• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Meet MAX: IPC Launches New Desktop Designed By Traders for Traders

Posted on: Wednesday, 15 March 2006, 09:00 CST

IQ/MAX(TM), the next-generation trading desktop with enhanced user intelligence, will be unveiled today in New York by IPC Information Systems. IPC is a premier provider of mission-critical trading floor communication solutions for the global financial services industry. This represents the first of a series of global launch events beginning today in New York City. More than 105,000 traders in over 40 countries currently use an IPC desktop every day.

IPC interviewed or observed some 300 traders on over 50 trading floors worldwide, including traders using both IPC and non-IPC systems. Throughout the project, IPC collaborated closely with a team of strategists, designers and engineers from frog design, well known for its unique convergence of disciplines. As a result, MAX represents an industry first with respect the high level of research, development and design behind it--- something more often applied in the consumer marketplace.

Working within the demanding environmental requirements and strict physical restrictions of the modern trading floor, the team created a desktop tool that works in concert with the intuitive nature of trading. The team focused equally on the industrial design as well as the design of a new embedded user interface, examining everything from the best way to visualize data--- to the effects of ambient noise-- to desktop ergonomics.

Lance Boxer, Chief Executive Officer, IPC says, "The trading floor is one of the most high-octane and high stakes environments in business. With the advent of cell phones, iPods and Xboxes, the new generation of traders has been weaned on consumer technology. This has had a profound influence on expectations of tools in the workplace. In many respects a worker can only be as good as his or her tools. With the rollout of MAX, IPC is pleased to offer the world's trading floors what we believe to be the most powerful and innovative tool of its kind in the marketplace. IPC clients stand to gain from all of this hard work in the form of increased trader productivity."

Doreen Lorenzo, Chief Operating Officer, frog design, says, "We were thrilled to work with IPC on a tool that's vitally important to the financial services industry. Our goal was to apply design intelligence from consumer industries to offer traders more power, speed, control and accuracy. Before MAX, the trader could get the job done, but little consideration was given to the actual user experience. MAX humanizes technology, allowing the trader to be more productive without worrying about how the technology works."

Significant enhancements include:

-- A ground-up re-design of the user interface, incorporating the semantics of how information is visually organized and presented by financial services industry fixtures and traders themselves (e.g., Bloomberg, CNBC, etc.) The new user interface encourages intuitive learning to make sure traders get the most out of the technology.

-- Thoroughly researched ergonomics featuring everything from a curved console designed to integrate naturally into the trader's desktop space to specifically chosen force-curves for the each individual button. The new desktop is much smaller than before, taking up less space on a trader's desktop.

-- A modular industrial design comprised of individual units that simply attach to the back of the system, allowing for easy future upgrades and repairs.

-- Every display is a high-quality, active matrix TFT (Thin Film Transistor) screen that allows clear viewing at any angle and in any light condition.

-- Custom-designed acoustics that optimize the bass-reflex response and improve intelligibility.

-- A new collaborative tool, Deskshare, allows traders to share elements of their desktop with colleagues. For instance, when a trader is away from the desk, co-workers can be alerted to incoming calls.

-- Instantaneous one-button replay of the last 20 seconds of any speaker channel allowing the trader to recall of any information that might have been missed.

-- Developed on a layered, API-driven (Application Program Interface) framework that leverages open source and standard protocols for quick and flexible deployment of future applications.

MAX is scheduled to begin beta testing in April with a number of IPC clients.

Following today's New York launch event, MAX will be debuted at a series of events in other major global financial centers, including London, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, Chicago and Paris.

About IPC

IPC is a leading provider of mission-critical communications solutions to global enterprises. With more than 30 years of expertise, IPC provides its systems and services to the world's largest financial services firms, as well as to public safety; government; power, energy and utility; and transportation organizations. IPC offers its customers a suite of products and enhanced services that includes advanced Voice over IP technology, and integrated network and management services to over 40 countries. Based in New York, IPC has over 900 employees throughout the Americas, Europe and the Asia Pacific regions. For more information visit www.ipc.com.

About frog design

frog design is a creative consulting firm founded in Germany in 1969, where it worked with firms such as Wega, Sony, then Apple. Today, frog design works with Fortune 500 clients to evolve, expand and envision their businesses, by identifying emerging market opportunities and transforming ideas into compelling product and service experiences. Recent clients include Nextel, Disney, and Hewlett-Packard. frog also has a broad range of industry expertise ranging from retail to entertainment, finance to medical, consumer electronics to automotive, and software to fashion, among many others. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California and employs over 300 individuals with an eclectic range of backgrounds.

Statements made in this news release that state IPC's or its management's intentions, beliefs, expectations, or predictions for the future constitute "forward looking statements" as defined by federal securities laws, which involve significant risks and uncertainties. Many risks and uncertainties are inherent in the telecommunications equipment industry. Others are more specific to our operations. The occurrence of the events described and the achievement of the expected results depend on many factors, some or all of which are not predictable or within our control. Actual results may differ materially from results discussed in these forward-looking statements. Among the factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievement to differ materially from those described or implied in the forward-looking statements, are risks associated with substantial indebtedness, leverage and debt service, risks relating to the performance of our business and future operating results, risks of competition in our existing and future markets, loss or retirement of key executives, risks related to our debt generally, general business and economic conditions, market acceptance issues, including potential technology changes and the risks inherent in new product and service introductions and the entry into new geographic markets.

(C)2006 IPC Acquisition Corp. All Rights Reserved. IPC, IQMX and IQ/MAX are trademarks of IPC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Source: Business Wire

More News in this Category