INSIGHT / TECHNOLOGY SELECTION
Seven questions before
choosing infrastructure.
Compare providers against the investment workflow and the responsibilities you need them to support.
A provider demonstration shows a possible experience. A procurement decision needs more: a clear scope, evidence that the relevant functions fit the product, and a contract that assigns the operating responsibilities.
Use the following questions to turn a general technology conversation into a useful comparison.
What exactly are we buying?
Distinguish a software licence, a hosted service, an integration project and an ongoing operating service. Record which modules, environments and support are included. A broad platform description is not a statement of work.
Which investment and investor perimeter does it support?
Describe the actual product, intended investors and relevant jurisdictions. Ask the provider to identify the supported configuration and the decisions that still belong to your advisers or operating providers. A generic token standard does not establish product eligibility.
How does it connect to the authoritative record?
Identify the record that governs the investment and the role of the token record. Ask for the reconciliation approach, correction process and supporting interfaces. Mark undocumented assumptions as open requirements.
Who controls wallets and keys?
Separate the wallet technology from the custody and authorisation model. Establish who can initiate, approve, recover and revoke access. The appropriate specialist should confirm the legal and security consequences for the actual arrangement.
What happens when the normal path fails?
Request concrete scenarios: an interface outage, a repeated instruction, a failed transaction or a provider incident. Identify the responsible party, notification path and recovery evidence. A sales promise of reliability is not a substitute for those details.
What is the total commitment?
Compare implementation, licence, hosting, usage, support, third-party and exit costs over the same period. Keep estimates separate from binding quotes. A low setup fee may leave important integration and operating work elsewhere.
How can we leave?
Ask which data, configuration, documentation and rights you retain. Clarify export formats, assistance, time limits, fees and dependencies on proprietary components. “Your own capability” should have a precise contractual meaning.
The selection record
Use the same questions for each credible route. Record the answer, evidence date, contractual status, unresolved issue and decision owner. You do not need a long shortlist. Two properly assessed routes can reveal more than ten introductory presentations.
A provider can be an excellent fit for a particular requirement without being the best choice for the whole operating model. The purpose of the comparison is to understand that fit.
Original selection framework. This article does not rate individual providers or imply a formal RWA Link technology partnership.
