A financial trading or brokerage firm needs four things from its IT: high-availability systems that stay online during market hours, secure access into bank and client networks, strong security and compliance, and support that understands a fast, regulated environment. In trading, minutes of downtime or one fraudulent payment can be very costly, so the IT has to be built for it.
Trading firms are heavily targeted and tightly regulated, and they often connect into the systems of banks and counterparties. Here is what good IT support looks like.
1. Systems that stay online
During market hours, downtime is not an option. Proactive monitoring, resilient connectivity, failover and tested disaster recovery keep your trading and communications systems available when it matters most.
2. Secure access into bank and client networks
Your people often need to connect securely into banks’ and counterparties’ environments, through secure VPN or remote access tools. That access has to be reliable and locked down with multi-factor authentication, because it reaches sensitive external systems.
3. Security and compliance
Trading firms are prime targets for fraud and attack. Layered security, including endpoint protection, application allowlisting, managed email security, MFA and staff training, protects client money and data. Recording and retention of communications often matters too, for regulatory reasons.
4. Support that understands the pace
When something breaks mid-trade, you need a person who fixes it fast, not a ticket in a queue. Expect quick response, clear communication and a partner who knows your environment well enough to act quickly.
A real example: communications protected and recoverable
We supported a technology firm serving financial trading desks where we ran managed backup with verification on every cycle, so its regulated client communications were always recoverable, and kept the recording infrastructure behind a trading environment available. When a connection issue did crop up, the user noted: “I thought the connection error would take a long time to fix, however the issue was sorted in just 3 hours.”
What this should cost
For a financial trading or brokerage firm, managed IT and security usually costs about £45 to £100 per user per month. Uptime requirements, the number of market and bank connections you depend on, and your compliance obligations push you up the range, while a smaller desk sits lower. The figure should always include the security and monitoring a money-moving, regulated business needs.
What to ask a provider
Trading and brokerage firms should ask:
- How do you keep trading and communication systems online during the day, and what is your response time if they are not?
- Can you support secure connections into bank, venue and client networks?
- How do you capture and retain communications for compliance?
- What protects us from payment fraud and account takeover?
- Is security included in the per-user price?
What a managed service includes
For a trading or brokerage firm, a complete managed service covers the desk and the back office:
- Helpdesk and support for your team, Microsoft 365 and core business apps
- Device management for laptops and servers: monitoring, patching and updates
- Secure access, including remote and privileged access where it is needed
- Managed cyber security: endpoint protection, allowlisting, email security and MFA
- Backup and tested recovery of your data and Microsoft 365
- Vendor coordination with your software, cloud and connectivity suppliers
- Clear reporting and a forward IT plan, not just reactive fixes
The result is systems that stay up, communications you can evidence, and money movements you can trust.
Why the cheapest quote costs more
It is tempting to pick the lowest number, but on a trading desk minutes of downtime, a missed or unrecorded communication, or a redirected payment costs far more than the gap between a cheap contract and a good one. The right question is not the lowest price, but who keeps you trading, compliant and protected.
Why downtime is the real cost
On a trading desk, minutes of downtime or a missed message can cost far more than the IT contract itself, and a compliance gap can cost more again. The right question is not the lowest price, but who keeps you trading and on the right side of your obligations.
Why technology and trading firms choose First Stop IT
First Stop IT has supported businesses since 2002, including software and technology companies and firms that serve financial markets. We know the systems these teams depend on: secure VPN and remote access, source control and build pipelines, virtual dev and test environments, Microsoft 365 and Teams, and the security that banks and regulators expect, from multi-factor authentication and endpoint protection to application allowlisting and email security. We work with technology and trading firms in London and across Essex and Hertfordshire. Our credentials include:
- Cyber Essentials Certified
- IASME Cyber Assurance (Gold)
- NCSC Assured Service Provider (Cyber Advisor for Cyber Essentials)
- Microsoft Partner
- Crown Commercial Service Supplier (G-Cloud)
- Quality Principles Certified
We look after more than 2,000 endpoints across 50 companies, we’ve been named a Top 50 UK MSP for three years running, and we support organisations with 10 to 100 employees across Essex, Hertfordshire and London, including Harlow and Bishop’s Stortford.
Book a free IT and cyber security review
Want IT support built for a trading environment? Book a free IT and cyber security review with First Stop IT and we’ll show you what good looks like.