Financial services firms are optimistic that in the long term, the economic recovery will mean greater revenues and higher profits. Short term uncertainties, however, remain. For example, many firms remain cautious due to the potential for commercial loan defaults. Thus, while financial services firms are once again looking to grow their business, they are hesitant about increasing costs and are instead, looking for ways to operate more efficiently. Many are turning to enterprise software to support and enable these efforts. This white paper describes how enterprise software solutions, when built on a flexible and adaptable technology platform, can help financial services firms streamline workflows, consolidate operational data, and provide the visibility and analytics that financial services firms need to improve operational efficiency while enhancing regulatory compliance.