Cost of Getting and Managing Real-Time Market Data Key Driver for Financial Firms

NEW YORK, NY, May 11 (MARKET WIRE) --
An industry report from financial services research firm TowerGroup finds
that the total cost of ownership for obtaining, managing and optimizing
market data is the number one factor driving both buy- and sell-side
firms to re-evaluate their current technology infrastructure. The report
was compiled from in-depth conversations with market makers, hedge funds,
brokers and trading systems providers, all of whom rely on data systems
either managed in-house or provided by a third party.

While speed, reliability and data quality previously drove the uptake of
market data management systems with financial firms throwing costly
resources toward the problem, now financial firms across the capital
markets spectrum are taking a sharper focus on bottom-line costs and
finding that vendor-provided technologies may be as good or better than
what they have built internally, according to the report authored by Tom
Price, research director, securities and investments, for TowerGroup.

"Today firms are being forced by economic circumstances to evaluate even
the most mission-critical applications very rigorously with respect to
return on investment," Price writes in his report, "Market Data
Management: In-house vs. Outsourced Solutions." "With monthly operations
consuming four times the cost of an outsourced solution, the economic
case for outsourcing has become highly compelling."

As electronic trading continues to explode across all asset classes around
the globe, firms simply cannot afford to operate without reliable,
low-latency solutions. Yet the cost to build an internal direct feed
infrastructure is becoming prohibitive.

"Management of market data costs in any economic climate is difficult
given the ever increasing data rates and short-cycle technology refreshes
required to keep up," said Steve Listhaus, head of market data services
for Wells Fargo. "We see our spend on data to feed applications as an
increasingly larger piece of our overall spend and have chosen ACTIV's
services as a core component of our strategy based on their market focus,
comparatively lower total cost of ownership, roadmap of innovation and
track record of high quality service delivery."

TowerGroup estimates the monthly maintenance costs of market data
management for an in-house solution to be an incremental $188,000 per
month, compared to outsourced solutions. According to the report, total
cost of ownership is divided into two main categories: start-up costs
(hardware, telecommunications, initial development, time-to-market,
exchange feed connectivity, etc.) and maintenance costs (lines, extranet
and hardware; staff and maintenance).

"Unlike in-house deployments, by applying our extensive research and
development efforts across multiple clients, everyone benefits," said
Frank Piasecki, president and co-founder of ACTIV Financial, which
provides a holistic approach for managing market data. "We have a
top-tier solution to manage and distribute market data, while customers
have the fast and reliable quality data they need for without the
headache and cost."

To download a copy of the TowerGroup report, go to www.activfinancial.com.

About ACTIV Financial

ACTIV Financial Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of market data content
and technologies to market makers, hedge funds, brokers and trading
systems. The company provides managed low-latency and high-volume market
data services to more than 300 customers worldwide. As vendor of record,
ACTIV also delivers consolidated, hosted and on-site ticker plant services
for exchanges around the globe. ACTIV is privately owned with offices in
Chicago, New York, Tokyo, Singapore and London. To learn more about ACTIV,
visit: http://www.activfinancial.com.

Media Contact:
Katy Zack
Articulate Communications for ACTIV Financial
212.255.0080, ext. 11
kzack@articulatepr.com

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