In Conversation: Forest Systems & Summitas on the Future of the Family Office Back Office

As technology reshapes expectations in the wealth management sector, family offices are under pressure to adapt and evolve. Manual processes, fragmented tech stacks, and rising expectations around security and client experience are converging—demanding more from every corner of the back office.

In advance of the August 12 webinar “Building the Back Office of the Future”, we sat down with Kishan Vyas from our team and Bill Wyman of Summitas to explore how their integration is helping family offices take control of complexity—and build smarter, more secure operations that scale.

Q: Forest Systems has been in the wealth tech space for decades — what are the biggest inefficiencies you still see in how family offices manage financial operations?

Kishan Vyas, Forest Systems (KV): Despite advancements in the industry, many family offices still rely on outdated workflows such as manual reconciliation, fragmented systems, and siloed data. These inefficiencies create unnecessary risk and delay decision-making.

What we see most often is that even sophisticated family offices are still stitching together reports from spreadsheets, custodians, and accounting platforms that don’t talk to each other. That’s not sustainable in today’s environment.

Q: Forest was built to streamline accounting, reporting, and back-office workflows. What specific challenges does the platform solve that older tools or spreadsheets simply can’t?

KV: Legacy systems and spreadsheets were never built for the complexity, scale, or speed required by today’s family offices. Forest replaces patchwork processes with a single source of truth that’s purpose-built for multi-entity structures, consolidated reporting, and dynamic financial workflows. We automate the manual tasks that slow teams down—reconciliations, allocations, rollups—while giving users real-time visibility into every layer of the portfolio.

With Forest, teams aren’t just saving time; they’re gaining clarity, consistency, and the ability to make decisions with confidence.

Q: This partnership with Summitas is a big moment. What made now the right time to integrate platforms?

KV: The family office tech stack is converging. Families are looking for a unified ecosystem where security, usability, and data accuracy are table stakes. Partnering with Summitas allows us to offer that integrated experience—combining powerful reporting with best-in-class client portals. It's not just about integrations, it's about alignment on where the space is moving: toward simplicity, transparency, and control.

Q: Security and compliance are top-of-mind for every family office right now. How does this joint solution raise the bar?

KV: Forest and Summitas both operate at the highest standards of cybersecurity, with rigorous controls in place to protect sensitive financial data. Every interaction is logged, every user permissioned, and every piece of data encrypted—giving family offices full visibility and control at all times. In a threat landscape that’s constantly evolving, we’re delivering a solution that doesn’t just meet expectations—it sets a new benchmark for what secure, compliant, and modern operations should look like.

Q: If a family office leader asked you what it means to “future-proof” their back office, what’s the first thing you’d tell them?

KV: Future-proofing means designing for agility. The right system should scale with your complexity, adapt to new regulations, and reduce dependency on specific people or processes. If your back office can’t evolve quickly without introducing risk, then it’s not ready for what’s coming. Forest gives families the infrastructure to grow and change without having to rebuild every time.

Q: Summitas has long been known for secure client portals. What gaps in the family office tech stack did you set out to solve from the beginning?

Bill Wyman, Summitas (BW): From day one, Summitas set out to solve the fragmentation and inefficiencies that often burden the family office technology stack. Many offices still rely on disconnected systems—email, spreadsheets, basic file-sharing—that slow workflows and increase risk.

We built Summitas to unify and simplify: a secure, centralized platform that automates routine processes, enhances communication, and integrates real-time portfolio data. And just as important, we ensure that every client receives high-touch support throughout all phases—from branding to training and implementation—so the technology delivers real value.

Q: How does the integration with Forest Systems transform how advisors and families interact with data and documents?

BW: The integration provides a seamless connection between Forest’s back-office tools and Summitas’ client-facing platform. Reports and documents created in Forest are automatically delivered into each client’s secure digital vault within the Summitas platform—no manual distribution required. Notifications go out automatically, and clients gain instant access.

For family offices, this reduces manual work and risk. For families, it’s a streamlined experience where reports, tools, eSignature, and messaging all live in one branded, secure place.

Q: One of your key messages is about simplifying complexity. What does that look like day-to-day in a family office?

BW: It means everything important is in one secure place. Automating statement delivery. Accessing real-time investment or accounting data. Enabling eSignature workflows. Consolidating messaging and scheduling.

Instead of jumping between tools, staff and family members access what they need in a single, tailored portal. It’s clarity, control, and confidence—baked into every interaction.

Q: What misconceptions do family offices or RIAs still have about digital transformation?

BW: Many still believe transformation has to be disruptive or dramatic. That they’ll lose the high-touch service model that families value.

At Summitas, we reframe it as thoughtful evolution. It can be incremental—automating a few workflows, consolidating communication, improving data quality. You don’t have to change everything to create meaningful ROI. The key is starting with what matters most and building from there.

Q: Summitas is deeply focused on building trust through infrastructure. How do you balance customization with consistency?

BW: Summitas is designed to be both flexible and reliable. Offices can configure their portal with custom branding, app selections, and role-based access—all built on an enterprise-grade framework.

Every app follows the same security model, so no matter how the portal is customized, compliance and privacy are never compromised. Our Summitas Engage℠ team ensures the platform fits each client’s structure and workflows—so it feels like their system, not ours.

Join the Conversation

Join Forest Systems and Summitas on Monday, August 12, at 2 PM ET for a live discussion on how to build the back office of the future—one that works smarter, scales better, and keeps the client experience at the center.

Register now for the webinar: Building the Back Office of the Future.