather well, so I thought I’d share it with you in case you missed it the first time – Enjoy! 

(If you’re not registered with Family Wealth Report you can get a free 28 day guest logon on the landing page to see the article)

Viewpoint: On selecting managed services providers

David Gemma is a Managing Director and CMO at UNAPEN, Inc.   (What’s a UNAPEN?)

Connect with David on Google+

CRM solutions for investment management have mainly focused on High Net Worth Individual (HNWI) and Institutional clients, but firms running Wrap/SMA business are stuck trying to shoe-horn their relationships with sponsors, branches and FA’s into a relationship structure that doesn’t really fit.  What’s worse is when I hear the exasperation of Wrap/SMA managers that have been searching for a CRM solution.  First they have to explain their business to the CRM vendor, then they to go into a demo and find out that they are looking at a HNWI system that comes with only promises that it can be adapted to handle Wrap/SMA relationships.

CRM built for Wrap/SMA

It’s a great feeling when you show up with a product like ClientLogix CRM and these same managers breath a sigh of relief and say “Finally, someone who knows our business and has the relationships that we need as part of their standard demo!”  And with pre-built data connectors into major portfolio accounting systems from SunGard, Advent, Schwab, Portia, APL and others, business trends/flows and relationships that used to be nebulous are now clearly visible.

SunGard and Advent Software just announced an integrated solution to streamline trading for Wrap/SMA managers http://www.finextra.com/news/announcement.aspx?pressreleaseid=45402, ClientLogix integrates and provides insight into these systems in order to drive business development. 

Stop wasting time and money chasing information and trying to figure out what’s happening with your products and distribution channels.  It’s a complex business and a tool that’s fit-to-task will provide insight into where you are successful and where you need to focus within an intricate web of products, sponsors, branch offices and financial advisors.

David Gemma is a Managing Director and CMO at UNAPEN, Inc. (What’s a UNAPEN?)

Connect with David on Google+

Consider this common client service scenario:

• A wealthy client calls with questions about her portfolio.
• Your staff member, Thomas, hasn’t spoken directly with this client previously.
• ClientLogix CRM pulls up the client record for Thomas before he even answers the phone .
• He immediately has access to her entire portfolio as well as notes from previous conversations and written correspondence at his fingertips.
• Thomas is able to handle the client’s inquiry efficiently and knowledgeably because he is able to provide the requested information immediately over the phone instead of having to call her back after searching through 5 different systems and a network directory.
• In addition, Thomas sees the client hasn’t been out to lunch with her advisor in 6 months and schedules a meeting on the spot.
• ClientLogix CRM automatically emails a thank you note to the client as well as sends a notification to the advisor’s iPad regarding the lunch meeting.
• The advisor accepts the meeting and sets up a meeting reminder for 1 hour prior to the meeting. 

Your client is so pleased with the level of service she received, she recommends your firm to her son and best friend.

David Gemma is a Managing Director and CMO at UNAPEN, Inc. (What’s a UNAPEN?)

Connect with David on Google+

Assess the situation- Take stock of what you have for technology.    How old is the technology you are using.  How long has it been since anyone has performed an audit on the technology? 

Assess yourself and your practice- Is the technology used by all people in the company or just some?  How much does your company rely on the technology?

Move on to Evaluation:

Evaluate your current technology –Is it easy to use? Is it letting you assess your clients in aggregate and individually? 

Evaluate your conclusions – Do the answers from above require you to realign yourself and your firm’s technology needs?

Make a plan:

Outline a communication plan – Share specific talking points internally regarding your technology needs.  Be honest about where you are and where you need to be.

Decide where to focus your energy – Prioritize and commit to the more important parts of the project so that progress can be achieved.

Begin the process:

Execute a “Call to Action”- Pull together all of your efforts listed above into a plan that includes all members of your firm and your key external partners.  Only including some members of the firm will not allow you to achieve complete adoption by the entire firm.

Measure your progress – A project is only as good as its milestones so make sure you are keeping track of what is working and what isn’t so that you achieve your ultimate goals in a timely manner.

Now, with the right technology in place working as it is supposed to across your firm you are able to deliver accurate and timely information to your clients on a consistent basis.  Isn’t that what technology is all about?

MaryAnne Rode is Manager of Sales & Marketing at UNAPEN, Inc.   (What’s a UNAPEN?)

Stephen Oar did a great blog last month entitled “Big Data? It’s All Right – #Sage #SalesLogix Can Handle It!”  http://bit.ly/Li1nli.  In Financial Services, we run into a lot of big data and it’s getting bigger all the time due to increased regulatory requirements and a need to outperform the competition in a crazy, highly-volatile market.

Working Smart, Not Hard

One of the biggest challenges in the investment management industry is the growing need to keep track of a lot of information in a lot of disparate systems all the time – portfolio accounting, trading, compliance, CRM, billing, document management, investment policy statements, client reporting, performance attribution, etc..  One CEO told me that he knew that they were obviously overlooking something because his Chief Compliance Officer looked too well rested!!!  It’s too much to keep up with manually; you need intelligent systems that proactively push the right information to the right people in a timely manner, and screen out the rest of the noise – my interpretation of working smart, not hard.

Presentation is Key, Self-Service is the Answer

Once the important information has been identified, it takes modern, enterprise-grade tools to allow users to see/analyze that information in both graphical and tabular form, drill into the details, highlight exceptions and outliers, filter, slice-and-dice, and create new visualizations on the fly that require no coding or help from IT. The result is users that can self-serve their information needs, thereby reducing the burden on IT and Operations personnel and increasing worker efficiency – a win/win across the board.

David Gemma is a Managing Director & CMO at UNAPEN  (What’s a UNAPEN?)

Connect with David on Google+

 Why do I even need an IT provider? 

 As we have grown more and more reliant on technology to do our jobs, when that technology breaks we are paralyzed.  Also, with the advancements in technology, things have become more complicated and it is much less likely that the average employee could just step in and handle an IT issue.  I remember watching my Dad change the sparkplugs on our car in the driveway and now, he wouldn’t be able to find the computer chip that controls the electronic ignition, let alone fix it!  So without someone dedicated to your IT needs you risk one or more of your employees spending time on IT issues leaving less time to spend on the job you hired them to do. 

 So…what to do?

 You finally bite the bullet and decide to get some proper IT help.  So many questions.  Do I hire an employee or a firm? Do I pay by the hour or by the job?  Should I have someone proactively dedicated to our needs or call on them only when I need them? Again, there are IT providers that fit into all these categories.  Even Staples is boasting that they provide computer support. 

 So is there anything to help differentiate all these providers? 

 I say yes!  Does the IT provider know your business?  Do they understand the industry-specific software products that  you work with and rely on every day?  Can they anticipate your technology needs based on understanding how you do business?  UNAPEN Inc. has 20 plus years of experience in Financial Services working with Investment advisors in Connecticut and around the country. The software, the business needs and challenges, the vocabulary are all familiar to our ITComplete team.   That’s what sets one IT provider apart from another.

 So now it’s time to ask yourself – Does your IT provider know you and your business?

MaryAnne Rode is Manager of Sales & Marketing at UNAPEN, Inc.

Listed below are ten questions you should always ask any prospective IT provider before signing up with them:

1. Who provides your support?  Is it in-house or outsourced?   This is important to know as a consumer in terms of response time, familiarity of your issues and general comfort that your support issues will be dealt with in a timely manner.
2. How often do you come on-site?    You will want to know if the provider tends to do on-site or remote management of your systems so that you can plan for either physical visits or inaccessibility to your systems at certain times.
3. How many clients do you currently support?   This question will give you an indication of a few things.  The first is the ratio of staff to clients.  The second is how well established a provider is in the field.
4. What types of software and hardware have you worked with?    This is a critical piece of information in terms of knowing whether a provider can truly support your IT needs.  If they have worked with the software and hardware that you use on a regular basis, their support and management of your systems will be that much stronger.
5. What’s included in your service offering?    It is always important to know what you are getting for your money.  Make sure that if you are comparing providers that you are comparing apples to apples.
6. How long will it take to get up and running with your services?    If there is going to be a long implementation period you would want to know that and prepare for that.
7. How often will I get billed?    For planning purposes and a general understanding of how their billing works, this is important to know.
8. If I want to stop using your services, how much notice do I need to give?    Any time you are entering into a contract with a provider, it is important to know what the contract terms are and how you would get released from the contract if you needed to.
9. How safe is my data?    With so much focus on security these days, it is critical to understand how someone who has access to all your data is going to keep that safe and secure.
10. Do you know my business and industry?     As mentioned previously, IT providers are plentiful and what really distinguishes the best ones is whether they are familiar with your business.  By understanding your business and the tools that you rely on (hardware/software) as well as industry terminology, an IT service provider can truly be a valuable resource.

In a nutshell, Managed IT Services is defined as an outside firm or service provider who handles your Information Technology needs including system monitoring, backups, security patches, anti-malware,  spam filtering as well as planning for upcoming hardware and software upgrades.  Some companies are even providing the option to rent hardware from them along with a managed network service.  It is an alternative to hiring an employee to handle your IT needs.  It is also a way to tap into several areas of expertise without having to hire a highly compensated employee especially if your IT needs are fairly limited in scope.

Why consider Managed IT Services for nonprofit organizations?

Most nonprofit organizations(NPOs) are faced with way too much to do and way too few people to do it.  When you think about what you need, IT support probably comes pretty far down on the list. However, if you have a strong IT infrastructure you can ultimately do more with less.  The problem is that having a strong IT infrastructure takes time and can potentially cost a great deal of money.

So what’s the good news?

There is good news on the hardware and software side.   Having worked many years with Connecticut nonprofit organizations, we have come across a company called TechSoup that sells hardware and software to nonprofit organizations often at a fraction of what the hardware/software retails for.   So that means that you can get the computers and the software needed to run your business more effectively but that will only take you so far.

Where does Managed IT Services fit in?

Now that you have your hardware and software you are all set …right?  Wrong!  The fun has just begun.  There are viruses and software updates and spam to worry about now, not to mention when you need support because things aren’t working right.  Who has time for all that?  Well, that is where Managed IT Services providers come into play.  They can handle your IT needs while you focus on your job.

What some Managed IT Services providers like UNAPEN Inc. have discovered is that with service offerings like ITComplete^tm, they can proactively manage a company’s computer network resulting in fewer problems, less unexpected issues or outages, and a higher level of satisfaction from the client.  The client’s network is running smoothly and reliably which helps to build overall productivity.  Additionally, UNAPEN’s ITComplete delivers these services at a fixed monthly cost, eliminating unwanted surprises in IT expenses.   Everyone wins.

MaryAnne Rode is Manager of Sales & Marketing at UNAPEN, Inc.

I went to the Advent Users Group (AUG) meeting in Chicago last week and I wanted to share some highlights and trends in the industry that were discussed.  Over 40 AUG members attended and when they did an informal poll, it revealed that approximately 75% of group is currently using Advent Axys while the remainder is using or migrating to Advent Portfolio Exchange (APX).  I have yet to see any attendees from firms using Advent Geneva and am waiting to see if any of the firms on Black Diamond will come into the fold moving forward. 

THE NEW APX 4.1 

With so many Axys users in the crowd, Colby Payne – Sr. Product Manager at Advent Software – offered a quick overview of the new APX 4.1.  The new SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services) reports built into APX are far nicer than reports available in Axys but several users mentioned that you need some strong SQL Server developers on staff in order to create your own custom reports.  One of the attendees mentioned that they hired Advent to create a SSRS custom report for their firm but the queue was several months long due to unanticipated demand.  The other option is to have a professional development firm like UNAPEN or CSSI create your APX SSRS reports.

SQL SATURDAYS 

If you are considering going the route of ramping up internal resources for SQL Server development, one helpful hint mentioned was to attend Microsoft-sponsored “SQL Saturdays” which are free 1-day training events for budding SQL Server professionals that are run by volunteers. These events occur is most major US cities as well as abroad, and there are currently 30 of these events scheduled between now and the end of October.  

WHY SPEND YOUR WEEKEND LEARNING SQL? 

As I looked at the faces in the crowd, I could see that some APX users were ready to jump into SQL training while others seemed to dread the thought of spending a Saturday that way. Plus, this didn’t address the needs of all the Axys users.  What if there were one solution for both Axys and APX users that could solve your information needs with no coding and advanced SQL Server knowledge is not required?!?!?!         

A BETTER OPTION

Well who wouldn’t want that?   UNAPEN’s ClientLogix CRM and Business Intelligence platform allows users to “self-serve” their information needs without having to rely on someone to create complex and static SSRS reports.  ClientLogix is an enterprise-grade, central information portal that provides all the power of static SSRS reports, but does so in a dynamic, graphical interface with no coding required.  End-users can easily slice, dice, filter, sort, analyze and print information (typically Axys or APX, plus your other mission critical systems) to achieve the following business insight and more: 

• drive asset growth from prospects and customers
• improve client satisfaction and foster referrals
• provide comprehensive management reporting with less effort
• relieve the excessive workload on staff
• strengthen the communication across business units in your firm

 Contact UNAPEN to find out how our solutions can help your firm!

David Gemma is a Managing Director and CMO at UNAPEN, Inc. (What’s a UNAPEN?)

Connect with David on Google+

It’s a question I’ve been asked and one I’m sure other project managers have been asked when someone inquires about the profession. In seeking to provide an accurate answer to this complex question, the most literal definition – to manage a project – seems too easy, too unassuming.

Struggling with the definition

On past occasions, I’d find myself embarking on a long-winded explanation sprinkled with words like ‘constraints,’ ‘requirements’ and ‘scope’, trying hard to simultaneously convey the nuances, balancing act, qualities and factors that comprise project management. The conversation would usually end with the somewhat puzzled recipient of this monologue acknowledging that it sounded very complicated. I had succeeded in expressing the complexity but likely didn’t leave the person any more knowledgeable of project management than they were before we spoke.   

 Simplifying the description      

There’s something particularly clarifying in the process of recollection and self-reflection. Project Management, I now realize, is simply the art of keeping things moving and getting them done – ideally, successfully.   

 Often, if one has a string of successful projects, he/she may be referred to as a ‘good’ project manager. This blog will seek to explore the top qualities of a good project manager, as defined both by this project manager and experts across the industry.

Next blog: How to measure project success .

Alicia Gonzalez is a project manager at UNAPEN www.unapen.com.

Well, I can assure you that we don’t sell pens!  Let me start with where the name UNAPEN came from.  UNAPEN stands for “Unified Application Environments” and taking from the name, our approach is to integrate, unify and centralize data from your key systems (typically portfolio accounting, trading, email, document management, etc.) and then provide a single interface to help run your business and provide crucial business insight into your firm and your clients.

 Now…what do we do?

 UNAPEN has 3 major lines of business that are closely linked:   

1. Strategic Consulting – guiding new startup firms through technology selection and implementation, as well as helping established firms retool to be more efficient and competitive   http://unapen.com/products/business-consulting
2. Networking,  IT Outsourcing & Business Continuity – design, implementation and ongoing security/maintenance/backup of networks and information residing on them to make them highly secure, reliable and available   http://unapen.com/it-services
3. Software Solutions – custom applications and software products to boost profitability, improve employee productivity, streamline internal systems and increase client satisfaction   http://unapen.com/products

 And who do we do it for?  Many of our clients used to say things like: 

• We don’t have enough portfolio accounting system licenses for all users and we are tired of spending on those expensive licenses
• We can’t get at the information we need without asking others to help
• We are always playing catch-up, we are never ahead of the latest business trends
• Our people out in the field can’t get access to the information they need
• Our data is scattered across various systems, we have no single place to see all the information
• Our management reports take forever
• Tracking and managing new prospects and lead sources is impossible
• Tasks are slipping through the cracks or not being completed in a timely manner and no one knows who is supposed to be doing them
• Client service is not team oriented, only one person knows all the critical information about a client
• Data is manually entered into multiple systems sometimes over and over again

 Well, if any of this sounds familiar then call UNAPEN at 203-269-6111 for information on how we can help!

David Gemma is a Managing Director and CMO at UNAPEN, Inc.

Connect with David on Google+

UNAPEN’s products work independently or together to help you boost profitability
and increase employee and client satisfaction in all areas of your business. Our products work together to help you work smarter.

With the UNAPEN Product Suite, you can:

#1 See and interact with the client’s portfolio and critical information, instantly.
#2 Automate your client statement process with professional graphical reports.
#3 Monitor time-sensitive activity, send alerts, and get data-triggered reports.

Unlock The Potential!

Call Today

203.269.6111

Email

You CAN run your business every day knowing that your technology and IT infrastructure is secure, stable and up to date. UNAPEN offers multi-level, secure, remote IT services to protect your data, reduce or eliminate IT payroll expense and maintain your critical systems.

UNAPEN offers a range of IT solutions. From consulting and secure off-site data backups to virus protection and email filtering.

Unlock The Potential!

Call Today

203.269.6111

Email