Some have retained this as their core capability, albeit more modern versions where instead of inch-thick folders of paper bursting at the brim, you have hard drives and full servers.

But later incarnations of back office systems are, and offer, so much more.

Rather than just storing data you collect, today we have a wealth of financial planning and client management systems that can assist an adviser with their job.

Options these days include solutions that allow advisers to assess a client’s specific needs (for example, cash flow planning or risk profile/capacity for loss) and provide tailored advice by way of sophisticated forecasting toolsets.

Systems can offer an aggregated view of a client’s total wealth and debt, including pensions and investments, savings, banking, credit card spending plus loans and mortgages.

The way this information is viewed and accessed has also developed greatly in recent years.

Many providers now recognise the advent of smart phone technology and tablet computing makes desktop computing seem increasingly archaic.

Providers are also increasingly aware of how frustrating it can be to re-key in information and “integration” has become a buzzword.

This guide will explore the types of software available today, what an adviser needs to consider when contemplating purchasing technology and whether the owner of the back office system supplier should matter.

Supporting material produced by Nick Eatock, executive chairman of Intelliflo; Mark Loosmore, UK executive general manager wealth at Iress; Gary Shepherd, director of business development at Sprint Enterprise Technology Limited and Simon Bussy, principal consultant of Altus Consulting.