Capsule: Suresh Kumar, Pershing LLC

SURESH KUMAR Managing director and chief information officer Pershing LLC Jersey City, N.J. General outlook: Despite the stress experienced by the financial services industry, now is not necessarily the time to abandon capital-intensive technology investments, Mr. Kumar said. "It is times such as these when firms must continue to invest in technology and think strategically about how to grow their businesses and position themselves for success," he said. Next big trend: "Because of recent changes in technology, such as a more robust Internet and cloud computing/software as a service, there is a significant opportunity for smaller firms to benefit from a technology infrastructure that only larger firms have traditionally enjoyed," he said. Biggest concern: Market volatility can create unpredictable usage patterns when it comes to technology services and there are many important industry utilities and service providers that help each other process transactions, Mr. Kumar said. "While we proactively monitor usage on our platform to ensure it is operating at peak performance, it is critical that all industry participants remain prepared," he said. Reading, watching, listening to: Book: "The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes — and Why?" by Amanda Ripley (Random House Inc., 2008) TV: "The Office," Giants and Jets football. Radio: "Imus in the Morning" Primary News Sources: wsj.com, newyorktimes.com wired.com cio.com, research.ibm.com/journal/sj/