For anyone responsible for managing fund operations in the 2020s, one thing still rings true: critical data continues to live in too many places, from investor portals and compliance platforms to fund accounting software and internal spreadsheets.

The fragmented setup may work in a fund manager’s favor or at least not cause them a lot of problems under specific conditions, such as:

  • ・When the fund size is small or the investor base is limited
  • ・When the fund operates in jurisdictions with lighter compliance and reporting burdens
  • ・When there are well-established manual workflows, checklists, and institutional knowledge

However, it can stop working and quickly become a liability when:

  • ・LPs demand faster, more customized reporting
  • ・There’s a continuous need for real-time views of capital calls, fund performance, and risk to make timely decisions
  • ・There are more entities, Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), jurisdictions, or waterfall scenarios in the mix

So what do you do then?

Research shows that 83% of fund managers cite improving operational efficiency as the most critical driver of planned tech investments over the next two years. Yet only 6% consider their systems very well integrated.

If you find yourself in a similar boat, this blog is for you.

Here, you’ll learn how disconnected systems create friction, what stands in the way of integration, and what a truly connected environment looks like. ​​You’ll also study how platforms like RAISE can help you work smarter, without replacing the tools you already rely on.

How Fragmentation Shows Up in Fund Operations

Here’s how information moves through isolated platforms across the fund lifecycle:

  • ・Investor relations might maintain separate portals for communications and document sharing
  • ・Compliance could rely on stand-alone tools for Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks
  • ・Your fund accounting team might track Net Asset Value (NAV) calculations, audit support, and expense records in one system

Now, each of these tells part of the story, but none of them talk to each other. The lack of integration creates practical problems:

  • ・Data must be re-entered manually across systems, wasting hours and introducing silent errors that jeopardize audits and investor reports
  • ・Month-end closes stall for days because accounting teams chase down updates from other departments instead of focusing on analysis
  • ・Reporting requires hours of reconciliation, raising the risk of inconsistencies and the likelihood that clients’ll spot them before they do
  • ・Investor requests are delayed by the need to gather data from multiple systems, eroding confidence when answers aren’t instant, accurate, or aligned.

All of this combined creates operational risk. Without a unified view, it’s harder to track who has the most current data or to demonstrate compliance during audits.

The Hidden Barriers to Seamless Data Integration

Even if you want to minimize the friction of disconnected systems, it’s easier said than done. Here’s what makes data integration a tedious undertaking:

1. Legacy technology

It’s possible some of the tools you work with were never designed to connect with others. They lack APIs or modern data exchange capabilities. Integration requires extra development work or additional software layers.

Think of older fund accounting systems or Excel-based waterfalls that live on local drives. They were not designed for real-time collaboration, let alone third-party sync.

2. Inconsistent data standards

When your teams record information differently, integration can carry errors forward instead of removing them. Without consistent naming conventions, formats, or validation rules, merging datasets becomes more about clean-up and less about automation.

3. Security and regulatory requirements

Investor and portfolio data are sensitive and subject to strict oversight. Any integration plan must include permission controls, audit trails, and compliance checks. Without these, a well‑intended integration could increase risk exposure.

What’s Inside a Connected Fund Operations Environment?

Every platform speaks the same language, making your data move with you. When you update information in one place, it syncs with the rest of the stack automatically. You don’t need to follow up on recent numbers or second-guess which version is correct.

The best part? RAISE was built for this environment. It combines fund administration, investor engagement, and compliance into one platform. Its modules, FAS, Connect, and CRA, share data so that activity in one area is reflected everywhere it’s needed.

Let’s consider a typical sequence.

Your accounting team enters a capital call in RAISE FAS.

As soon as it’s recorded, the updated figure is instantly available to investor relations through RAISE Connect. They build their LP updates without waiting for a file or requesting data manually.

Meanwhile, your compliance team clears an investor through an AML review in RAISE CRA. Once the review is complete, that investor’s status automatically updates and they’re marked ready for the next distribution. No extra alerts or coordination needed.

Later that day, you review performance with your colleagues.

You open RAISE Connect, which brings together fund metrics, recent transactions, and investor activity in a live dashboard. Every person in the meeting sees the exact figures at the same time, and those figures are already current.

This is what an integrated environment feels like in day-to-day operations. Each task advances without delay because the data is already in place for the next step, enhancing efficiency.

Steps to Start Integrating Data for Maximum Operational Efficiency

PwC reports that 68% of fund managers currently allocate less than one-sixth of their total capital expenditure to innovative and potentially transformative technologies.

source

Most of the time, it’s because they lack something concrete to act on right away.

Here’s what to do:

1. Map your tools and spot the gaps

Draw a simple flow diagram that outlines all the platforms you use for accounting, investor management, compliance, and reporting, and describe how you utilize them. Include spreadsheets or manual trackers that fill gaps in your processes.

Doing this exercise will help you get a clear idea of where your data overlaps or needs to move. For instance, you may discover that NAV figures are first recorded in your accounting platform, then copied annually to an investor portal.

That duplicate entry creates a risk of errors and delays every time you update the data.

2. Establish clear data standards

Before starting any integration, clean up existing records and define consistent formats for key fields like dates, currencies, and IDs to maintain cohesiveness. For example:

  • ・Format dates as YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 2025-07-22) for system compatibility
  • ・Use ISO codes and two decimal places for currencies (e.g., USD 250,000.00)
  • ・Assign investor IDs with a prefix and a unique number (e.g., INV-000123) for easy searchability and collision avoidance

Document the standards in a simple reference guide. If you think adding screenshots will also help, do that, too. Share the guide with your team and store it in a place everyone can access. Assign an owner, such as your operations lead, to update and circulate revisions.

3. Start with one high-impact integration

Pick a workflow that’s both manual and time-consuming—one where a small systems upgrade would make a big difference. This could mean integrating two tools or automating a recurring task. For instance:

Link your fund accounting system with your investor reporting portal so that NAV updates and distribution data flow directly into investor dashboards.

Without this, your investor relations team may be working from outdated figures and relying on back-and-forth emails to stay current. With the integration in place, they see what accounting sees instantly.

You can also look for opportunities to remove repeat manual steps, such as:

  • ・Automate investor confirmations by storing them in a secure Virtual Data Room with permission controls
  • ・Assign board pack uploads as structured tasks so everyone knows what to submit, where, and when
  • ・Use task management in RAISE FAS to schedule recurring compliance checks each quarter

Start small, but start visibly.

4. Engage your team throughout the process

Integration is more effective when your team understands and participates in it. For example, you can hold short demos before each new integration goes live. Show what will change and where to find updated information during the session.

In addition, create a one-page sheet or short video that shows how to complete everyday tasks in the new setup to boost adoption.

If time allows, let a pilot group test new workflows in RAISE, gather their feedback, and adjust settings before rolling out widely. After the first month, meet with users to hear what’s working and what’s not. Document the feedback and address quick wins.

Are You Ready for the Operational Shift?

You see, the demands on fund managers will continue to grow.

Investors expect faster reporting.

Regulators expect more detailed records.

Markets move quickly, and decisions need to keep pace.

Working with disconnected systems is only going to get more difficult over time.

When data flows through fund administration, investor engagement, and compliance in real time, your team will spend less effort gathering information and more effort using it to make decisions. They’ll be more efficient.

And what’s better than RAISE for achieving this goal? 

Discover how RAISE can help you create a tailored operating environment that meets your specific needs. Book a demo today and explore how your operations can work smarter.

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