“Know Your Ropes” – The Introduction to Spinnaker for Financial Services

Sep 29, 2020 by Armory

Introducing “Know Your Ropes” Blog Series

What does sailing and the Financial Services segment have in common? There are many sailing terms that apply to Financial Services – “Batten down the hatches”, “Hand over fist”, “Loose cannon”, “By and large”, “Know your Ropes”, “A clean bill of health”, and more.

This blog series aim is to focus on the Financial Services industry – Banks, Credit Card Companies, Credit Rating Companies, Financial Services, Insurance, and FinTech Startups.

We will look at real-life examples about how Spinnaker is being used within organizations like the largest U.S. bank, JP Morgan Chase all the way to top-valued fintech, Chime to TransUnion, an American consumer credit reporting agency.

“Know Your Ropes” History

This idiom originated from shipping. A sailing ship had many ropes that operated the ship’s sails. Sailors had to learn exactly which rope operated each sail and they also had to learn how to tie many different types of knots. When a sailor knew all of this, he “knew the ropes”.

The first known use of the term “Know Your Ropes” comes to us from Richard H. Dana Jr.’s memoir, “Two Years Before the Mast,” in 1840. Old sailing ships had a lot of ropes, and they each had a specific purpose. Those of you who were in Scouts also know the ropes, and realize that most knots have a sailing origin. Today, we use this term when referring to people who are really on top of their game and understand their industry.

Financial Services Customer Quotes

“We love the simple command-line interface for administration, integration with multiple platforms, and easy configurability using pipelines.” – TransUnion

“We are seeing a significant increase in both frequency and volume of releases with Armory’s integration.” – JP Morgan Chase

“cutting edge! this is where we want to be!” – Chime

FinServe Solutions Brief

The Armory Financial Services Whitepaper is now available! Download High Yield: Policy-Driven Software Delivery for Financial Services.

Sailing Tip

Sailing is a sport fueled by the wind and the passion of the sailors who take the helm. Each blog, I’ll plan to include a sailing story, tip, or lesson learned.

The San Francisco Bay is a world-renowned sailing destination. With 25 knots of wind on a regular basis, strong currents, and heavy shipping traffic, the Bay provides the perfect environment for learning to sail.

I have been sailing recreationally in the last few years, but only until the beginning of 2020 did I officially take lessons to get my American Sailing Association license to become a skipper. I won’t be the first and I won’t be the last person, but you really need to “know your ropes” before you go sailing.

Modern Sailing School & Club provides sailing lessons on San Francisco Bay from the American Sailing Association. In addition to sharing stories from the field, I’ll also share some sailing tips and stories along our journey together.

If you happen to live in the Bay Area or find yourself visiting this year or another time, join Armory on an afternoon sail around the SF Bay. Sign up if you are interested.