Integrated Data: Data architecture as strategic competitive advantage

How can data become a strategic advantage? Andreas Detering, Head of Data, explains why Integrated Data at Quoniam is much more than a technical modernisation: It creates a central, reliable data foundation, shortens the path from investment idea to signal, and creates the foundation for systematically, efficiently and carefully integrating more complex data and AI applications into the investment process.

Andreas, what do we at Quoniam mean by “Integrated Data”?

Integrated Data is our approach to fundamentally rebuilding Quoniam’s historically evolved data landscape. For us, data is not a supporting aspect, but the central element of our investment process. Therefore, a modern data architecture is not purely an IT issue, but a strategic competitive edge. With Integrated Data, we are creating a central, unified database that enables data to be processed efficiently and generates added value in investment strategies.

Why was this step necessary?

Our existing architecture has evolved over more than 20 years. This meant that data was stored on distributed servers, maintained in different formats and was difficult to access. Anyone who needs information often had to gather it from various systems and go to great lengths to standardise it. This is not unusual in the industry, and generally after such a period of constant development, but it costs time. This is precisely where Integrated Data comes in: The initiative aims to simplify processes, create more time for innovation and thus make a significant contribution to fully harnessing the potential of AI.

What does the target vision look like?

At its core, Integrated Data consists of three building blocks:

1. A centralised data architecture on Snowflake, where we store our data in a structured and scalable manner.
2. The Unified Data Hub, an API interface that enables uniform and easy access.
3. Ensuring consistent calculations across the entire company with standardised business logic packages. This reduces implementation effort and ensures that everyone works with the same data and logic.

What does this mean in concrete terms for investors?

The most important benefit is that we can integrate and process data more quickly. This significantly shortens our time-to-signal – that is, the time it takes us from researching an investment idea to implementing it in the portfolio. We can test new data sets more quickly, integrate them more efficiently into our research and develop new signals from them. This directly contributes to our core mission – excellent portfolio management and alpha generation for our clients. In addition, the clean data foundation enables faster, more flexible reporting and more personalised analyses.

What role does a modern data architecture play in the use of artificial intelligence?

High-performance AI requires clean, consistent data structures. Only then can results be reliably checked and validated. Integrated Data creates precisely this foundation. This applies to process automation in research, to the generation of investment signals, and to the use of machine learning models in forecasts.

Many market participants talk about centralised data management. How does Quoniam differ?

The difference lies in the consistency. Centralisation is often talked about but rarely implemented holistically. We deliberately invest a great deal of effort, time and resources to overcome silos not only technically, but also organisationally. This also means that we do not merely store data centrally but map it comprehensively and structure it uniformly. This is labour-intensive but yields enormous efficiency gains in the long term.

The project affects large parts of the organisation. What has been one of the key insights so far?

Documentation and knowledge transfer are crucial. Until a few years ago, a great deal of expertise was concentrated in the hands of individual people. In a scalable data architecture, knowledge must be transparent and accessible to many. This represents a cultural shift, but it is a key prerequisite for the long-term success of Integrated Data.

How do you rate Quoniam against the competition?

I am convinced that we are well ahead here – both compared to traditional fundamental research firms and to many quantitative competitors. The combination of technical excellence, specialist expertise and the clear strategic anchoring of data is, in my view, a real differentiating factor. Ultimately, our clients benefit from this.

Conclusion

Integrated Data is a key resource for Quoniam in further strengthening the advantages of systematic investing. A unified data architecture makes data available more quickly, facilitates the processing of complex information and shortens the path from investment idea to signal.

For investors, its contribution to better decisions, more efficient research and robust investment processes matter most. The decisive factor is the consistent combination of technical excellence, domain expertise and clear governance.