Turning Bloomberg IB Chat Interactions into Actionable Workflows
How to Get Started with Your Interop Project
Curious how to get going with interoperability? We offer an easy way to kick off your exploration, without any initial commitment. All it takes is one idea.
When you start exploring interop, you may think it’s just another integration tool. Most financial services organizations already have some form of:
Middleware and API platforms that connect back-end systems to each other, such as invoicing and customer support systems. These are essential for the organization, but they do little for the user sitting at the desk. Since they work only on the back end, user applications can still look and behave like strangers. Comparison →
RPA tools that mimic user actions by clicking buttons, scraping screens, and filling fields. These can be useful for repetitive tasks, but they are brittle. A UI change can break the automation. They automate individual actions, but your applications still do not actually know about each other. Comparison →
But io.Connect is neither.
It works at the user interface level, in real time. You can read more in What is a Desktop Integration Platform? Applications are not just connected in the back end; they are visually unified into what feels like a single environment. Everything is connected visually, logically, and through data in front of the user, without delays or service limitations. With io.Connect, this can be achieved without rewriting or replacing your existing applications or legacy systems.
Let’s go through the steps to get hands-on with interop. In the age of AI, setting up a PoC is easier than ever.
Step 1: Start with a use case
Instead of getting stuck in analysis paralysis, start small before building your broader strategy. Pick one workflow, ideally something your users struggle with every day, that is high-impact and measurable.
Ask:
- What slows people down during high-pressure moments, such as market open, market close, or an urgent client call?
- Where are manual errors introduced because of copy-and-paste?
- Which handoffs between applications break the flow and cost time?
One use case is all you need to start. A common first PoC in financial services is to click on an instrument in a market data panel and have the order ticket, risk view, and research feed all update to that instrument automatically. A developer can build a focused PoC like this in a couple of days, using established io.Connect APIs and integration patterns rather than creating a web of custom point-to-point connections, that can turn into a maintenance nightmare. It shows the value immediately and helps build the business case for going further, with no compromise to code quality or security.
Looking for inspiration? Explore 10 real interop use cases.
Step 2: Select an environment
io.Connect comes in two forms: io.Connect Desktop and io.Connect Browser.
io.Connect Desktop is designed for environments with a mix of legacy and modern applications. It is built on Electron and can connect modern web applications, legacy .NET or Java applications, native Windows tools, and third-party systems such as Bloomberg or Excel. It can run on Windows and macOS.
io.Connect Browser is designed for all-web environments. No installation is required. It runs entirely in the browser and enables interoperability between web applications. If your stack is fully modern and browser-based, this is the lighter-weight starting point.
Some customers use both to maximize the benefits of each. That is why we have built several ways for the platforms to communicate, including io.Bridge. Even if you start with one, you can move to the other later. They share concepts and some APIs, so the learning curve is minimal.
Step 3: Get hands-on
There are two options. Choose the one that best matches the time and resources you have available right now.
a. Talk to us
Even when you already know the first use case or workflow you want to improve, it is often faster to talk it through with us. Engineers who have implemented io.Connect across Tier 1 banks, hedge funds, and buy-side firms can evaluate your situation and share relevant patterns and practical solutions. It is a working session, not a sales pitch.
- We discuss your applications, technology stack, workflows, and pain points.
- We map them to the right integration patterns.
- We explain what is available out of the box, what can be customized, and what is already on the roadmap.
- You can raise specific feature requests, edge cases, or compliance constraints.
- We scope a small, concrete PoC around your actual environment.
b. Start a free trial
The fastest way to see io.Connect in action is to install io.Connect Desktop on your machine (and/or try the browser version) and explore the built-in demo applications. After requesting it, you will receive an email that includes links to both io.Connect Browser (no installation needed) and io.Connect Desktop (download and installation only takes a few minutes). Request form here. The free trial lasts 30 days.
In addition to the bundled demo applications, you can follow the io.Connect tutorial and explore the sample applications:
You will see Channels, Workspaces, and context sharing working out of the box.
The 10-minute experience
Once you are in the free trial, start with the 10-minute experience. It is the fastest way to understand what interoperability feels like in practice.
- Start the platform and explore the Launchpad, your central hub for all applications.
- Open the demo applications under Clients. Drag and drop them next to each other to see how easily they can be arranged.
- Click the link button in the top-left corner of each application and select a Channel, for example Red. Choose the same Channel color for both the Clients list and Client contact applications. When you click a row in the Clients list, the Client contact application updates automatically. The two applications are now connected.
- Add an application to Favorites so you can find it more easily next time.
- Under Layouts → Default, click the save button.
- Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of the Launchpad, then click Restart. Your application arrangement and connections will be restored. This will happen each time you start the application. You can create different layouts for different tasks and load them at startup, either manually or programmatically.
Also worth knowing before you begin
The free trial is a hands-on way to experience io.Connect, but there are a few important product considerations that you can evaluate without the trial environment.
Before you get started, it is worth checking whether parts of your existing stack can already connect out of the box, whether your applications are already FDC3-ready, and how interoperability can support future AI initiatives.
These areas may shape how quickly you can move from a first trial to a broader implementation.
Application adapters that connect out of the box
io.Connect ships with ready-made adapters for some of the most common third-party tools in financial services. If these are already part of your stack, they can connect without custom development:
- Bloomberg
- Fidessa
- Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, and Teams
- Salesforce
An FDC3-ready environment
FDC3 is the open industry standard for financial desktop interoperability. It provides a common language that allows applications to communicate regardless of who built them. If your in-house or third-party applications already publish and consume FDC3 context, they can connect to io.Connect without an adapter or custom code.
io.Connect Desktop and io.Connect Browser are both FDC3 2.0 certified.
AI in production is easier with interop
Investing in interoperability matters even more today than it did two years ago.
An AI copilot or intelligent agent is only as useful as the data it can access and the actions it can take. Without interoperability, every AI integration becomes a one-off project: a custom API bridge for every application, built and maintained separately. Multiply that across 20 applications, and the maintenance burden quickly becomes significant.
With io.Connect already in place, much of the hard work has been done. The platform knows what data is live on the desktop, which applications are running, and what actions they expose. An AI layer can use that directly, reading live context, triggering Intents, and routing data between applications without requiring changes to every individual system.
Learn about our AI solutions:
Where to go from here
Getting started with interop.io does not require a full desktop transformation strategy on day one. Most clients begin with smaller, manageable projects.
That first use case becomes a practical proof point for the business, a learning exercise for the technology team, and a foundation for broader workflow modernization.
The same patterns that help a user move from a market data panel to an order ticket today can support more advanced workflows tomorrow: cross-application actions, saved Workspaces, governed third-party connectivity, FDC3 adoption, and AI assistants that understand the live context of the desktop.
Interop is not another layer of integration. It helps technology teams evolve their application strategy while improving everyday workflows for end users.
Next steps
- Talk to the team: interop.io/contact
- Try it: Free Trial
- Plan your PoC: From Strategy to PoC
- Understand the big picture: What is a Desktop Integration Platform?
- Explore integration mechanisms: Complete Guide to io.Connect Integration Mechanisms
- Build your first application: JavaScript Tutorial
Thanks for reading. We hope this helps you get your first interop project off the ground.
About the author
