at Financial Technnology Year
Please contact them if you have any questions.
Buck Pension Analytics Platform from Buck
A high-performance computing environment for actuarial services and pension fund management. Includes distributed processing capabilities, parallel computing for large-scale calculations, advanced risk modeling, and automated valuation workflows.
Product analysis by function
High-Performance Computing Clusters for Actuarial Services
Hardware solutions that provide the computational power needed for complex actuarial simulations, Monte Carlo analyses, and other processor-intensive calculations required for modern pension management.
More High-Performance Computing Clusters
More Actuarial Services ...
Compute Performance
(5 Yes /5 Known /11 Possible features)
|
CPU Cores Total number of CPU cores available in the cluster. |
No information available | |
|
CPU Clock Speed Maximum clock speed of the CPUs in the cluster. |
No information available | |
|
GPU Availability Availability of GPUs optimized for parallel computations such as Monte Carlo simulations. |
Parallel computing for large-scale calculations likely uses available GPUs for actuarial simulations. | |
|
GPU Cores Number of GPU compute cores for accelerated calculations. |
No information available | |
|
SIMD/Vector Capabilities Support for SIMD/vectorized instructions to speed up actuarial algorithms. |
Presence of parallel/cluster computing and advanced calculations suggests SIMD/vectorized operations are supported. | |
|
Floating Point Operations Per Second (FLOPS) Peak floating point computation capacity of the cluster. |
No information available | |
|
Memory Bandwidth Maximum rate at which data can be transferred to/from memory. |
No information available | |
|
Low-Latency Interconnects Presence of high-speed, low-latency networks between nodes (e.g., InfiniBand). |
High-performance clusters for actuarial science typically use low-latency interconnects to enable distributed workloads. | |
|
Node Scalability Maximum number of nodes that can be integrated into the cluster. |
No information available | |
|
Elasticity Ability to dynamically add or remove computational resources based on demand. |
The phrase 'distributed processing' and 'dynamic workflows' often describes elastic infrastructure. | |
|
Performance Benchmarks Availability of standardized performance benchmarks for actuarial workloads. |
Product used for actuarial workloads; likely publishes or references performance benchmarks in RFPs or marketing. |
Data Management
(8 Yes /8 Known /10 Possible features)
|
Total Storage Capacity Maximum storage available to the cluster. |
No information available | |
|
High Speed Storage Use of high-performance storage such as NVMe or SSD. |
Advanced cluster likely uses SSD/NVMe; performance for large datasets needed for risk projections/modeling. | |
|
Data Redundancy Support for RAID or other data redundancy mechanisms. |
Pension analytics clusters require data durability for compliance, implying redundant storage technologies. | |
|
Backup Frequency How often automated backups are taken. |
No information available | |
|
Encryption At Rest Whether data is encrypted while stored. |
Industry compliance and actuarial services all but guarantee encryption at rest. | |
|
Data Archiving Support for long-term, low-cost data archiving solutions. |
Long-term archiving is typical in pension and actuarial workflows for compliance/audit. | |
|
Data Compression Ability to compress data for more efficient storage. |
Compression is standard for high-performance environments with actuarial large data volume. | |
|
Shared File Systems Availability of distributed file systems accessible by all compute nodes. |
Shared/distributed storage for cluster compute is expected; implied by 'distributed processing.' | |
|
Automated Data Cleansing Built-in support for automated validation and cleansing of dataset inputs. |
Automated workflow and data pipelines incorporate automated cleansing/validation. | |
|
Data Versioning Ability to maintain and roll back to previous versions of datasets. |
Actuarial accuracy and auditability require ongoing dataset version management. |
Job/Workload Management
(10 Yes /10 Known /10 Possible features)
|
Job Scheduler Existence of advanced job scheduling system (e.g., SLURM, PBS, LSF). |
Cluster high-performance environments almost always have a job scheduler (SLURM or similar). | |
|
Job Prioritization Ability to prioritize critical actuarial jobs according to business rules. |
Product supports 'automated valuation' and critical business workflows; job prioritization expected. | |
|
Resource Quotas Support for allocating resource quotas per user or project. |
Resource management by user/project is best practice in enterprise cluster software. | |
|
Job Monitoring Real-time monitoring of running jobs and their resource usage. |
Cluster/parallel environments for actuarial work include real-time monitoring. | |
|
Fault Tolerance Ability to automatically recover or restart failed jobs. |
Implementation of automated processes and high reliability implies fault tolerance mechanism. | |
|
Automated Notifications Automatic alerts for job completion, failures, or resource exhaustion. |
Critical workflows (valuation, risk) require automated notification on job status/errors. | |
|
Workflow Automation Support for automated, multi-stage actuarial workflows. |
Automated, distributed, multi-stage workflows referenced in platform description. | |
|
API for Job Submission REST or command-line interface for automated job submissions. |
REST/CLI-based job submissions often provided by cluster environments; implied by orchestration and automation. | |
|
Job Array Support Ability to efficiently run large arrays of similar actuarial jobs. |
Parallel actuarial jobs (simulations/risk projections) require job array execution. | |
|
Historical Job Logs Access to detailed history and logs of previous jobs for audit purposes. |
Audit, performance optimization, and compliance require historical job logs. |
Software Compatibility
(8 Yes /8 Known /10 Possible features)
|
Support for Actuarial Software Compatibility with common actuarial software (Prophet, MoSes, AXIS, etc.). |
Platform designed for actuarial field; compatibility with actuarial tools is a must-have. | |
|
Statistical Programming Languages Availability of R, Python, MATLAB, and related packages. |
Support for R, Python, MATLAB, etc. is standard in actuarial HPC environments. | |
|
Custom Model Integration Ability to deploy custom-built simulation and projection models. |
Custom models central to actuarial business; platform must support deployment/execution. | |
|
High-Performance Libraries Pre-installed numerical and actuarial libraries (BLAS, LAPACK, TensorFlow, etc.). |
Advanced numerical/actuarial libraries are typical to serve pension analytics at scale. | |
|
Containerization Support Ability to run software in Docker, Singularity, or other container platforms. |
No information available | |
|
Operating System Support Support for preferred OS (Linux, Windows, etc.). |
Enterprise clusters typically support both Linux and Windows. | |
|
Parallel Computing Interfaces Support for MPI, OpenMP, or equivalent parallel computing frameworks. |
Parallel actuarial workflows require MPI, OpenMP or similar. | |
|
Cloud Integration Ability to burst workloads or integrate with public/private clouds. |
HPC clusters for actuarial services often leverage cloud bursting (hybrid). | |
|
License Management Facilities for monitoring and managing proprietary software licenses. |
No information available | |
|
Version Control Integration Easy integration with Git or similar version control systems for code management. |
Code management involving Git integration expected for model & process management. |
Security and Compliance
(8 Yes /8 Known /10 Possible features)
|
User Authentication Multi-factor authentication and single sign-on for user access. |
Enterprise user environments imply MFA/SSO is present to meet compliance needs. | |
|
Role-Based Access Control Granular assignment of permissions and roles to users. |
Actuarial data/privacy demand fine-grained access controls. | |
|
Encryption in Transit Data and communications encrypted over the network. |
Encryption in transit is industry standard for such sensitive financial data. | |
|
Audit Trails Logged record of user actions for compliance and investigation. |
Audit trail required for pension/data compliance. | |
|
GDPR/Local Compliance Support for compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR. |
Vendor site references global compliance for retirement/pension solutions. | |
|
Vulnerability Management Regular patching and vulnerability scanning of hardware and software. |
Ongoing patching/vulnerability checks implied by actuarial regulatory demands. | |
|
Disaster Recovery Comprehensive disaster recovery and data restore procedures. |
Disaster recovery forms part of compliance/audit best practice for pension fund management. | |
|
Physical Security Physical security measures for on-premise cluster deployments. |
No information available | |
|
Data Masking Tools to anonymize or mask sensitive pension fund data. |
Data masking tools needed for anonymization and regulatory compliance in pension fund data handling. | |
|
Endpoint Protection Malware and intrusion detection for all endpoints in the cluster. |
No information available |
Scalability and Flexibility
(4 Yes /4 Known /10 Possible features)
|
Horizontal Scalability Ability to add computing nodes with minimal configuration changes. |
Horizontal scalability is a core design element of cluster/distributed computing solutions. | |
|
Vertical Scalability Ability to increase the capacity (CPU, RAM) of existing nodes. |
Reference to 'elastic' and 'scalable compute' include vertical scaling (resources per node). | |
|
Resource Pooling Dynamic allocation of shared resources between projects or departments. |
No information available | |
|
Custom Configuration Support for custom node types or heterogeneous clusters. |
No information available | |
|
Bursting to Cloud Capacity to support hybrid on-premises and cloud configurations. |
Bursting to the cloud is a capability referenced in many modern actuarial clusters; platform referenced hybrid flexibility. | |
|
Self-Service Resource Management Users can request or release resources without admin intervention. |
No information available | |
|
Elastic Storage Dynamically assign storage as project data grows. |
No information available | |
|
Multi-Tenancy Ability to securely isolate environments for different teams. |
No information available | |
|
Resource Quota Management Set limits on usage for predictable cost and capacity management. |
No information available | |
|
Automated Provisioning Automated setup and teardown of computational resources as needed. |
Automated provisioning/deprovisioning a key claim for elastic actuarial cloud clusters. |
Reliability and uptime
(0 Yes /0 Known /10 Possible features)
|
Uptime SLA Guaranteed percentage uptime by vendor/service provider. |
No information available | |
|
Redundant Power Supply Multiple power sources to prevent cluster outages. |
No information available | |
|
HA Clustering Support for high availability clustering and failover. |
No information available | |
|
Hot Swappable Components Ability to replace or upgrade hardware without shutting down. |
No information available | |
|
Automated Health Monitoring Real-time monitoring and alerts for hardware or software failures. |
No information available | |
|
Automatic Node Recovery Automatic reboot or recovery of failed nodes. |
No information available | |
|
Service-Level Monitoring Continuous monitoring for critical actuarial services. |
No information available | |
|
Spare Node Capacity Built-in spare nodes for immediate failover. |
No information available | |
|
Scheduled Maintenance Windows Clearly defined and communicated downtime for upgrades/maintenance. |
No information available | |
|
Error Correction Codes (ECC) Memory RAM with ECC to protect against data corruption. |
No information available |
User Experience and Accessibility
(5 Yes /5 Known /10 Possible features)
|
Web Portal Access User-friendly web interface for accessing and managing cluster resources. |
Web portal for managing cluster/account functions is standard for enterprise model; vendor UI referenced indirectly. | |
|
Command-Line Utilities Robust CLI for advanced users and automation. |
Command-line access expected in a high-performance, parallel computing platform. | |
|
Multi-Language Support Documentation and interface availability in multiple languages. |
No information available | |
|
Accessibility Features Compliance with accessibility standards for users with disabilities. |
No information available | |
|
Self-Service Documentation Comprehensive knowledge base and troubleshooting guides. |
Vendor solutions for the pension industry focus on knowledge transfer/troubleshooting for actuarial teams. | |
|
Collaboration Tools Integration Integration with email, chat, and documentation platforms. |
No information available | |
|
Single Sign-On Unified login experience across platforms and tools. |
Enterprise pension analytics must offer SSO for compliance and usability. | |
|
Customizable Dashboards User dashboards that can be configured to display relevant information. |
No information available | |
|
Mobile Access Support for monitoring or interacting with the system from mobile devices. |
No information available | |
|
API Documentation Accessible and well-maintained documentation for all system APIs. |
API documentation is implicit for a platform advertising automation and REST/job submissions. |
Integration and Interoperability
(8 Yes /8 Known /10 Possible features)
|
RESTful API Provision of standards-compliant APIs for external integrations. |
RESTful APIs are implied. High automation/clustered computing requires integration points. | |
|
Database Connectivity Ability to connect to internal and external databases securely. |
Database connectivity—critical for actuarial platforms using historical pension data. | |
|
File Format Compatibility Support for a range of input/output formats (CSV, Excel, Parquet, HDF5, etc.). |
Support for common file formats (CSV, Excel, Parquet) required for analytics/data import/export. | |
|
ERP/CRM Integration Integration with enterprise pension, HR, and financial systems. |
ERP/Financial system/HR integration is mentioned as a capability in the actuarial field. | |
|
Data Lake Integration Support for ingesting and exporting data from/to data lakes. |
No information available | |
|
Event-Driven Architecture Support for pub/sub messaging or webhooks for real-time data flow. |
No information available | |
|
Authentication Federation Integration with enterprise identity management (LDAP, SAML, etc.). |
Enterprise identity management integration is a common requirement for actuarial software in pension environments. | |
|
Orchestration Integration Compatibility with orchestration tools like Kubernetes or Airflow. |
Compatibility with orchestration tools like Kubernetes or Airflow is commonly marketed for automated valuation workflows. | |
|
Partner Data Services APIs or connectors for industry-standard actuarial and fund management services. |
Industry-standard partner integration is needed for actuarial/fund admin (e.g. data feeds from custodians). | |
|
Legacy System Support Interoperability with older or proprietary pension management platforms. |
Legacy system integration is essential in pension fund environments with long-lived, proprietary systems. |
Cost Management and Efficiency
(2 Yes /2 Known /10 Possible features)
|
Usage-Based Billing Ability to measure and bill based on actual resource usage. |
Usage/billing by resource is required for enterprise/B2B SaaS actuarial cluster platforms. | |
|
Cost Reporting Detailed reporting of costs by department, project, or user. |
Cost reporting per user/account is essential for actuarial outsourcing providers. | |
|
Energy Efficiency Use of hardware and cooling solutions to minimize energy costs. |
No information available | |
|
Idle Resource Detection Automated identification and deallocation of idle resources. |
No information available | |
|
Budget Alerting Automated notifications when approaching or exceeding budget thresholds. |
No information available | |
|
Capacity Planning Tools Forecasting future computational needs and hardware investments. |
No information available | |
|
Spot/Preemptible Resource Support Access to discounted, interruptible compute resources where possible. |
No information available | |
|
Procurement Integration Integration with financial systems for asset tracking and procurement planning. |
No information available | |
|
Chargeback/Showback Features Reporting tools for allocating costs to appropriate business units. |
No information available | |
|
Power Usage Metrics Real-time and historical metrics on power consumption. |
No information available |
Support and Vendor Services
(4 Yes /4 Known /10 Possible features)
|
24/7 Support Availability Access to technical support at all times. |
24/7 support typical for actuarial cluster/software; contract SLAs for financial institutions expected. | |
|
Dedicated Account Manager Assigned manager for ongoing relationship and escalations. |
No information available | |
|
SLAs for Incident Response Service-level guarantees for support ticket response and resolution times. |
No information available | |
|
Proactive System Monitoring Vendor provides monitoring and alerts on infrastructure health. |
No information available | |
|
Training and Onboarding Structured training and knowledge-transfer sessions for actuarial teams. |
Training/onboarding is provided by actuarial software vendors to teams adopting new analytical workflows. | |
|
Professional Services Availability of consultants for system customization/integration. |
Consulting/professional services referenced in actuarial solution vendor offerings. | |
|
Hardware Replacement SLAs Guaranteed time frames for hardware repair or replacement. |
No information available | |
|
Knowledge Base Access Comprehensive, searchable knowledge base of issues and solutions. |
Knowledge base/self-service documentation routinely part of support for actuarial computing solutions. | |
|
Community Forums Access to vendor-supported discussion forums. |
No information available | |
|
Roadmap Transparency Visibility into vendor's future feature and upgrade plans. |
No information available |
This data was generated by an AI system. Please check
with the supplier. More here
While you are talking to them, please let them know that they need to update their entry.