Treasury Technology: There’s an App for That

Treasury management systems (TMS) have become impressively sophisticated since the early days of telex machines (which I battled with daily) blue screens (which I didn’t understand) and mile-long perforated paper with holes along the edges (despite the secondary advantages for impressive children’s drawings that covered the entire floor). While ‘vintage’ home décor and clothing have become fashionable, few people are keen to see a return to impenetrable reporting, the catastrophic ‘blue screen of death’ as it was affectionately known in our office, or days of training to perform relatively basic activities. Although TMS are now highly functional, flexible and far easier to use than their more troublesome predecessors, innovation in treasury technology is as important today as it was fifteen or twenty years ago. Instead of focusing on core functionality, however, usability, accessibility and interoperability are now amongst the most important priorities.