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#1 Overcoming Data Integration Breakdowns For Seamless Daily Starts

For most of us, the first thing we want to do is grab a cup of joe when we reach the office after a long commute.  These days, we may have a short walk to the coffee maker, but that doesn’t mean we want to return to our desk with a feeling of trepidation over potentially failed processes like:

  • End-of-day reports not running correctly,
  • Data feeds for our trading desks and pricing providers stopping mid-process
  • Emails from the risk management department noting price changes are missing

Rather, every CTRM platform application management team is expected to keep the system running, while automatically generating reports and performing end-of-day processes flawlessly.  But, some days do not go as planned.  

What Happens Now When End-Of-Day CTRM/ETRM Reporting and Processes Fail To Run Properly

For most CTRM/ETRM application managers, the once civil cup-of-joe turns abruptly to a fevered pace upon a notification that a key process failed. Individual log files and processes are scoured to diagnose the cause of overnight mishaps. This effort consumes IT staff members’ time, and these fail points also impact traders, schedulers, risk professionals, and accounting teams. These Systemic conditions can detrimentally impact the day’s trading profitability – a consequence to avoid.

How Run Smart™ Managed Services Proactively Resolves End-Of-Day Challenges

Every CTRM/ETRM platform is responsible for aggregating prices, tracking positions, and creating reports for decision making. But spending half a day or more searching for the source of failed processes or reporting errors turns high-value resources into low value tasks, misaligning the company’s goals of achieving performance targets.

This fact led to the formation of a new approach. One designed to remedy overnight complications that inevitably lead to next day challenges. Run Smart™ is the nexus of high-value, expert-driven managed services support for CTRM/ETRM platforms. Designed by well-respected industry experts, Priyankar Datta and Raja Kanthadai, Value Creed’s CTRM Run Smart™ Managed Services enable companies to take advantage of monitoring and support delivered in a dual-time zone model with expert-led monitoring 24/7/365.

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Choosing a Capable Partner Gives You Back Your Peaceful Cup-Of-Joe

CIOs and IT managers at well-known industry leaders have shown their support for this novel approach to CTRM/ETRM support by adding to the Run & Operate Phases of their CTRM journey.

Transform your harried mornings of log file lookups into straightforward inbox report confirmations showing you critical processes and end-of-day reports ran as expected. And, in the case where there is a glitch, don’t face troubleshooting alone – rather leverage the expertise of our team and the one-on-one personalized account management and troubleshooting led by leading CTRM platform experts with over ten years of experience

It all really comes down to a civil cup of joe. Learn how in just 20 minutes with our team. We’ll show you how you can resolve common run operate challenges before they happen.

5 Reasons for Choosing Run Smart™ CTRM Managed Services

Value Creed's Run Smart Managed Services Start at $3,500 a month

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With the recent news of Saudi Arabia and Russia’s oil price war, as well as, the undetermined economic impact of the coronavirus worldwide commodity executives are searching for ways to reduce expenses.  CIOs and their staff know application management is a common choice for cost-cutting.  But, this is challenging when considering mission-critical CTRM and ETRM platforms must remain operational around the clock, to support trading activities on a national or global basis.

CTRM and ETRM Platform Management and Support – Two Options Available With Traditional Approaches

Traditionally, IT teams have only had two options when it comes to supporting CTRM/ETRM platforms for font office, middle office and back office users.  These included: 

Option 1: Hire CTRM Experts In-House

This requires IT and business leaders to fully fund full-time positions on their teams and spend months searching for the best candidate for the job. Often these searches are so specialized they oftentimes require external recruiters as well, an option that raises the first year investment significantly.  Once new hires are onboarded, IT and business leaders are committed to paying for the person’s fully loaded costs – an additional 30% added to their annual pay, ongoing training to retain talent over time.   

Option 2: Engage Management Consulting Firms 

Since many management consulting firms have six-figure minimums, making CTRM management cost-effective is out of the equation.  Albeit, these firms are often deployed with upgrades or complex platform optimization programs are undertaken, this option is not reasonable for IT and business leaders searching for an experienced, yet cost-effective approach.

Now There Is New Option for Managing CTRM/ETRM Platforms at a Lower Cost and With More Flexiblity

We all like options, especially in challenging times like these.  Change requires us to think differently, especially when we are focused on finding new ways of operating business that allow for cost savings while managing user expectations.

We need options now that are also virtual in nature and do not require on-site staff, but rather support a platform that is mission critical in a remote support manner.

For CTRM and ETRM platforms, keep these key points in mind:

  • This has been proven as an operational model
  • Run Smart was developed with a dual time zone support and virtual capacity from the beginning
  • 20+ years of consulting best practices were applied to define the Run Smart™ managed services business process to best serve common industry challenges with CTRM platform management.

Value Creed’s Run Smart Managed Services enable IT teams to leverage CTRM/ETRM experts 24/7/365 at a fixed-price.  This option is treated differently on the balance sheet, moving funding from capital budgets to operational.

Developed by 20-year veterans in the industry and based on a history of best practices learned from leading CTRM managed services firms, a third option for CTRM managed services was created, Run Smart™ from Value Creed.  

This approach enables IT and business leaders to save as much as  48% or more a year, as compared to onboarding full-time staff members for the same hours of capacity, or management consulting firms with large onboarding minimums.  

Value Creed Run Smart CTRM Managed Services

Since 2017, the firm has supported the largest multi-nationals as well as nimble mid-tier suppliers. 

Learn how you can start with Managed Services for your CTRM platform today.

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The Obstacle:

The CTRM Conundrum: The Good, the Bad, and the Potentially Unprofitable

CTRM is powerful, function-rich, and offers a robust solution to the needs of ETRM/CTRM
business operations – yet there are common challenges every team faces.

  1. The application’s deep-dive capabilities make it a complex tool to use effectively,
    requiring knowledgeable, dedicated expertise.
  2. This expertise is concentrated in the hands of a few experts worldwide.
  3. Managed services from a large consulting firm may prove far too costly, and those
    services are often facilitated by a junior team, rather than the senior consultants you
    may require.
  4. Experienced in-house CTRM teams may manage day-to-day operations well, but
    may not be equipped to keep pace with the demands of your changing business needs.

Given that, what can be done to simultaneously ensure your business has the technical
expertise it needs, that it’s not seeking a solution that’s out of scope, and that it retains the cutting edge to set your business up for both short and long-term growth?

The answer is a surprisingly simple one, which stems not from a business-as-usual approach,
but one that leverages all of your business’ CTRM platforms’ strengths in your favor. A new approach to managed services we call Run Smart® for CTRM.

The Solve:

Why Value Creed Gives You The Power of a New Approach

The Value Creed Run Smart® approach brings to bear senior, experienced, and innovative
CTRM problem-solvers. We offer made-to-order teams for each individual project and hire
only the brightest, most superior experts to provide on-demand support to our customers. But
we don’t stop there. We continuously train our experts to update their skills.

With this always on, always learning, always innovating approach, you get flexible and powerful
CTRM expertise on demand. Run Smart® is based on the philosophy of pairing on-shore and off-shore resources for 24/7/365 monitoring. For specialized project deployments like
upgrading your CTRM, we design “tiger teams” made up of top CTRM experts,
embracing a wide diversity of skills and disciplines. These elite consultants and engineers
tackle your most difficult problems with a combination of superior technical skills and functional,
problem-solving talent, all with a contract that’s both easy to manage and afford. They’re there
when you need them, and gone when you don’t. No bloated project teams, no stale statements
of work, just talent on your terms.

That’s because power is in the way we play. We know the last thing you want to pay for is a
“learning curve.” With Value Creed, you don’t pay for “ramp up” time. Instead, you get an
expert, or a team of experts, who are able to get in and accelerate your path to business value.

More Than Consultants, We’re On-Demand CTRM Experts Focused on Teamwork

Value Creed is the “Navy Seals” of CTRM consulting. We’ve crafted a culture that attracts
some of the best CTRM talent in the world, tenured CTRM consultants well versed in “what
may happen if” with upgrades to your CTRM, as well as, day-to-day optimizations
capable of leveraging CTRM best practices. To that end, our team is dedicated to translating
the pulse of the industry into actionable outcomes for energy, oil and gas, manufacturing, and
agricultural operations worldwide.

When you partner with us, you can be assured that we bring the following to the table:

Experience — Our team is comprised of qualified and talented CTRM professionals with a wide range of backgrounds. Examples of our expertise include:

  • Veteran trading, credit, logistics, risk, and accounting professionals
  • Deep technical competency in CTRM internals
  • Unique combination of technical and functional skills
  • Proven — with reliable client references — at solving the hardest industry problems

Speed — We know time is a factor and your needs are urgent, so our team is ready to hit the
ground running, using our depth of knowledge to move quickly to solve even the most difficult
problems.

CTRM in the Cloud – Whether you are in the cloud or you want to go there, our managed
service CTRM in the Cloud experts are the go-to resource. We ensure your instance is
optimized for the cloud, your hosting configuration is cost-effective, and fluctuating system
demands are seamlessly met by the cloud.

Commitment — We aren’t simply about offering advice and recommendations, but our success hinges on seeing your project through and getting real, measurable, and sustainable results to help you succeed today, tomorrow, and in the future.

About Value Creed
Founded in 2016, Value Creed brings a new model exclusively to the CTRM Ecosystem. With a focus on improving the effectiveness of CTRM customers in the run and operate phase, Value Creed’s expert-driven Managed Services provides CTRM customers with the expertise to get the most from their system, securely and rapidly move to the cloud and engage with experts to accomplish the support and enhancements that will truly help them achieve their business goals and vision with CTRM. Value is our mantra and promise. We pride ourselves on providing unparalleled value to our clients. Our team of experts leverages their deep energy industry and unparalleled CTRM technical experience to deliver a set of managed services and solutions that improve your return from the CTRM system, improve your users’ experience, and deliver greater value to your organization. Run Smart™, only with Value Creed.

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Since the 1990s, outsourcing has served as an effective way for businesses to boost overall performance, lower costs, and free up resources and personnel to create innovative new products. However, in the world of CTRM, outsourcing has evolved beyond the practice of hiring third-party providers to handle administrative tasks and manual labor. Through managed services, companies can now outsource complex tasks such as infrastructure management, application management and day-to-day application enhancement, maintenance, user support, and custom programming.   The Evolution of Managed Services As the CTRM industry has started embracing managed services, a shift in expectations has occurred concerning capability, services, processes, and providers. Since the inception of the CTRM/ETRM market, CTRM selections and implementations have largely taken the same approach. First, companies navigate a tedious and well-thought-out selection by comparing a slate of known competitors, each with proven capabilities and considerable accomplishments. Then, the companies initiate an onerous implementation, the success of which is largely dependent upon both the customer and vendor’s sophistication in business, processes, and technology. However, with the unprecedented growth of the gig economy during the last five years, the process has been considerably simplified. So much so that even the smallest companies have incorporated the best technology and support vendors into their business strategies. The modern approach to CTRM selections now follows a different pattern. It begins by hiring an on-staff manager. That manager is then supported by a hybrid IT/business expert and a boutique consulting company. They advise the manager concerning the valuation, trading, and logistics of the company’s target commodity or selected technology. Finally, after assessing the business’ potential SI partners, a vendor with the best qualifications is chosen. Through this revised process, a significant number of small- to mid-sized boutique consulting firms have entered the market and, in some cases, have prospered.   Selecting the Right Managed Services Partner Despite the growth of these boutique consulting firms, their success isn’t defined by a steady upward trajectory. Market conditions are chunky, slowed by cyclical commodity cycles and arduous budget processes. In many instances, these firms must look for ways to smooth their revenue curves, augment their benches, and keep their highest revenue sources engaged during downtimes. As a result, many firms have started offering smoothed support contracts under the guise of managed services. Though this is most certainly an intelligent and entrepreneurial solution for the firms, there’s the risk that the customer base could lose interest, be underwhelmed with capability or, even worse, they may not have the financial stability or commitment to continue. Thus, the CTRM industry will start to see a new type of firm emerge. These firms will be specialized, purpose-built managed services firms with the appropriate strategies and expertise to fulfill all necessary CTRM needs. When selecting the right firm for your business, the following four areas will help illuminate qualifications and identify a true long-term partner:
  1. SLA — Every true outsourced application management relationship is defined and measured by a broad, transparent, and solid service level agreement (SLA). SLAs are a familiar concept regarding IT systems management, as they provide an outcome-based set of benchmarks. However, they are not a “one size fits all” solution. SLAs must be retrofitted for the markets, business processes, and business operations of the systems they’re governing. When analyzing the SLA of a potential managed services firm, ask the following clarifying question: “Will this SLA improve the way my business operates?”
  2. Processes — The creation and implementation of operating processes—an area of significant maturity in the IT outsourcing space—will translate nicely to CTRM managed services. When professionally developed and stringently adhered to, operating processes are the hallmark of well-managed systems. As you evaluate the viability and effectiveness of a managed services provider, dig into their operating guides, process manuals, and the staff’s training on procedures that are specific to your business and specific to the application being managed. These factors serve as great indicators of the professionalism and level of confidence you can have, should you move forward with this provider.
  3. Personnel and Staffing — Application outsourcing and managed services require a full-time commitment. The firm’s staff will manage all interactions with your organization, shadow your team members, and manage your systems and programming. This staff should be robust enough to provide support 24 hours a day and provide that support at a higher level than you could provide in-house. Redundancy isn’t a conversation limited to hardware or facilities—it should also include personnel. In addition to the size and expertise of the staff, the firm also has a responsibility to keep all team members current on your software’s technology updates, capability changes, and trends.
  4. Strategy — The managed services firm you choose has a responsibility to provide world-class application support, and to do so, it must have a clearly defined strategy which guides all activity and is constantly refined. A lack of focus on strategy can lead to confusing business models, misaligned priorities, and competing resources. To offer 24/7, expert-driven, top-quality support for your systems, this firm must demonstrate a strong discipline concerning all necessary competencies. Specifically, you must ensure your managed service isn’t hijacked by a conflict between utilization and hourly driven services. You must also ensure your managed service isn’t diluted by a least common denominator approach, in which horizontal, readily available resources—as are prevalent in general IT outsourcing—are used. If you understand the strategic focus of your partner, you can effectively build a fruitful, long-term relationship with your application managed services vendor.
Once your company has gained an understanding of the vendor landscape in these four areas, you can start assessing the strategic advantages your business will gain from managed services around your CTRM system. A new world of capability, a new level of expertise, and new heights of flexibility are available to your company. We’ll expand further on these benefits in the next part of our managed services series, “Cloud”.   About Value Creed Value Creed, LLC, founded in 2016, is a managed services firm headquartered in Dallas, TX, specializing in commodity trading and risk management technology and business process optimization. The firm offers expert driven managed services, business process outsourcing, cloud enablement, and CTRM complimentary technologies to help CTRM customers achieve optimal value in their software investment.
Recommended: CTRM Cloud Services

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CTRM Application Support is often very narrowly defined and is usually not customer-focused. According to IEEE application support is “the process of modifying an application or its component after delivery to correct faults, improve performances or other attributes, or adapt to a change environment.” The definition itself showcases application support as a post-production Go-Live task and includes activities that keep the application operational i.e. fixing bugs and mistakes as well as continually evolving it to meet the businesses needs.. Here are best the practices to effectively and efficiently support a CTRM Application.

Pre Go Live Activities

  • Planning for post Go-Live operations – Planning an application support strategy help ensures that the service provider is prepared to manage the cost and risks associated with initiating any new service.
  • Operational Supportability – Designing and development of new or changed services for introduction into the Production Environment. Defining the operational supportability helps in organizing the resources that will be required during the application support without any disruptions.
  • Logistics determination – Determines the physical assets to successfully implement the application support process – Infrastructure and Architecture.    

Post Go Live Activities

  • Application Modifications – Modifying and transiting new or changed services into the Production Environment. Also ensures the readiness of the service provider to provide any modifications required in the CTRM application post Go-Live.
  • User Manuals and Trainings – User Manuals & Run Books to be provide to the end users along with proper trainings on the new functionality introduced in the CTRM Application.
  • Operating a Help Desk – Setting up a dedicated Help Desk to perform the day –to-day operations of the process It is also where the performance metrics for the service are gathered and reported and value is realized.
  • Testing and Quality Assurance – Performing Regression Test before deployment of the fixes in the Production Environment and to ensure that it does not disrupt the existing functions in the live system. Quality of the application to be measured closely with defect metrics.
  • Technical Assistance – Different technical support levels to be defined on the basis of the nature and criticality of the issue raised by the end user along with the SLA agreed upon with the client to provide the resolution on time.
CTRM Application Support requires a well-managed approach to maximize efficiency and effectiveness and help your system run smoothly. Failure to provide managed application support can easily lead to failure of confidence in the overall CTRM Application. We at Value Creed have identified CTRM Application Support as a needing a complete, holistic approach rather than a being viewed as just a ‘bug fixing’ task. The Value Creed approach to managed services which provides comprehensive 24 hour support and diagnostics of your operating environment, our outsourced application support to enhance and augment your internal team and our Run Smart™ SLA to guarantee an industry leading level of commitment and response ensure that your ongoing support fulfills your needs and allows you to achieve the confidence in the system that you set out for from the beginning. To know more on how Value Creed can build an optimal CTRM Application Support system for your organization, partner with us today.
Recommended: CTRM Robotic Process Automation

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