Buy-Side Technology Awards: Best Performance Measurement and Attribution Product─BI-SAM

The vendor's North America team, which includes local technical support, now stands at 14, while its EMEA operation has a headcount of 78, 16 of whom are based in the UK. Earlier this year, BI-SAM pulled off something of a coup when it announced that Peter Ellis, a veteran in the performance space with stints at buy-side consultancy Investit and Deutsche Asset Management, had been appointed COO of its EMEA business. But perhaps BI-SAM's greatest asset is its constant enhancement of B-One, allied with the transparency by which it manages that process.

Enhancements for the last 12 months include an ex-ante multifactor risk model for fixed income, supporting a framework for the analysis of fixedincome investment processes; a composites module for enhanced reporting, workflow, and control facilities including a new Microsoft Excel add-in tool; and a workflow feature allowing business managers to analyze delays, identify production value-chain weaknesses, and manage key performance indicators (KPIs).

Future initiatives include fixed-income attribution enhancements to ensure analysis across all US instrument types, including asset- and mortgage-backed securities (ABSs and MBSs); a web portal, the first version of which is scheduled for late this year, while version two is planned for the second quarter of 2013; a Rimes Technologies application programming interface (API), planned for early 2013; and a multifactor graphics processing unit (GPU)-based Monte Carlo offering, providing clients with a view of their risks and the ability to define investment strategies accordingly. The system will evaluate probabilistic risk indicators on investment portfolios, including a range of multi-sector risk factors. Finally, BI-SAM is planning to establish regional B-One community groups after the success of the group established by its London user group to help focus on clients' current and future functional and operational needs.