1 This paper is not intended to express any legal position and does not create any new requirements or suggest any change in any existing regulatory obligations, nor does it provide relief from any regulatory obligations. While this paper summarizes key findings from FINRA’s outreach and research on the use of cloud computing in the securities industry, it does not
There are several regulatory implications that firms may wish to consider when establishing a presence in the cloud. It is important to keep in mind that although a firm may shift its technology infrastructure to a cloud environment, all of the regulatory requirements that are applicable in an on-prem environment continue to apply. However, cloud-based applications may contain some unique
Firms cited several different benefits and challenges they encountered during their cloud journey.
In particular, firms noted that in assessing the potential benefits and challenges related to the use of cloud computing it is important to assess them in comparison to the other alternatives available to firms, such on-prem environments (which carries its own relative benefits and challenges). The
A firm’s journey to the cloud varied based on a given firm’s specific facts and circumstances. Several firms noted that cloud migration was not a simple, linear process, even with adequate preparation, and there was no easy formulaic way to conduct a migration, given the unique circumstances of each firm. Despite the difference in each firm’s journey, however, some common themes emerged regarding
When adopting cloud computing on a partial basis, firms typically targeted workloads that could be significantly improved because of the operational benefits provided by the cloud. Some of the key types of applications firms are beginning to deploy on the cloud include the following:
Productivity SaaS applications: Firms migrating to the cloud often seek to become consumers of SaaS products
Broker-dealers are at various stages in their cloud computing journey. Firms identified their size, business focus, existing IT infrastructure, and firm culture as some of the factors that influence their path to implementing cloud computing. While it is difficult to generalize for the entire industry, the following broad categories related to cloud migration may be helpful to understand broker-
Firms may adopt different cloud models, depending on their needs and preferences. Each model provides different features and implies different trade-offs. Models are generally categorized into the following:12
Public cloud: In this model, cloud services are made available virtually over the internet to users and are operated by a cloud service provider. The cloud provider hosts and operates
Cloud computing refers to the delivery of information technology (IT) services using internet technologies in a way that is elastic and scalable and may be priced on a pay-as-you-go basis. Core cloud computing services generally include data storage, processing capacity, networking and software applications. Many of these services are similar to utility services in that they are largely
Cloud computing is transforming how broker-dealers operate by providing opportunities to enhance agility, efficiency, resiliency and security within firms’ technology and business operations while potentially reducing costs. As a result, cloud computing is increasingly seen by many firms as an important architectural component to their infrastructure.
Worldwide, cloud computing has enjoyed rapid
Please explain to us why 50-70% of all retail transactions are going through the dark pools for AMC and GME every single day. As new investors we would like to understand how the blatant price manipulation, and lack of price discovery is considered legal by FINRA and other the other regulatory bodies. From what I have read this was not what the intended use of dark pools was for. I believe if
