What is the best CFD Trading Platform?

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article | What is the best CFD Trading Platform?

CFD trading can be a little overwhelming and complicated at the start, especially if you are entirely new to the scene. Therefore, it is definitely of the utmost importance to select a CFD trading platform that suits your needs. With the various types of CFD brokers that offer different services and access to different financial markets, being sure of what you want to achieve is the first step before you choose a broker and a trading platform. Forex brokers offer a range of trading platforms for the use of their clients and a majority of such online brokers may offer trading in a number of working and independent platforms, such as the MetaTrader, or MT4 software. Hence, ensuring that the trading platform is user-friendly and easy to use is paramount.

Apart from this, a good and reliable trading platform should be efficient when it comes to cancellation as well as order entry, to enable the investor to effectively manage their accounts and facilitate market analysis. It should also allow you to enter orders, receive real-time quotes and engage in transactions. Reliable trading platforms should offer a wide variety of tools to help investors in making prime decisions for profits.

StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article | What is the best CFD Trading Platform?

Top Trading Platforms

One of the best trading platforms in the market is the MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) that are highly sought-after even by professional traders. They offer a range of tools and services that can help investors in their money-making decisions.

MetaTrader 4

CFD trading regards MT4 as the standard in the market and the platform is now being used by thousands of brokers all over the world. With their highly advanced technology and tight security, traders are able to open and close positions with their minds at ease as MT4 guarantees reliability and stability.

Key Features

MT4 is known for its extremely user-friendly interface that allows traders to easily manage their assets and trade with ease. The platform also supports major languages, appealing to a larger audience who can trade without having to be faced with a language barrier. Moreover, MT4 not only has ideal trading characteristics, but it is also equipped with highly advanced charting capabilities. This allows traders to conduct comprehensive analyses on the technical elements and their assets, facilitating better trading decisions.

Communication Tools

MT4 also allows an enhanced experience when it comes to communicating online. The various communication tools offered by the trading platform allow traders to interact in real-time, and to post messages without lengthy and complex email threats in the way.

As MT4 runs its software on low resources, this means that the platform is less prone to technical difficulties, and therefore allowing the platform to have shorter waiting times. This allows traders to act swiftly while trading, and that they are able to complete trades and implement transactions in the nick of time. With the accessibility to traders’ own account information, they will be able to see their access details, trading history, account balance and password information to help them keep track of their monetary assets easily.

Furthermore, MT4 boasts amplified security to protect traders from possible hacks and attacks. It safeguards sensitive and private information and encrypts the data between traders and the servers with a 129-bit key. The IP address of each trader is also completely kept from view, allowing them to trade without having to worry about security issues.

Customization

Unlike other platforms, MT4 allows trading platform customization for each CFD trader to tailor it to their own needs and practices. By being able to develop their own programs and technical indicators through their advanced MQL programming language, traders will be able to tweak the platform to their own benefit and needs. There are also various plugins offered by MT4 like the MetaTrader Supreme Edition plugin which gives premium access to traders to conduct trading insights, advanced analysis, and a variety of trading tools to enhance their experience.

StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article | What is the best CFD Trading Platform?

MetaTrader 5

The most up to date version of the MT CFD trading software is the MetaTrader 5. With a highly easy-to-use interface, traders will not have any problems trying to navigate around the platform. Switching between accounts is also easy with their user-friendly interface.

For traders who wish to open two accounts to carry out trade and scalp, the interface allows for easy switching between your two categories to quickly respond to market events. This saves a lot of time especially for regular traders who prefer to engage in several markets at one go.

Indicator Types

As compared to MT4, there are quite a few advanced indicators that MT5 provides, and they can be classified into four categories which include Trends, Oscillators, Volumes, and Bill Williams. Moving beyond that, MT5 also offers custom indicators that make access significantly quicker and simpler. The new trend indicators include the moving averages which include the double and triple Exponential Moving Averages (or ETAs), the Adaptive Moving Average and the Variable Index Dynamic Average.

Among the indicators, both double and triple ETAs and their derivatives are relatively new inclusions in the toolbox. MT5 is highly sought-after for traders who prefer automated trading since it offers a powerful Expert Advisor and an outstanding trading script. The trading script has been recently running on its new version, where it has managed to fix bugs and address several errors and issues. Improvement has also been made to the programming language, which has been compressed into a more compact and hassle-free form. Furthermore, the addition of the chart-in-chart style provides a deeper analysis of technical strategies that users want to utilize, effectively enriching the trading experience.

It is essential to select an excellent platform when you trade CFDs and to choose a suitable one that meets your requirements and needs. As MetaTrader platforms have been consistently proving themselves as the best in the market, do not hesitate to test it out and get a feel for the platform so you can determine if they are beneficial for you. The most important thing is to choose a platform that you are comfortable with using, and one that provides the right range of tools and services that you need to make your trading decisions. Do not settle for the first platform that you chance upon, and never stop exploring other platforms until you choose the one that works best for you. In fact, according to the review published by business24-7, Plus500 could be one that is suitable for you!

Keep Your Workplace From Going Viral

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article | Keep Your Workplace From Going ViralWith the recent virus outbreak many people have become concerned with sanitizing their workplace to prevent the spread of the virus and germs. As a cleaning professional with over 25-years of experience, I have some good insights on how to handle this process. We at Cleaning Group Inc. have developed a protocol for disinfection and preventing infection in offices, gyms, medical facilities, restaurants, and other venues where the public meets with your staff.

The first piece of advice I can give you is don’t panic. Panic prevents rational thought and hinders the ability to make informed decisions. The first thing to do is assess the actual exposure. This is determined by how many people visit your facility on a regular basis and the probability that those people may be infected. Medical offices that treat patients or perform procedures in-office are at higher risk of infection than an office that only has a few employees and rarely receive visitors. The next thing to consider is where germs can be transferred. The most common places transfer takes place are telephones, door handles, light switches and restrooms. Air quality is another consideration as germs may become airborne and spread through ventilation systems.

Whether your workplace has a high or low risk, you should consider consulting a professional to assess what needs to be done in your facility. A professional cleaner will determine exactly what your individual needs are. There are safeguards that everyone can take. Start by informing employees, coworkers, clients and visitors of the risk factor. If you are a medical office treating infected patients or if you have employees who have been exposed, you need to inform everyone who enters your facility to take precautions. If you are hosting a meeting or conference, designate areas where visitors will be and properly clean and disinfect those areas before and after the meeting. Put hand sanitizing stations at entrances and lobby areas. Most people will use it if it is available. I recommend a touch free dispenser. When several people touch a soap dispenser before actually using the soap, they are leaving germs on the dispenser. Designate a phone that your visitors may use and place disinfecting wipes next to it with a sign asking people to wipe the phone before and after using it. Any keypads or touch screens that are heavily used should be treated the same way.

Signs should be placed in all restrooms asking everyone to please wash their hands. Touch free soap and towel dispensers are a great idea. Touch free faucets are beneficial. Electric hand dryers are better than paper towels. The restroom fixtures should be disinfected at a frequency that coincides with their use. A cleaning professional will be able to determine the proper frequency. Using the proper chemicals is key. For example, bleach evaporates much quicker than most other water-based disinfectants. In order for a disinfectant to work properly it must remain on the surface for several minutes. All surfaces should be wiped with a disinfectant daily.

Treating the air can be the trickiest. I recommend changing filters weekly using a high-quality filter that traps the most amount of allergens. Hepa filters work best. Having ducts professionally cleaned will help prevent germs from collecting in the ventilation system. Disinfectant fogging is the best way to treat the air and kill airborne virus. This process must be done by a professional. The fogger atomizes the disinfectant and sprays it into the air. This will treat areas that are hard to reach and may normally get overlooked.

Lunchrooms and kitchens are another area where disinfecting is important. Utensils and cups should be washed, dried and put away in a cabinet. Everyone should clean cups and utensils before and after each use. Water cooler handles should be disinfected as well. Make sure you replace kitchen sponges frequently and use an antibacterial dish soap. Wipe counters with disinfectant before and after each use also.

The best defense against germ and virus transfer is a good plan. Work with a cleaning professional and consult your local health department to assess risk factors and determine the level of reported infections in your area. These and other tips are available in more detail in our guidelines for disinfection. I realize that some of these things may seem extreme or expensive. Most business owners are reluctant to increase the cleaning budget. I can assure you that the money is well spent. Keeping your customers, clients and employees healthy is as equally healthy for your bottom line.

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor | Glenn GreeleyGlenn Greeley is founder of CGI Cleaning Group Inc. headquartered on Long Island. For more information visit www.cleaninggroupinc.com, call 631-669-6033, or email [email protected] for a free disinfecting guideline.

How to Outsource SEO: A Step by Step Guide to Successfully Outsource Your SEO Services!

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, How to Outsource SEO: A Step by Step Guide to Successfully Outsource Your SEO Services!

1. Do You Need This Guide?

You may wonder if this guide can be helpful to you. Well, it depends. If you have a digital marketing agency and you want to expand you range of services through SEO and you know that the most cost-effective method to introduce it to outsource SEO to a specialized, then yes, this guide will be very helpful to you and you will get all the information that you may need to know while establishing such a collaboration.

Also if you own a company that has a website, or you are in the leadership of such a company then this guide is also for you and it may help you to make the right decisions. You should already understand that it is much better for your company’s future to let a team of experts take care of your SEO needs instead of building your department. Such an investment will not only be expensive but it will also be very risky.

On the other hand, if you do not make part of the two categories above, then this guide may not offer you valuable information because it especially made to help the types of persons mentioned above to make the right decisions while they outsource SEO.

In this article, you will find explained all the steps you will need to go through until you start a successful collaboration. You will also find a good example of a company to which you can Outsource SEO. You do not need to follow the methods explained in this article to the letter because they are some general steps, and you should adapt your strategy based on your company’s situation.

2. The First and Most Important Step Is to Find an Optimal SEO Company

The SEO market had expanded very much in recent years and because of this, you will be able to find a very large number of SEO agencies. But, a big problem that you can encounter is that because the market is still new the price of these types of services varies greatly. And the worst part is that you will not even be able to deduce the quality of the services based on prices. Meaning, you could pay a lot of many for a low-quality SEO service.

Although there are many famous SEO agencies and you can be sure that they will produce the results that you want, but they also ask for exorbitant prices. You should know that there are SEO agencies that are less famous and much lower prices but they are also able to produce the results that you want.

These agencies that have reasonable prices can reduce their costs and also the price of their services to a very affordable level. There are many reasons through which they can do that. To give two examples would be because they do not spend as much on paid advertising and because they are based in a country that has a weaker economy.

You should start to look for an SEO agency in this type of country because they will not only be able to produce high-quality results at a much lower price, but they also lack the arrogance that these big shot SEO companies have.

If you are not a digital marketing agency, then you can search also for an SEO professional or a team of SEO experts. Are you not sure if this is a good idea? You can find the reasons why you should do it in this moz.com article.

If your site and company are new, then it will be better for you to do your own SEO or look for a freelance SEO expert because that will be much more affordable. But for bigger companies, it is recommended to outsource SEO to an agency because they have a full team of professionals.

3. Double Check Your Choice

After you find a company that fits the criteria that you had set, then it is time to double-check your decision. There are a few steps that you can follow to be sure that everything is all right:

  • Results checking. It is very important to check the results brought by your potential partner before you start working with him. Some professional SEO agencies will present their results on their website and you can see them there. They will also have reviews from their clients presented there. You need to check these reviews and if possible to contact some of their clients and ask them for a sincere opinion about your potential partner.
  • Offer to check. It is very important to check their offers and make sure of two things. One, that, besides their regular packages, they offer custom packages that are based on their clients’ needs. Not all websites will benefit from the same strategy and it is better than if there is a need for customization it should be possible. Two, you should make sure that your potential partner has a money-back guarantee. Not many SEO agencies offer such a guarantee because they do not trust that they will always be able to produce results. But, by offering this type of guarantee you can see the confidence that they have it their skills.
  • Service checking. Although you can get a lot of information from the methods presented above and you could make sure that you have made the right or wrong choice, but if you are still undecided, then you should also try their services yourself. That will be the best way to get a feeling about how long cooperation with your partner would feel right. An important aspect is to make sure that your partner of choice is always up to date with the latest Google algo updates.

4. Start the Partnership

After you have selected an agency with which you want to partner, it is time to get to the next step, which is to find the best way to work together with it. If you are an agency, then there are two ways through which you should implement this partnership.

Your company can openly admit to their clients that they outsource SEO completely, this method will make sure that your clients will know what they are dealing with and the possibility that they will try to make your problems will be nill.

You can get white-label reports and be vague about it while letting the impression that some tasks are indeed outsourced. This is also an alternative because it is not a lie. This method is mostly used if the clients care less about the results that they get and more about other factors.

The choice that you should make depends mostly on your company’s situation, more exactly on your clients. You are the one that knows them better so, you are also the one that needs to make this decision.

A bad alternative would be to market the service as produced by you, but in this case, you risk losing a large number of clients when the truth comes to light, so this method is not advised. If your company is not an agency, then then the best way in which you can cooperate with an SEO agency is by learning the basics of SEO. In this way, you will be able to understand the quality of the results that you will get from the partnership.

If you consider that the information that you acquired in this article is not enough to help you choose a good agency, then you can find even more information on Neilpatel.com

The Value of the Human Mind – How Machine Learning is Helping Humans Win

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StrategyDriven Innovation Article | The Value of the Human Mind - How Machine Learning is Helping Humans Win

Overview

There is no doubt that we are living in the AI era. Artificial intelligence is at work all around us today. Even if we do not realize it, our thoughts and actions are training the technology to respond in the way we desire. Machine learning is one of the fundamental tasks of AI. Just as the name implies, the machines and platforms we use daily are learning from the consistent input we provide. Let’s look into ways that machine learning is helping to make our lives much easier.

What is Machine Learning?

Machine learning is an AI component that uses algorithms to find and apply data patterns. The process involves the input of data into a model that is used to predict an outcome. The more data that is input into the model, the “smarter” the machine application seems to get.

The data used can take on many forms, such as text numbers, images, videos, clicks, etc. If there is a way that the item can be stored, it can be applied to a machine-learning model. There are a variety of ways that machine-learning algorithms are incorporated. These various algorithms fit under three specific types of machine learning.

StrategyDriven Innovation Article | The Value of the Human Mind - How Machine Learning is Helping Humans Win

Types of Machine Learning

The three types of machine learning are supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning. Deep learning is the refined form of machine learning we see used daily. Deep learning uses an algorithm to create what are called neural networks. Neural networks are loosely based on the neural networks of the human brain. Each of these types of neural networks fits in one of the three categories.

Supervised Learning

Supervised learning involves machine learning, where variables—called features—and labels are assigned to the model used. These features and labels are utilized to properly classify the data received. The algorithm can identify patterns based on predetermined features and labels.

An example of machine learning using the supervised model is a machine that can count coins of different denominations. If the weights (features) of nickels, dimes, and quarters (labels) are input into an algorithm, the model can predict the denominations of the coins based on knowing the weight (feature) of each. Another example of this is with a music streaming service that predicts the best choices of music to play based on the genre you routinely choose.

Unsupervised Learning

Unsupervised learning does not use predetermined features and labels. The model is set up to search for any patterns it can recognize. The process is much like a person collecting shells at the beach and later categorizing them based on their shapes. Since there are no labels in this process, there is a greater ability for the machine to analyze the data to locate hidden structures contained within it. Unsupervised learning has become popular among those in the cybersecurity community.

Reinforcement Learning

Behavior modification involves the use of reward and penalty to encourage or discourage specific activities. For instance, if a dog is being house trained, it will be rewarded when it does its business outside and scolded when it does so inside. Reinforcement learning uses these same feedback responses to train machines to learn.

The algorithm for reinforcement learning is based on a trial and error model. Large amounts of data are input into the model, and the machine is rewarded or penalized subsequent to whether the selections help or hinder the objective of the application. Reinforcement learning is seen with the training of robots for industrial automation.

StrategyDriven Innovation Article | The Value of the Human Mind - How Machine Learning is Helping Humans WinHow Machine Learning Helps Humans

We see machine learning at work in our everyday lives. From our search engine results to our ride-sharing apps, machine learning is front and center in the process.  What he have seen is that augmented intelligence enhances human’s intelligence. Let’s focus on some of the applications that use machine learning.

GPS has become a staple in the lives of all travelers. GPS uses machine learning to assist us in reaching our destination by using other users’ input and recognized patterns. Picture recognition used by Facebook is another form of machine learning that uses a supervised model. Ride-sharing apps use various machine learning models to predict destinations, estimate times, and determine pricing.

StrategyDriven Innovation Article | The Value of the Human Mind - How Machine Learning is Helping Humans Win

Conclusion

Once merely an element in sci-fi movies, AI has become a part of our daily experience. Whether we notice the presence of machine learning or not, our lives have been made notably simpler due to its role in developing applications designed to give humans the advantage. Hopefully, you can now recognize the ways that AI continues to benefit you every day.

Understanding the Importance of Business Process Design

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StrategyDriven Process Management Article |Business Process Design|UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS PROCESS DESIGNBusiness Process Design is one of the most critical steps of BPM that needs to be designed after the proper analysis and detection. The core purpose is the identification and implementation of the optimized process that ideally meets the expected requirements as per the strategic business needs.

Business Process Design for strategic management carries significant importance due to the availability of specific interpretation. The process is more strongly associated with the development of cost-effective approaches that can ideally be implemented for the perfect execution of various tasks involved in a business. However, every individual has his perception of understanding multiple aspects, but it is quite essential to understand the importance of business process design before pursuing any of the businesses.

If you haven’t identified your business process needs appropriately, then it’s the right time to pull up the socks. Here in the present discussion, we will highlight the importance of business process design.

Importance of Business Process Design

BPD is important for endless reasons including:

Proper Alignment of Operations with Business Strategy

To change or modify the business strategy usually requires improving multiple operations being performed by different people involved in a business. It is also a natural phenomenon that people find it challenging to accept the changes, so they resist it mostly. That’s why the rules, processes, and the individuals that are part of old strategies can create a significant impact on the latest policies.

It gets facilitated by Business Process modeling by:

  • Properly assisting executives and managers of the organization in sustaining reliability in all the business processes. It all can be done by keeping a proper eye on the entire operations and strategy of the organization.
  • By ensuring that the operational tasks and activities of the individuals are correctly aligned with the strategic goals of the organizations. If there is any misalignment in the strategies and objectives, then it may cause failure in proper executions. Even if the organizational tasks are performing optimally, the overall success of the project cannot be assured.
  • By the proper implementation of “Business Process Re-Engineering (BPR)” by adequately analyzing the current performances and altering them to enhance the performance. The significant aspect of business process analysis is the proper identification of bottlenecks and unproductiveness in the process and ultimately improving them.
  • Properly allowing the process agility, the capability to modify and communicate the processes in no time. It results in taking the better advantages of the latest opportunities of the business or tackling the business challenges.

Enhances Business Process Communication

One area that plays a significant role in creating a successful business is the presence of a clear idea about the tasks an organization has to perform and the goals it has to achieve. How these goals can be made and what the roles and responsibilities of every individual are. Clear communication regarding the operational processes is essential for the proper facilitation of the team members of the organizations.

The proper communication and documentation is done by Business Process Modeling because:

  • Process modeling ensures the provision of common uncomplicated language with simple communication methodology. It provides accurate information with comprehensive decision rules.
  • It is optimal for transferring practical knowledge from one individual to another and better trains the new people in the organization. It all can be done by performing a complete documentation process and following the guidance properly.
  • Reducing the probable danger of losing the staff members of the organization that may result in trailing business process knowledge.
  • Properly start the documentation of business processes.
  • Properly converting the experience of the team members in the documented form.

Improves Consistency and Proper Control

All the successful organizations correctly identify and manage the business processes and maintain consistency throughout the period. The process control and flexibility is the input and a core component that plays a vital role in the success of the business. Process control instruments are of great benefit if they get executed properly.

It is possible by helping with:

  • The proper formalization of the processes that have not been appropriately documented, which have been revolutionized as informal knowledge.
  • Proper execution of the processes in a consistent way because it is quite unrealistic or non-professional to rely on the individuals to remember all the data. Instead, the written documented data provides more authentic information.
  • A proper decision making procedure by excluding the guesswork as the documented business data can provide better information.
  • Fastest solutions to any business concerns in the most elegant way.
  • Gives a proper charge to people involved in the business.
  • Provides proper support to business compliance initiatives, including ISO 9000 and Six Sigma.

Augments Operational Effectiveness

  • Nowadays, in the era of technical advancement, all the business managers try their best to utilize all the resources for the maximum revenue generation optimally. There is no room for ineffectiveness and depletion of resources.
  • The analysis steps of business process modeling, along with complete simulations, helps the managers to make the best use of all the available resources to enhance the effectiveness and efficiencies.
  • It helps in the reduction of process cycle time and identifies the areas that can be improved.
  • It helps in improving the efficiencies of the existing resources and tries the best to provide enough training to do more with limited resources.
  • It helps in providing risk-free experiments and supports providing ideas for further process improvement.
  • It encourages the process of critical thinking ideas so that the latest changes can be implemented for further improvement.
  • Process analysis is useful for optimal utilization of existing resources that can help in enhancing the overall productivity of the organization.

Increases Competitive Advantages

All the advantages mentioned above ultimately result in doubling the competitive edge in the market for all those organizations that have spent enough time in improving the business documentation.

Some of the companies have practiced this business process modeling that not only helped them in generating better ideas but implementing better business models as well. The consistent refinement in the existing business models provides a great room of improvement with a successful process modeling.

A small step towards improvement can have a more significant impact on the overall organization. Those minor refinements are usually of higher value as they can help in giving better competitive advantages over the core opponents available in the market.

Effective strategic planning is the key that makes your ideas unique and better than others. However, the execution can be assured by proper planning and improving overall communication skills. Additionally, the points mentioned earlier explicitly highlight the importance of effective business modeling that cannot be ignored at any cost.

Final Words

With no proper vision, mission, and strategic planning, running the business is more like traveling on the unknown paths that never lead towards the desired destination. Also, this is where most of the businesses suffered and it can become a major cause behind business closures. That is why the implementation of business process modeling is the need for all the latest business concerns.

If you want to run a successful business where everyone works with the proper alignment, then you must think about implementing the practical strategies, tools, and techniques that are essentials for the growth and sustainability of any business.

Your success has a lot to do with the appropriate planning; otherwise, all your efforts and resources can be wasted.