RFA has navigated the undoubted challenges of the last 12-18 months by helping clients to maintain work and deal flow.
“We have continued to work with clients to maintain and evolve our fully mobile working solutions – with clients mobility at the forefront alongside security, which requires a cloud-based network modelling, decentralised cyber security, behavioural analysis and of course centralised data in all senses of the word through to cloud-based automation and warehousing,” says George Ralph, Global Managing Director and CRO.
RFA works to bring a firm’s data together using data management tools, effectively harnessing all its vital information into one central point, to keep it not only safe from cyber-attack but also to allow data to be accessed in a more efficient manner, often through a central remote dashboard with core controls and policies.
Ralph feels that the drivers for its client experience are service, solutions, guidance, and support across the board, which translate to a bespoke, consultative approach that understands and anticipates client needs, and relieves them of infrastructure concerns in every area: from engineering and design to procurement, to 24/7 global coverage, to cloud services that are agnostic.
He says: “Managing user experience for maximum productivity is a cornerstone of RFA’s service architecture. We have retained our focus on digital transformation over the past 12 months and how we can help our clients to enhance their operational business model using technology to digitise operational processes.”
Coping with storms
RFA clients deal daily in what Ralph terms “a perfect storm”, with pressures from technology, regulatory, and competitive fronts. As these alternative investment enterprises and their CTOs continue to wrestle with these pressures, exacerbated by Covid, infrastructure efficiency and productivity is mission critical to survival.
RFA therefore deploys a comprehensive service suite that includes cloud (public/private and agnostic); IT service management; managed cyber security and compliance; managed data; managed application; cloud and code auditing; and managed detection and response.
In order to meet client needs, Ralph says: “We have retained a particular emphasis on advanced and neutral cloud-based solutions with architecture and engineering that forms the basis for our product capability. In addition, we are in the process of securing that our cyber security services keep ahead of the ever-growing sophistication of rogue actors, including ransomware.”
RFA’s managed detection and response capability, security application management, public cloud security governance and compliance, and vulnerability scanning and remediation capabilities run 24/7/365 and cover all aspects from risk/impact assessment, threat monitoring and alerts, to remediation and scenario construction.
As we emerge from the Covid environment, Ralph believes that business needs will remain the same. “What is likely to change are processes – greater automation, reliance on cloud and AI, continued threats in cybersecurity and remote work,” he says. These all mandate a risk sensitive, secure and stable global provider that is anticipatory around needs and trends.
“Our global white glove service, combined with our R&D, is fully prepared to be ahead of developing trends, and ready to deliver to clients as these trends affect them,” Ralph adds.
Regarding the firm’s award for Best Cloud Services Provider, Ralph says: “As PE firms look to leverage cloud efficiencies, they can have confidence in our meeting their needs. Leveraging RFA’s in-house DevOps team, our system has capabilities to create self-service tools for the customer, and is configured to provide an automated compliance reporting across various regulatory and industry standards.” 
George Ralph, Global Managing Director, CRO, RFA
George Ralph CITP, has successfully founded three technology firms along with C-level advisory services include M&A to numerous firms. Ralph is a true leader and has been managing teams internationally, and leading technology transformation projects for over 20 years. A certified GDPR, Cyber Assessor, Auditor, Architect and widely experienced cybersecurity and RegTech professional, Ralph has extensive technical experience in network and server architecture, large scale migrations utilising leading technology brands and IaaS offerings.
