Today at the Securities Industry Association (SIA) Technology Management Conference, more than 20 leading companies announced their support for experience Capital Markets, a Microsoft initiative that helps capital markets and securities companies change the customer, employee and operations experience. Software, hardware and system integration partners are developing mission-critical solutions for the capital markets industry that align with the initiative and are based on Microsoft Corp.'s platform. "Our industry partners are a driving force to deliver our experience Capital Markets initiative and vision for the trading floor of the future," said Kenny McBride, global industry manager of capital markets and securities for the Financial Services Group at Microsoft. "Their strong industry expertise and innovative solutions, combined with Microsoft's technology leadership, will provide a range of end-to-end capital markets applications that deliver business results throughout the industry." Experience Capital Markets includes partner solutions that run on Microsoft Windows Server System, the Microsoft .NET Framework and the Microsoft Office System. The Microsoft technology is designed to make mission-critical applications easier to integrate and more flexible at a lower of ownership. Solution partners that have announced their support for Microsoft's experience Capital Markets initiative include the following: -- Capgemini (http://www.capgemini.com ). Capgemini, one of the world leaders in consultancy, computer services and data management, has developed a unique way of working with its customers. Called Collaborative Business Experience and based on its skills in establishing a dialogue and partnership, the method is much appreciated by Capgemini's customers. More than a philosophy, the Collaborative Business Experience is a way of working that strengthens Capgemini's commitment to its customers. By defining objectives together, putting simple and more effective procedures in place, sharing risks as well as expertise, and creating joint teams, Capgemini helps companies establish growth strategies, develop their technologies and prosper. -- Cluster Seven Ltd. (http://www.clusterseven.com ). Cluster Seven is a U.K. company that provides technology to manage, analyze and audit the activity and data generated by Microsoft Office Excel® spreadsheets in large organizations. ClusterSeven's enterprise spreadsheet management software supplies rapid intelligence and reduces risk for business, IT and compliance managers in all areas where business-critical operations are supported by these types of documents. ClusterSeven is based in London. Its customers include companies in the commercial and investment banking, energy, utilities, asset management, and insurance markets. -- Comprehensive Software Systems Inc. (http://www.csssoftware.com ). Comprehensive Software Systems (CSS) provides innovative financial services software to the securities industry. CSS' front- to back-office system works either as an enterprise solution or as stand-alone components that can seamlessly integrate into a business's existing systems. CSS' flagship product, Q Securities Processing Software, includes a variety of products designed to increase efficiency, decrease costs and gain competitive advantage, including .NET-based customer relationship management (CRM) with integrated portfolio management tools; order management system (OMS) and mutual fund processing that includes real-time pretrade breakpoint calculations; and unparalleled clearance, settlement and reporting capabilities. All products utilize a tightly integrated compliance system to protect a business. And Q Securities Processing Software stores all of a firm's data in a single repository, which provides real-time access to that data across the firm. The combined strength of the Q database, a company's data, and SQL Server(TM) 2000 Reporting Services allows firms to turn their data into business intelligence. -- Cornell Theory Center (http://www.ctc-hpc.com and http://www.ctc-manhattan.com ). The Cornell Theory Center (CTC) is a Microsoft center of excellence for Windows®-based high-performance computing (HPC). CTC-Ithaca houses among the fastest Windows clusters in the world and is home to a team of systems and application consultants that plans and deploys large-scale systems such as the 280-processor cluster CTC-Ithaca recently helped to install at HVB Bank in Germany. CTC-Manhattan focuses on the financial services industry and is now expanding its program to include the Faculty of Operations Research and Industrial Engineering and supporting capital markets firms in business optimization, computational finance and risk management. Other outreach activities include alumni events, seminars, certificate courses and internship programs. CTC continues its role as an R&D partner for the Microsoft high-performance computing (HPC) product team, which is planning to launch the beta Windows Server(TM) 2003, Compute Cluster Edition -- Microsoft's first product built specifically for HPC -- later this year. -- Envision Financial Systems Inc. (http://www.enfs.com ). Founded in 1994, Envision Financial Systems is a leading provider of software solutions to the mutual fund and financial services industries. Using its in-depth knowledge of the industry and its extensive experience in software development, Envision Financial Systems creates leading-edge global systems that are intuitive, scalable and flexible. Its systems are based upon open standards, helping clients compete in the ever-changing global environment. Envision's headquarters are in Tustin, Calif., and it has offices in Owings Mills, Md., and Bangalore, India. -- GaleForce Solutions Inc. (http://www.galeforcesolutions.com ). GaleForce Solutions leveraged core Microsoft customer relationship management technology to create GaleForce CRM for Financial Services, a highly customized CRM solution designed specifically to meet the unique requirements of managing and optimizing high-value financial services clients. GaleForce CRM for Financial Services offers the unmatched advantage of a low-risk, easy-to-use client management solution that establishes a lifetime view of the customer, supports real-time personalized experiences, helps increase sales force productivity, reduces customer churn and increases market share. -- GRT Corp. (http://www.grtcorp.com ). GRT, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, leverages financial business knowledge and innovative technologies to help companies extract the maximum value from their information assets. GRT uses its capital market expertise to build solutions for financial management, regulatory compliance, analysis and reporting, risk management, anti-money laundering, broker surveillance, and other data-intensive business processes. GRT's solutions help clients tie corporate performance to strategy and boost profits in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Headquartered in Stamford, Conn., GRT was rated one of the fastest-growing private firms in the country by Inc. magazine. -- HP (http://www.hp.com ). HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, global services, business and home computing, and imaging and printing. -- Immedient Business Solutions from INS (http://www.ins.com ). INS offers a comprehensive set of business and technology consulting services and software solutions to help organizations reduce operational risk, increase productivity and support revenue growth. Immedient Business Solutions streamline and enhance business processes for enterprise project management and collaboration and analytics to increase efficiencies, strengthen customer relationships, facilitate faster and more effective decision-making, and maintain competitive advantage. Its IT infrastructure consulting services deliver security-enhanced, business-centric infrastructures that integrate network, security and storage technologies with best-practice operational frameworks. The company's Diamond IP software provides flexible and scalable software solutions for managing today's complex IP networks. INS has delivered tens of thousands of successful engagements worldwide over more than a decade of operation. -- Impact Technologies Group Inc. (http://www.impact-tech.com ). Impact Technologies provides solutions and services to the banking, capital markets and insurance industries. The company offers innovative sales, communication and planning tools that facilitate the sales experience. Impact also helps advisers and their customers make informed decisions by making complex financial concepts and calculations easy to understand. Developed with a firm understanding of sales psychology, these solutions are built on the Microsoft .NET Framework and deliver integrated, easy-to-use technology. -- Kinitos (http://www.kintos.com ). Kinitos enables companies to dynamically deliver new application capabilities to their users anywhere, on demand. With Kinitos, ISVs and enterprises gain the following: -- Security-enhanced drag-and-drop central control for deployment and updates, across distributed environments, firewalls and the open Internet -- Invaluable insight into how their applications are being used and are performing -- The ability to identify and react to application errors immediately. Kinitos is application management built for the distributed, fast-paced world. -- Lava Trading Inc. (http://www.lavatrading.com ). Headquartered in New York City, with offices in California, Connecticut and the U.K., Lava Trading is an innovative technology firm that develops unique, high-performance trading solutions for the financial services industry. Lava products are created as true application service provider (ASP) solutions built to withstand maximum volume in the most volatile conditions. As a cost-effective and neutral provider, Lava's over-the-counter (OTC) equity securities, listed and foreign exchange solutions are used by leading brokers and dealers, including most of the top U.S. investment banks, as well as market makers, hedge funds and institutional investors. With its patented technology and capital markets expertise, Lava creates value-added trading solutions that combine speed, intelligence and reliability. Lava is a wholly owned, independent subsidiary of Citigroup Inc. -- NetEconomy (http://www.neteconomy.com ). NetEconomy is a global market leader of risk monitoring solutions, automating the detection and prevention of financial crime for financial institutions worldwide. NetEconomy's ERASE Financial Crime Suite identifies a range of illegal activity across multiple channels, product lines and geographies, giving its customers a total view of crime across their organization. -- OutlookSoft Corp. (http://www.outlooksoft.com ). OutlookSoft is a leading provider of unified, real-time business performance management solutions powered by the Microsoft SQL Server business intelligence platform. OutlookSoft provides a Web-based, single application solution for strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting, legal consolidation, reporting, analysis, predictive analytics, scorecarding and dashboards. OutlookSoft enables the business performance management process to include every key decision-maker across the extended enterprise. -- Oculus Info Inc. (http://www.oculusinfo.com ). Oculus is a leading provider of innovative business visualization software solutions for the Fortune 500, federal government agencies and third-party software companies. The principals at Oculus have been business visualization designers, developers and researchers since 1990. -- Rapid Addition Ltd. (http://www.rapidaddition.com ). Rapid Addition specializes in financial messaging and the adoption of financial information eXchange (FIX) workflow products. With a unique understanding of the FIX protocol and BizTalk® Server 2004, Rapid Addition has released unrivalled performance-tested solutions. Its "ShortCut" components are used directly by end clients and white-labeled to enable straight-through processing (STP) of FIX messages in BizTalk. Message transformation between protocol versions, FIX to Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) mapping and the construction of a routing network are recently implemented solutions. -- Resolute Inc. (http://www.resolutecorp.com ). Resolute is a national business and technology consulting firm delivering .NET business solutions for financial services and other markets. Its team offers strategic planning, business solutions, technology services and learning options to produce measurable, high-value business results from investments in technology. An example of the value Resolute delivers to its clients to help them achieve greater communication, compliance and collaboration in their business is the Resolute Information Workbench for Investment Banking industry-focused solution. Leading corporations across the United States have taken advantage of the simply smarter approach from Resolute. -- Reuters (http://www.reuters.com ). Reuters is a global information company providing indispensable information tailored for professionals in the financial services, media and corporate markets. Reuters Messaging is a real-time communications tool designed to meet the needs of professionals in the financial industry. Easy-to-use instant messaging gives users immediate access to their key market contacts anywhere in the world, with secure sockets layer (SSL) encryption and message logging to ensure that their conversations remain confidential and compliant with current financial services regulations. Reuters Messaging is simple to install and administer throughout a company. -- SunGard STeP Solutions (http://www.sungard.com/step ). SunGard STeP provides enterprisewide transaction management solutions for financial messaging and integration; automated, real-time reconciliation and exception management, liquidity management, and Web customer service; and end-to-end STP solutions. Twenty-one of the world's 25 largest financial services companies use STeP solutions for their messaging or exceptions management. -- TAP Solutions Inc. (http://www.tapsolutions.com ). TAP Solutions provides turnkey high-performance software tools for the acquisition, management and application of market and reference data in capital markets. TAPMaster is a complete data management platform that helps financial services clients reduce operating costs, meet regulatory requirements and generate new sources of revenue. -- Vhayu Technologies (http://www.vhayu.com ). Vhayu delivers the fastest and easiest-to-use real-time software solutions to the world's leading financial institutions for the capture and high-speed analysis of massive amounts of streaming and historical data. Through its unique patented technology, the Vhayu Velocity market data analysis platform gives a significant competitive advantage to Vhayu's customers by delivering the information needed to make trading decisions faster than with any other available system. Partnered with Reuters, SunGard, TIBCO Software Inc., InfoDyne Software & Consulting Inc. and HyperFeed Technologies Inc., Vhayu's customer base includes brokers and dealers, a leading online discount broker, hedge funds, market-data providers and alternative trading systems. Vhayu was founded in 1998 by a group of experts in multiprocessor design, real-time operating systems, enterprise database systems and financial market data and is backed by top-tier investors, including Silicon Valley Bank and Menlo Ventures. -- Volante Technologies Inc. (http://www.volantetech.com ). Founded in 2001, Volante Technologies is based in New York. Volante's proven data management solutions run alongside the most demanding applications in major financial services firms and utilities. Its data management solutions include data transformation development tools and a message metadata repository that works within an organization's existing infrastructure. The tools complement any middleware framework, creating a highly responsive, flexible and rapid development environment for sophisticated message management, trade and order repair, and automating many mid- and back-office operations while helping customers achieve their STP goals and reduce costs. Volante's customers include both large and midtier financial institutions for both the buy side and sell side communities, including Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., ICI/ADP and Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board. Current partners include GoldenSource Corp., Microsoft and Sun Microsystems Inc. -- weComm Ltd. (http://www.wecomm.com ). weComm is a leader in the field of business-critical data delivery over wireless networks. weComm's Wave Platform is a suite of middleware technology products designed around the company's in-depth knowledge of wireless networks and services, its customers and their users. weComm's customers are market heavyweights in the financial services, television and gaming industries. Wave's modular, service-oriented architecture enables them to license and deploy exactly those components necessary for a particular solution. -- Xenomorph Software Ltd. (http://www.xenomorph.com ). Xenomorph is a leading provider of enterprisewide data management and analysis solutions to the equities, fixed income, credit and derivatives markets. Clients of Xenomorph's solutions include global investment banks, major asset management companies and hedge funds across the world's main financial centers, where they are used by traders, risk managers, quantitative analysts, IT and back-office staff. Xenomorph's TimeScape solutions unite data management, connectivity and analysis, accelerating decision support, risk analysis and financial product innovation, all within a consistent framework that is able to meet the latest regulatory requirements.