60 Seconds with Paul Filipski

My job focuses on the development and operation of BlockCross, an independent alternative trading system (ATS) owned and operated by Pulse Trading. My team writes the software for the ATS, implements it at customer sites, and ensures that the system runs correctly each day.

Which IT projects are you working on?

We are in the process of moving our datacenter to a new co-location facility in the Boston area. On the software side, we are extending the integration capabilities of BlockCross. Easy integration is a key advantage we offer our clients, and we want to stay ahead in this area.

What will be the big trends of 2010?

The pending US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rule changes for alternative trading systems will cause many participants to reassess their business models. Combined with the recovering financial markets, this could lead to the long-anticipated consolidation of ATSes. Our focus on integration means our clients will continue to benefit from BlockCross through any consolidation phase.

Will you hire new IT recruits next year?

We have been fortunate to build a small team of highly skilled engineers, which gives us a great environment to add new recruits. We'd like to add a couple of developers plus one or two dedicated quality assurance/support people. BlockCross is built using Microsoft technologies, so skills with C#, .Net and SQL are important, but the crucial factor for success is the right attitude and the flexibility to thrive in a small team environment.

Which part of the job occupies most of your time?

Having product responsibility on a small team affords the luxury of working on all aspects of the business-strategy, sales, development, operations, support, and so on. On a typical day, I could go from a meeting with a possible business partner to answering a tech support question from one of our account reps.

What keeps you awake at night?

We are all working very hard on BlockCross, but we strive for balance to ensure we are working at a sustainable pace. The only things that really keep me up at night are my neighbor's beagles!

What was your first job?