The success of financial markets participants is inextricably linked to the connections they’re able to make. To increase their potential for success, trading firms are constantly connecting to more geographies, trading venues, trading partners, and service providers. For the architects of trading communications networks, enabling those connections is both complex and challenging. There are many factors, internal and external, that influence a firm’s connectivity requirements. These factors are constantly changing. This paper examines key trends that are consistent across firms and over time.