Categories

1) Best Global Deployment
This will focus on global technology deployments for wholesale trading environment. The judges will be looking for the successful deployment across at least two global regions that standardize the firm's trading platform and improves the interactions with the local markets.

2) Best Risk Analytics Initiative
The winner of this award will be the buy- or sell-side financial institution that has derived the greatest benefit of its recently implemented risk analytic platform. Successful entries will demonstrate the use of new techniques for identifying and mitigating risks as well as develop new risk financing strategies.

3) Best Reporting Initiative
With the wave of new regulations coming from national and regional oversight agencies, firms need to upgrade their reporting infrastructure not only to be in compliance with current regulations, but put the firm in the optimal position to be in compliance with future regulations as well. Project acknowledge by this award will reflect the platforms current reporting capabilities and its flexibility and scalability to meet new reporting environments.

4) Best Cross-Asset Trading Initiative
Open to individual business units. Entries should focus on single project or target business initiatives that have been in production for at least six months. The judges will be looking for creative responses to delivering cross-asset trading capabilities to its institutional clients. Clear evidence of the application of technical expertise should also feature in the entries, which must also prove achievement against pre-determined targets.

5) Best Data Management Initiative
The winner of this category will demonstrate an innovative data management strategy that improves data quality and reduces data costs across the enterprise through the consolidation of systems, data standardization and other efforts.

6) Best Cloud Initiative
Cloud computing has reduced overall computing costs, but has added and extra layer of complexity to infrastructure management. This award is open to buy- and sell-side firms or exchange that can demonstrate the best return on investment of deploying and internal cloud environment or integrating one or more third-party cloud environments.

7) Best Infrastructure Initiative
This will focus on global infrastructure deployments for wholesale investment banking environment for the buy and sell sides. The judges will be looking for innovative strategies to deliver basic infrastructure support across the enterprise that reduces support cost and improves the delivery time of necessary resources to the local clients.

8) Most Cutting Edge IT Initiative
Every year, investment firms complete ambitious projects but every now and again, a firm headed by an IT visionary will undertake an IT project that leaves the competition in the dust. Whether it is leap-frogging over the rest of the pack or deploying new technology with confidence and precision, the winner of this award is willing to take chances. Send in your nominations for this new category for the enduser firm that went above and beyond in a recent IT project.

9) Best Green IT Initiative
It is interesting that in an era when cost trumps all other considerations, Green IT Initiatives are now viewed as mission critical. Having finally seen the numbers, executives now realize the economic value of "going green." The winner of this category will be a project that not only delivered green results for their firms in terms of resource usage or allocation but also cut costs in a way that funds could be reallocated elsewhere.

10) Best OTC Trading Initiative
While the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act is in the process of re-writing how the over-the-counter market trades, firms cannot sit by an wait until all of the new regulatory issues are fleshed out. This award recognizes projects that currently improve a firm's OTC trading capability and is set for the future market changes.

11) Best IT Integration Initiative
As the shakeout from the events of last year continue to settle over the industry and marketers complete their branding campaigns, the back office is left to cope with massive integration projects--often on a budget that is paltry at best for what needs to be accomplished. The teams that head these projects must have a grand vision and an eye for detail all at the same time. The winner of this category will be one that effectively, efficiently and successfully merged the IT infrastructure of two or more firms.

12) Best CIO
Open to any CIO of any buy- or sell-side financial institution operating in North America. This award will go to the CIO who can show demonstrable evidence of reducing the firm's operational risk and the amount of corporate resources needed for day-to-day operation as well as introducing new technology to support new and innovative financial products for the wholesale commercial banking community. All nomination must be made or supported by the person's supervisor.

13) Best IT Team
What makes a great team? The award considers the culture of a firm and the people who work in the trenches to deliver the goods for the traders, brokers and clients.