Eze Castle Integration
{{short description|IT company}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{primary sources|date=November 2021}}
{{Advert|date=November 2021}}
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{{Infobox company
| name = ECI
| logo = ECI Logo Primary.gif
| type = Private
| foundation = 1995
| location = Boston
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = David Andrade, CEO
John Cahaly, Co-Founder & Chairman
Sean McLaughlin, Co-Founder
Bill Tan, CCO & CSO
Steve Schoener, CTO
| industry = IT infrastructure and services
| num_employees = 900
| website = [http://www.eci.com www.eci.com]
}}
ECI is a provider of managed services, cyber security and business transformation for mid-market financial services organizations across the globe. The firm was founded when Eze ({{IPA|fr|ɛːz|pron}}) Castle Consulting split into two independent entities. It employs 900 plus people, with offices in Singapore, Europe, Hong Kong, India, the Philippines, and nine US locations.
History
Sean McLaughlin and John Cahaly founded Eze Castle Consulting in 1995. McLaughlin previously worked at several investment firms.{{cite news
| last = Stuart
| first = Anne
| title = Of Software and Apples
| newspaper = Harvard Magazine
| date = March–April 2004
| url = http://harvardmagazine.com/2004/03/of-software-and-apples.html
|access-date= February 1, 2012}} The company was named after Èze, a village in the French Riviera. Eze Castle Consulting began supporting early stage funds in the Boston area, then opened up new offices in New York City, San Francisco and Greenwich, Connecticut in the late-1990s.{{cite news
| last = Curtis
| first = Carol
| title = Hedge Fund Focus Hasn't Hurt Eze Castle Integration
| newspaper = Securities Industry News
| date = September 22, 2008
| url = http://www.securitiesindustry.com/issues/19_75/22815-1.html
|access-date= February 1, 2012}}
As of 2017, Eze Castle had a major office in an 18,000 square foot space at 529 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, where they had been located since 2005.{{Cite news |date=2017-05-02 |title=Tech Firm Renews at Silverstein's Midtown Tower |language=en |url=https://www.globest.com/sites/johnjordan/2017/05/02/tech-firm-renews-at-silversteins-midtown-tower/ |access-date=2021-11-09}}
In 2000, Eze Castle Consulting was split into two independent companies, Eze Castle Software and Eze Castle Integration; Eze Castle Integration became a systems integration company focused on the financial services sector.{{cite press release
| title =Goldman Sachs Invests $20 Million in Eze Castle Software
| publisher = Eze Castle Integration
| date =September 7, 2010
| url = http://www.allbusiness.com/banking-finance/banking-finance-overview/6498622-1.html#ixzz1ntngaRqn
|access-date= March 1, 2012}} During the economic downturn in 2000, the firm downsized and reduced many expenditures while continuing to generate a profit.{{cite news
| title = CEO Interview: Eze Castle Integration
| newspaper = The Wall Street Transcript
| date = February 9, 2004 }} By 2004 the company had grown to a 120-person staff.{{cite news
| title =Eze Castle launches London office
| newspaper =Boston Journal
| date =November 12, 2007
| url =http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2007/11/12/daily2.html
|access-date= February 1, 2012}} Throughout the late 2000s, the company introduced Eze Vault, Eze Disaster Recovery, ECI Link and Eze Managed Suites. They also introduced Eze Cloud{{cite news
| last =Schmerken
| first =Ivy
| title =Cover Story: The Great Business Case in the Sky
| newspaper =Wall Street & Technology
| date =May 2011
| url =http://i.cmpnet.com/financetech/download/WST_Digital_Issue_2011_05.pdf
|access-date= February 1, 2012}}
| last =Schmerken
| first =Ivy
| title =The Rise of Cloud Computing on Wall Street
| newspaper =Wall Street & Technology
| date =January 20, 2012
| url =http://www.wallstreetandtech.com/it-infrastructure/232500328
|access-date= March 12, 2012 }} and started selling Tradar's Insight product in a hosted cloud model.{{cite news
| last =Schmerken
| first =Ivy
| title =Tradar Partners with Eze Castle Integration on Cloud-Based Offering
| newspaper =Wall Street & Technology
| date =May 10, 2011
| url =http://www.wallstreetandtech.com/it-infrastructure/229403149
|access-date= February 23, 2012}} Today a growing percentage of the firm's revenue comes from cloud-based products.{{cite news
| last =Wainewright
| first =Will
| title =Eze Castle Expands as Asia Demand Grows
| newspaper =HFM Week
| date =July 12, 2011
| url =http://www.hfmweek.com/news/1701867/eze-castle-expands-as-asia-demand-grows.thtml
|access-date= February 1, 2012}}{{cite news
| last =Groenfeldt
| first =Tom
| title =Stock Exchanges Ain't What They Used To Be
| newspaper =Forbes
| date =June 22, 2011
| url =http://www.hfmweek.com/news/1701867/eze-castle-expands-as-asia-demand-grows.thtml
|access-date=February 1, 2012 }}
In the first eight months of 2008 the average hedge fund declined five percent and 170 hedge funds closed their doors due to ongoing financial volatility. Although 95 percent of the firm's clients were hedge funds, it experienced a revenue increase of 26 percent and obtained sixty new clients during the time period.
At the time, the company supported 450 US-based hedge funds, including 81 firms with over $1 billion in management. It opened new offices in Chicago in 2008, and London in 2007. In 2010 and 2011 new offices were opened in Singapore and Hong Kong.{{cite news
| title =Eze Castle Integration Expands To Singapore, Geneva
| newspaper =FINalternatives
| date =August 31, 2010
| url =http://www.finalternatives.com//node/13686?time=1327958941
|access-date= February 2, 2011}}{{cite news
| last =Lindsay
| first =Margie
| title =Eze Castle Enlarges Presence in Geneva and Singapore
| newspaper =Hedge Funds Review
| date =August 31, 2010
| url =http://www.hedgefundsreview.com/hedge-funds-review/news/1730452/people-moves
|access-date=February 2, 2011 }} In 2010 an affiliate company, Ledgex Systems LLC, was created to develop and support software for fund of hedge funds to automate and manage investment portfolios.{{cite news
| last =Kentouris
| first =Chris
| title =EZE CASTLE INTEGRATION Houses IT Platform for Alternatives in New Subsidiary
| newspaper =Securities Technology Monitor
| date =September 17, 2010
| url =http://www.securitiestechnologymonitor.com/news/-26100-1.html
|access-date=February 1, 2012
| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20111221101628/http://www.securitiestechnologymonitor.com/news/-26100-1.html
| archive-date =December 21, 2011
| url-status =dead
}}
In 2018, the company received a significant investment from private equity firm H.I.G. Capital.{{Cite web|first=Joe|last=Panettieridate=2018-06-05|title=Private Equity Firm Invests in Eze Castle Integration|url=https://www.channele2e.com/news/private-equity-firm-invests-eze-castle/|access-date=2020-07-21|website=ChannelE2E| date=5 June 2018 |language=en-US}} At the time, Eze Castle had roughly 650 customers across the United States, United Kingdom and Asia.
In 2020, Eze Castle Integration acquired Alphaserve Technologies,{{Cite web|first=Joe|last=Panettieri|date=2020-07-21|title=MSP Acquired: Eze Castle Integration Buys Alphaserve Technologies|url=https://www.channele2e.com/investors/private-equity/eze-castle-buys-alphaserve/|access-date=2020-07-21|website=ChannelE2E|language=en-US}} a provider of infrastructure technology and digital IT services, bringing the company's client base to 800. In November 2020 the company acquired digital transformation firm NorthOut, Inc. The acquisition accelerates Eze Castle Integration's digital transformation offering for the financial and professional services industries.{{Cite web|date=2020-11-06|title=Eze Castle Integration expands financial services offerings with NorthOut acquisition|url=https://www.privateequitywire.co.uk/2020/11/06/291834/eze-castle-integration-expands-financial-services-offerings-northout-acquisition|website=Private Equity Wire|language=en-US}} The acquisitions bring the company's client base to over 800 clients globally.
In 2021, Eze Castle Integration rebranded as ECI.{{cite web|title=Eze Castle Integration Rebrands to ECI|url=https://www.eci.com/about/information-center/press-releases/eze-castle-integration-rebrands-as-eci-to-reflect-industry-leading-managed-services-for-financial-firms-/1991}}
Products & services
- Managed Services: Cloud solutions, networking and hardware, IT support.
- Cybersecurity: Managed services for security information and event management (SIEM), operations centers, dark web monitoring, phishing and threat training, vulnerability assessments and remediation, governance and risk management, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) as a service.
- Business Transformation: Cloud, application development, DevOps, process automation, managed data services, strategic advisory, distributed workforce enablement.