Reuters says users of RMDS have asked it to support IBM's BladeCenter hardware.

The xSeries and IBM BladeCenter support allows Reuters' customers to upgrade existing market data applications to RMDS on Linux.

IBM eServer BladeCenter is designed to help businesses reduce their total cost of ownership by offering the ability to quickly and easily add individual thin servers as required.

Reuters released a Linux-based version of the RMDS application in February this year. The vendor says improved hardware selection and support for blade systems gives its customers the opportunity to reduce data latency and respond faster to market movements in order to cope with increasing market data rates and reduce the total cost of managing real time data.

Peter Lankford, vice president, Reuters Enterprise Information Solutions, says: "IBM's strength in Linux solutions, from hardware to software to services, means they can provide offerings with the quality and selection that our customers demand."

Separately, US-based National Financial, a Fidelity Investments company, is to roll out the Reuters Plus market data platform to 5000 correspondent broker/dealer clients.

Reuters Plus combines market data and analytics with open access to other third-party technology.

The platform delivers a combination of current, historical and key fundamental data that can be personalised for quick access. The information, which can be integrated with internal data, can be fed into third-party systems including CRM, portfolio management and financial planning applications.

Norm Malo, president, National Financial, says to remain competitive today, broker/dealers need to extend their wealth management capabilities and spend more time providing consultative, strategic advice to clients.

"Reuters Plus, combined with existing portfolio management and trading platforms such as StreetscapeS, offers broker/dealers and their representatives the resources and tools to help more effectively monitor and manage the sophisticated needs of their high-net-worth clients," adds Malo.

Additionally, Reuters has promoted Sebastien Roussotte to global head of its risk business. Roussotte was previously head of product strategy and head of engineering for Reuters' suite of risk products. Before this he was product manager for the vendor's Kondor package.

Based in Paris, Roussotte will report to Peter Moss.