Greenwich Associates’ Investor RMS Survey Finds Investment Research Management and Data Processes Leave Room for Improvement.
Between August and October 2019, we partnered with Greenwich Associates to undertake the first dedicated in-depth market survey into research and data management, processes and systems across allocators and asset managers, and the results are in!

You can access the RMS report in full here, and read on below for the executive summary and highlights…
The Greenwich Associates team conducted in-depth interviews with 57 executives (CTOs, CCOs, Directors of Research and PMs) at asset owners and asset managers in the US and Europe to better understand their research management needs and procedures, the pain points they face and the types of technology they use in this process.
Respondents ranged from pensions, fund of funds, family offices and sovereign wealth funds to asset managers across equities, credit, global macro, real estate, multi-strategy, and more.
The survey found the typical fund consumes and synthesizes over 25 different research and data sources in their investment research process. Its why many are now recognizing that a modern research management process can help streamline idea generation and data procurement, standardize workflows, track consumption, enhance compliance, and improve team collaboration.

Similarly, the study found asset owners and allocators, such as pensions, endowments and foundations, are also increasing their RMS usage, as these tools increasingly help asset allocators streamline their manager due diligence process and vendor tracking and evaluation.

In most cases, even among some of the world’s biggest investment firms, investment professionals have to make do with ad-hoc systems built over time by combining basic tools, such as spreadsheets, shared drives, and email applications.”
Kevin McPartland, Head of Research in Greenwich Associates Market Structure and Technology group and author of Research Management Systems: Essential Tools for Modern Investment Management.
The survey was extensive, delving into complex investment management processes and analyzing how firms are using RMS and other tools to enhance both operational efficiency and competitive advantage. We’re excited to publish this first report with Greenwich Associates, and look forward to release new findings and datasets across industry segments later this month.
Access your Complimentary copy of the Greenwich Associates Report, Research Management Systems: Essential Tools for Modern Investors, to learn:
- Supply Chain Management for Research: the complexity, volume and quality of research and data sources.
- The Changing Investment Research Landscape: from regulatory mandates and competitive pressures to research unbundling.
- RMS Adoption and Priorities: Usage of RMS, data sharing and storage tools across the industry
- Research Process Pain Points: From collaboration to reporting, compliance to tracking data sources and everything in between.
- Budget Considerations and Aging Systems: the proliferation and challenge of aging legacy systems, the continued shared drive and email reliance and re-evaluation in the light of MiFID II and integration opportunities.
This is the first in our series of findings into research and data management trends. Stay tuned for more from our industry study, and if you’d like to find out more on what Modern Research Management Software can do for your fund, get in touch.