Preventing the Glitch - Chapter 1 cTrader

Computers have surely benefited mankind, apparently with the aid of the ’machine’ we are now smarter, faster and sharper. The online FX industry can certainly vouch in favour of new technologies, over the last decade electronic-trading has caused a spike in trade volumes and has attracted a new breed of investors. However with any upside there is a down side and the crucial 'computer glitch' at Knight Capital shows how vulnerable we still are despite our technology being able to confirm orders in nano seconds!

Forex Magnates team will be discussing the glitch with numerous technology providers to get an overview of what preventative methods are in place.

cTrader’s Ilya Holeu gave a walk-through of the practises in place to avoid the next machine failure.

Server

The server-side of the cTrader solution takes advantage of the dependable reliability of Virtualization, improving the efficiency and reliability of our IT resources and increasing the utilization and flexibility of our existing IT assets.

Security

The security strategy at cTrader is strongly founded on the planning and implementation of appropriate and robust hardware and software infrastructure, utilising multiple IBM hardware components, hosted at the Equinix, ISO 27001 certified Data Center .

Back up

cTrader's PaaS solution uses redundant network connections, with two separate links to two different upstream routers, while the network equipment itself is fully redundant, working in active-active or active-passive mode to guarantee protection in case of hardware failure.

cTrader also runs on top of the highest-grade virtualization software that ensures high-availability in case of physical server failure. The platform has a separate, independent and robust management channels in order to ensure management activities can resume even when the main internet connection is down or experiencing technical difficulties.

In order to avoid incidents such as the major system error at the Tokyo Stock Exchange which slashed trading volumes and had a devastating impact on traders, or the 'glitch' which wiped out $440 million of equity at Knight Capital, cTrader continually checks server/network redundancy within scope of business continuity and disaster recovery plan testing.