For investment managers navigating evolving client demands, regulatory scrutiny and increasingly complex data supply chains, the decision to build internal tooling versus buying proven technology solutions is a strategic one.
At face value, building an internal solution might seem like a logical route. It offers control, perceived cost savings, and the ability to tailor functionality in-house. However, the reality is far more complex - and there’s much to consider before committing to what can become a long, resource-heavy journey.
From our experience working with some of the world's leading asset managers, one thing is clear: getting this decision right matters.
Common Pitfalls of Internal Builds
1. Hidden Complexity
What starts as a small project often becomes a sprawling, resource-heavy operation. Supporting ingestion pipelines, reference data, business logic, UI design, and user support adds significant ongoing overhead - often outside the core expertise of internal IT or data teams.
2. High Cost of Ownership
Internal builds rarely stay within budget. Change requests, resourcing pressures, ongoing support requirements, and key person dependencies all contribute to rising long-term costs.
3. Slow Time-to-Value
In-house projects can take years to progress from idea to production. And even then, functionality is often constrained to the original scope - limiting adaptability as data or reporting needs evolve.
4. Reinventing the Wheel
Without the benefit of industry peer input, every requirement must be identified, designed, and validated from scratch. This not only delays delivery but risks missing critical use cases that have already been solved elsewhere in the industry.
5. No Long-Term Stewardship
Building a system is one thing; maintaining and evolving it is another. Often, once the project team disbands, there’s no strategic roadmap or dedicated ownership to ensure long-term stewardship of the capability.
6. Development Dead Ends
In the rush to meet business needs, customisations and one-off fixes can lead to rigid architectures or technical cul-de-sacs, making future enhancements costly and complex.
Why More Firms Are Buying, Not Building
Vendor platforms benefit from repeated deployment, real-world feedback, and roadmaps informed by a wide base of clients. At Aiviq, our platform has been shaped by years of close collaboration with a diverse range of investment managers globally, solving real client data challenges: fragmented systems, inconsistent inputs, and limited visibility across regions and channels.
The business case for buying over building is becoming clear:
“Following a comprehensive build vs buy assessment, Aiviq stood out clearly as the best-fit solution. The platform’s maturity, extensibility, and integration readiness were critical - particularly as we expanded into EMEA markets without established infrastructure. Strong client references, robust business logic, and a clearly articulated product roadmap gave us the confidence to scale quickly while aligning with both our current and future-state architecture.”
Head of Client Data Strategy, US-headquartered Asset Manager with $500Bn+ AUM
These outcomes reflect a wider market trend: firms are choosing scalable, proven solutions that reduce operational risk and deliver insight faster - enabling internal teams to focus on high-value activities rather than maintaining infrastructure.
“Aiviq enabled us to retire a patchwork of legacy internal systems and move to a single, accurate golden source of client and revenue data. Their team brought deep domain expertise to support our scoping and build vs buy evaluation, accelerating delivery and minimising risk. We had a functional MVP live within 8 weeks and are now rolling out the platform globally to support a unified enterprise-wide view of client data.”
Global Head of Client Operations, UK-headquartered Global Bank with $500Bn+ AUM
What to Ask Yourself
Before committing to build or buy, ask:
- Is this capability mission-critical or simply enabling infrastructure?
- Do we have the time, people, and budget to build and maintain it long term?
- How fast do we need to deliver value to clients or regulators?
- What’s the opportunity cost if we get this wrong?
Build vs buy isn’t just a technology decision - it’s a question of focus, value, and risk. For many firms, the answer lies in leveraging a market-leading solution that’s already been tested, scaled, and refined - freeing your teams to focus on where they drive the most value.
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