The Data Transformation Imperative: From Operational Burden to Strategic Advantage
A new report by SimCorp examines the investment management industry’s data opportunities – and challenges – in a fast-changing financial landscape, offering guidance on how companies can plot a course towards future-proofing their data capabilities and making immediate operational improvements.
New data complexity challenges are presenting themselves to investment managers at an immense scale, the report published by A-Team Group and titled “The Data transformation imperative: From operational burden to strategic advantage”, states. They are being expected to grapple with asset-class diversification, regulatory pressures, industry consolidation and the rise of AI and analytics – all of which are reshaping data management.
Illustrating the challenge, Simcorp’s InvestOps Report 2025 reveals the current state of the data challenges. It found that 58% of organisations struggle with data modelling and metadata management, while almost half are tackling data quality issues and rely on fragmented solutions.
Decades of tactical technology decisions have led to a technical debt crisis, impeding the data fluidity essential for modern operations, the report states. The human cost is also substantial, with skilled professionals shunning roles that relegate them to maintenance rather than strategic analysis. Managing numerous data vendors further diverts teams from high-value activities.
To navigate this new reality, investment managers must transform how they utilise data assets. Modern data processes enable firms to focus talent and resources on differentiating activities, while automating and outsourcing commoditised tasks.
This paper will explain:
- The pressures that are shaping the modern data management environment for investment managers
- The options facing organisations as they seek solutions – and the false choices they are often offered
- How shortages of critical data expertise are adding to the challenges faced by investment managers
- How a partnership with a trusted data and technology provider working as part of investment managers’ teams can enable them to future-proof their data capabilities