In our journey to unify the financial desktop and provide a better user experience and process optimization, we have collaborated with many clients and partners to develop our cutting-edge solution. These areas of interop are worthy of further discussion:
- Multi-machine Interop
- Web and desktop app integration
- Systems integration
- Process optimization
Inter-machine Interop
In early 2013, we were the first to support inter-machine interop. This was driven by the needs of traders who used multiple PCs to run their critical applications e.g. OMS, analytics, market data, etc. Our platform allows the creation of arbitrary topologies of interconnected devices – as well as allowing desk-level or team-level domains to be defined that limit the flow of sensitive data.
First Free Open-source Web Application Integration Platform
In 2020, we launched Glue42 Core – the world’s first free-to-use zero-install open-source platform for the integration of web applications. Our intention was simple – to lower the barrier to entry for ‘desktop’ application integration while at the same time offering a greater level of features than our competitors’ chargeable products! Since its release, there was significant interest for Glue42 Core by Enterprises that want to minimize the spend on desks that are only web-based. It also caught the eye of ISVs wanting to integrate their own web products and provide a platform for the integration of their client’s existing applications. Combine these scenarios with the continued advancement of the Progressive Web Application initiatives and our support of FDC3. Then Glue42 Core is truly helping to democratize the desktop.
Unified Notifications
UX designers will quickly point out that the simplicity and efficacy of a Workspace-driven desktop can be shattered by poorly managed notifications. Indeed, it seems a little pointless to integrate, synchronize and orchestrate applications yet not deal with their alerts, notifications, toasts in the same manner. A properly designed desktop will allow notifications from any type of application to be aggregated, managed and actions within a single UI. We’ve known this for many years, which is why our Notifications support is now in its 3rd major release.
In early 2015, we were the first to have a fully functional Global Notifications System in Glue42. The Glue42 Notification Service is an unopinionated architecture. It is a set of executables, APIs and specifications for delivering notifications directly to the desktop. They can be alerts from an application, or from a metrics monitoring tool for a system running hot; a trade order execution notification from an Order Management System; a workflow task assigned to a user or a group of users; an activity that is forwarded/re-assigned to a user (e.g., handling a client call), among others.
Global Search
Along with the unified notifications, we have developed a Global Search capability, which lets our users search for specific business objects across multiple applications. We developed this feature in collaboration with one of our largest clients and allows a workspace to offer a single search bar for all applications. If you would like to know more about UX design in an integrated world, then see our Methodology guide here.
Workspaces UI
Back in 2019, we launched Workspaces in Glue42 (and also donated them into open-source with Glue42 Core in 2020!). Workspaces allow you to arrange multiple applications within the same window (frame) and share data context. This happens either programmatically or by dragging and dropping floating windows in a Workspace, rearranging windows that are already in the Workspace, or extracting windows from the Workspace. Naturally, our Workspaces support applications of any type (e.g. JavaScript, .NET, Java, etc.) and will intelligently manage machine resources through application hibernation and restore. You won’t find that in a version 1.0 implementation!
Excel Connector
Like it or not, Excel is here to stay for capital markets. Today’s Order Management Systems were developed to replace a spreadsheet, but they also need to integrate with it, as well as the other applications on the financial desktop. In 2013, we developed an Excel connector for Glue42, allowing users to easily connect it to the rest of the glue-enabled systems in use. The extent of our integration is huge – it allows Excel to become a view/edit surface for any other desktop application. App to app bi-directional update means that there is no longer a need to ‘kill Excel’ and Glue42 will ensure that the data is governed, validated and always up to date.
Bloomberg, Fidessa & Appliances
At the start of 2020, we developed our latest incarnations of the Bloomberg and Fidessa connectors. We had connectivity for these systems as early as 2013. However, we decided to re-architect to deliver greater functionality and massive scalability. Their success and deployment in a many sell-side and buy-side firms led to the creation of the G42 Appliance Store. In the fall of 2020, we launched Appliances. They are pre-packaged solutions comprising two application connectors and optional inter-application business logic (e.g. data mapping). This makes it trivial for firms to integrate mission-critical applications within days. We’ve worked with many of our partners on developing this business offering. The market and our prospects quickly picked it up, resulting in two client wins for 2020.
