Reginald Chan

Author: Reginald Chan

  • How To Improve Your Skills As An SQL Server Specialist?

    How To Improve Your Skills As An SQL Server Specialist?

    If you work with SQL Server then your role will invariably require you to fall back on a plethora of different skills in order to fulfill your responsibilities effectively.

    Of course with such a variety of requirements on the table, knowing which areas to focus your attention on, and how to make improvements, is not always easy.

    To help you out, here are a few ways you can build upon your existing abilities and foster new strengths as you progress your career in SQL Server administration.

    Pay attention to server performance for troubleshooting & optimization insights

    Hiccups in SQL Server performance can leave many database admins scratching their heads, and yet your troubleshooting tasks will become much more manageable if you are attuned to the advantages of persistent monitoring.

    Tracking everything from storage usage and CPU load to TempDB status and the deployment of SQL integration services will give you a clearer idea of the moment to moment health of a server instance, as well as providing clues and evidence of issues that need addressing before they have had the opportunity to spiral out of control.

    Embrace interdepartmental communication & listen to feedback

    If your main job involves keeping SQL Server infrastructure up and running, then it is easy to be blinded to what is going on in the rest of the organization, when in fact you could actually benefit significantly from communicating with colleagues in other departments and being receptive to the input they provide.

    Communication skills are worth working on if you are a database administrator, not only because it will provide you with the means to make meaningful improvements that are appreciated elsewhere in a company, but also because it can turn what is potentially a very solitary job into one that involves much-needed human interactions. And of course if you are improving your communication skills, these are entirely transferable to other roles further down the line, in a way that SQL-specific experience is not.

    Use project management tools to your advantage

    Having a structure or framework to use as the underpinning of your daily workload is sensible in many professional contexts, and is definitely something from which an SQL Server specialist can benefit.

    In this case you do not need to rely on improving your timekeeping and deadline-hitting skills through sheer willpower alone, but can instead make ameliorations with the help of a wide range of tools designed to help you manage projects and track progress over time.

    Using the best platforms for project management is also beneficial in other areas, allowing you to collaborate and communicate with other colleagues who may be involved in whatever you are working on.

    Learn from the mistakes of others

    When a database admin makes a mistake, the ramifications can be immediate and significant, so even if you might be able to learn valuable lessons from your foibles, it is better to find out about potential pitfalls by speaking with those who have already fallen into them.

    Connecting with DBAs who have more experience than you, and can provide informative and instructive details about the snafus they have encountered in the past and how to overcome them, will keep you in the loop on common conundrums in the safest possible way.

    Wrapping up

    Clearly your own skills and experience will need to feed into any decisions you make about improving your abilities as an SQL Server professional, but the most important facet for individuals regardless of their abilities is to see this specialism as an ongoing journey of knowledge acquisition, rather than something with a fixed endpoint.

  • How to Choose the Right Pricing Model for your Agency

    How to Choose the Right Pricing Model for your Agency

    If you are in the process of establishing your new agency, you are most likely encountering difficulties every step of the way. This is totally normal, and every new agency has to make big decisions on everything from branding to client outreach to core services. One of the most important choices that every agency owner has to make very early on, is what kind of pricing model their agency will implement. Pricing has a huge impact on every aspect of a business, including your customer satisfaction and your agency’s profitability. Your pricing model has to align with your agency’s capacity, long-term goals, and the ability of your team to deliver quality service at a particular price. 

    To help all the new agency owners take a major step forward, here are some popular pricing models you may want to consider. 

    Freemium Pricing

    If you are just starting up, this strategy is great for attracting new clients and growing your agency. Freemium pricing means that you will offer your customers some part of your features or services for free, expecting that some of them will become return customers. For example, if you are establishing a digital marketing agency specializing in ads, you can offer some free copy and visuals, and run a trial ad to show your client how effective your marketing solutions can be for growing their business.

    Value-Based Pricing

    If you believe your agency’s services or products are a unique or extremely effective solution, you can apply value-based pricing. In this strategy, you will look at the actual value your service brings to the customers, and then calculate the pricing as a function of that value. This is a useful model and implementing a value based pricing strategy for digital agencies can help you to make some major profits. The normal starting point for value-based pricing is to set your price at around 10% of the value you expect to provide to the customer. For example, if you expect your SEO strategy to bring in $10,000 for your client, you can offer your service for $1,000.

    SaaS Pricing

    SaaS stands for “software as a service”, which is perfect if you have an online platform or a digital solution that the customer can use long-term as and when they need it. In this case, you can price periodically through a subscription or membership fee so that clients have the right to use your software. Unlike traditional software models where you charge one time for your license, this model offers you the opportunity to build your brand image and generate returning profit.

    Competitive Positioning

    Setting your prices based on your competitors’ is always a reasonable starting point. There are different strategies such as undercutting their price to offer a similar service or product or pitching at a higher price with the angle that your service or product is markedly superior. It is important that you do thorough competitor and customer research so that you can get this approach just right. 

    The Razor Blade Model

    As its name suggests, this pricing model was popularised by razor blade brands. Essentially, razor blade companies sell their handles for a low price and then sell their actual razor blades at a premium price. As an agency, you can apply this method by setting low prices for your ad copy or articles and then putting a premium on your extra services without which the copy or articles will not be effective. 

    Tiered or Goldilocks Pricing

    If you plan to target different demographics of potential customers, you may want to consider a tiered or goldilocks strategy, where you offer several pricing options, depending on the complexity of the work you are providing. This will start with a basic service package at a lower price all the way up to the most exclusive package which you charge a premium for.  This is also a great model for educating your customers so that they can increase their knowledge and use of the service, and upgrade their plan over time. 

    A One-Time Fee

    With a one-time fee, as you may have guessed, the customer pays one time for your service. This may be a lifetime contract, but more commonly, it is a yearly contract. This is a good pricing model if you are looking to increase a client’s online presence, where your team will take care of their social media and website, run their online customer service, and implement their internal communication plan.

    Per Use/Seat Pricing

    If you have a solution and aim to target big corporate groups, this is the option for you. Per-use pricing is similar to SaaS pricing, but instead of paying periodically for unlimited use of your platform, the client pays per seat. That means the customer has to pay for every company in their group that wants to use your service.

    Enterprise Pricing

    Not all of your clients will fit into your regular standard option plan, as some of them may be larger and come with a bigger budget. This is when you can apply enterprise pricing, where you calculate an ad-hoc price for that specific client for a predetermined period (usually a year). Once that year is up, both parties can then review the price based on the results.

    Cost-Based Pricing

    Many businesses implement a cost-based pricing strategy, where they analyze the actual internal workload, and then base the price on that work. For example, if the internal costs of a project are expected to be  $1,000, you can level that up by 100% and charge your client $2,000.

    There is a lot of work that goes into deciding the right pricing strategy. From analysis and customer insight research to tiered pricing levels, there is often no one size fits all approach. Even after you have chosen the pricing model for your agency, you will still need to execute it effectively. Your pricing strategy may need to change during the lifetime of your agency, so it is crucial that you are constantly reviewing it. When writing your pricing page, try to tell the story of how valuable your service is and why signing up for your agency is worth every penny.

  • Understanding The Purpose Of Anti-Money Laundering

    Understanding The Purpose Of Anti-Money Laundering

    Anti-Money Laundering is the set of rules, policies, and regulations devised to prevent financial corruption. AML has now become a universal term for the movement against financial fraud, especially money laundering. 

    In the past few decades, the menace of money laundering has become quite prevalent. That hits close to home for the corporate sector across the world. You must have heard stories of multi-million dollar companies involved in money laundering and corruption scandals. Therefore, many countries have made it obligatory for corporations to comply with AML regulations. To oversee this process, most companies have designated AML compliance departments. 

    To help our readers fully understand the concept of AML regulations, let us first break down what money laundering is. 

    What is Money Laundering? 

    Money laundering is a criminal offense based on the legalization of money acquired from illegal sources. In numerous cases, this laundered money is used for unlawful activities and to sponsor acts of terrorism. With the constant advancements in technology, money laundering methods are becoming more and more sophisticated. As per the statistics from IMF, the global money-laundering accounts for up to 5% of the world’s GDP. 

    To combat this menace, policymakers at the local and international levels are constantly devising new rules and regulations. These rules are known as Anti-Money Laundering (AML). Global authorities like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) have come into existence to formulate AML policies and ensure their implementation. 

    The Anti-Money Laundering Process

    As per the AML procedure, there are various laws and regulations to prevent global money laundering. As per JD Supra on AML Consulting, these laws apply to a vast category of institutions and organizations, and compliance with them is mandatory. Failure to adhere to them can lead to penalties and legal action against businesses by federal agencies.

    Enforcing Criminal Laws 

    To combat financial crimes, both governmental and private organizations have implemented strict criminal laws against money laundering, in line with the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. In order to effectively prosecute money launderers, governments are advised to adhere to established protocols. If you’re in need of a reliable Fraud & Embezzlement attorney in Oakland, you don’t have to look further!

    Know Your Customers

    As per the AML regulations, companies must learn more about their customers by performing background checks. After analyzing this information, company executives can look out for suspicious activities and transactions of their customers. For example, if a customer with a track record of financial crimes successfully carries out a transaction through your firm. It will be recognized as a substantive crime on your company’s behalf, leading to severe legal repercussions. Therefore, companies and other financial institutions should strictly follow the global AML protocol to avoid their involvement in financial crime. 

    Transaction Tracking

    As we have discussed, knowing your customer is essential for ensuring your company’s compliance with local AML policies. However, you can not be entirely reliant on the information provided by your customers. Therefore, it is always helpful to keep track of customer transactions. That will help your organization identify any suspicious transactions and alert relevant authorities. Recently, companies have become more receptive to AMLTransaction Monitoring Software, helping them detect and stop any unlawful activities happening via company channels. 

    Compliance with anti-money laundering is essential to combat financial crimes, monitor potential fraudulent activities, and counter-terrorist financing. Remember, as law-abiding citizens, it is our responsibility to help authorities track down money launderers and their associated culprits to protect our country from corrupt practices and terror-related activities.

  • Why Is Having A Reliable Internet Connection Essential For Doing Business?

    Why Is Having A Reliable Internet Connection Essential For Doing Business?

    The modern internet, though it changes every second, hosts more than 1 billion websites. If this isn’t shocking enough, try to imagine how much activity is conducted through online platforms. What should really take your breath away is the amount of email activity that occurs daily, with some statistics showing that 2.4 emails are sent every second around the world.

    Most people are aware of how useful the internet is, covering all services nowadays from our email networking and newsletter delivery to our socializing through various social media platforms. Even though many businesses depend on word-of-mouth referrals from existing or previous clients, today’s businesses are functioning in a competitive global market.

    The need for businesses to attract more traffic online has led to a boom in digital marketing, moving slightly away from traditional marketing and focusing on their online presence and campaigns. Through email automation, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), and developing their company websites, progressive companies have upskilled their teams and are remaining relevant to today’s trends.

    The internet has brought very interesting insights. For instance, did you know that the number of global mobile users surpass desktop users prior to 2014? This would indicate that if your company website isn’t accessible or a good user experience for mobile viewers, you are compromising on client leads and therefore, losing business.

    The business population in the U.K. is around 6 million, and growing! And for those businesses to stay online and engaged in productive work, the reliable internet is crucial. Here are some of the top reasons why you should be looking at bolstering your internet and I.T. support this year. 

    Increase productivity

    While your employees are accessing various online tools throughout their work sessions, they may find that programs like Brightidea or Salesforce are responding slower than optimally due to internal internet speeds. Boosting your internet response time, while supporting your business needs with ample bandwidth, is a great and cost-effective way to reduce downtime online. 

    Relook at your server needs

    Each business should have a centralized server, or servers, that they use to store larger files, programs, and media. While some companies only have one server and choose to upgrade, scaling horizontally by adding more servers to your network means that your site can stay up if one fails or goes under maintenance.

    As most of the data your company needs to run daily operations are kept on the server, making sure your internet is stable, reliable, and fast will maintain a well-functioning network. This will ensure good speed to access files, as well as reducing the overwhelming amount of storage required on your employee’s personal devices. 

    Dedicated server protection

    A dedicated server is one that exclusively stores your company data. Giving you access to a much greater bandwidth and storage capacity, dedicated servers allow you to internally control the security of your data, as well as restructure your web pages without needing a web hosting company’s input. You may also upgrade any features you’d like, as a dedicated server gives you incredible flexibility in how you’d like to manage your network.

    The key thing is that having reliable internet is absolutely imperative if you have a dedicated server, as your files and programs will need to be accessible online at all times. Keep in mind that a dedicated server can be costly, and it’s important to assess your server needs very carefully before investing in this option. 

    Reseller hosting

    Have you heard of reseller hosting? There are many ways in which this service works, but essentially, these reseller hosting packages allow you to sell monthly web hosting to clients. These new clients would be assumed under your account, making you their web host.

    Reseller hosting has been especially useful for web designers, as each new client for whom they build a website will need a web host for the pages. When the client then asks for a recommended web hosting server, it is incredibly convenient to offer them a package in which you can take care of their design and hosting needs – all managed by your business.

    What is excellent about reseller hosting is that a good company will provide you with I.T. assistance and live support 24/7. This will put you at ease that if your clients are experiencing any I.T. that is beyond your technical knowledge, that you can successfully navigate your clients through what they need. 

    Invest in your I.T. needs

    Ultimately, if you are needing to improve your internet output and capabilities, it is best to contact an I.T. specialist who can understand what you’re looking for now. They can also prepare you for future I.T. needs, saving you money in the long run by helping you strategize and forecast where your business growth is heading. The consultant should look at how many devices will be accessing your server, as well as which apps and programs will need to be run through the network.

    Hiring a consultant applies primarily to small businesses that do not have an I.T. team, but even if your company does have I.T. staff, outsourcing a consultant can assist your team to explore and learn about some new challenges and how to overcome them internally. If you see this as an upskilling or mentorship process, your investment will save you money in the longer term and create happier, more skilled employees.

    Knowing how to navigate your company’s online needs can sometimes be confusing if your I.T. expertise is lacking. But, this is what experts are for. Therefore, it is advised that you hire a consultant who can assess your entire I.T. team and meet your growing business needs. This will be money well spent and invested into your set-up, which is bound to result in a great return for your company. The internet is a fascinating – and ever-expanding platform. The ultimate recommendation is to stay abreast of changing trends, latest advancements, and to upskill yourself personally as best you can. Even if you don’t end up doing the work, you will understand where there are risks involved and be able to know when an expert should be consulted. Plus, having a good foundation will protect you from people who may seek to take advantage of you, ultimately giving you the upper hand in the game of business.

  • Effective Social Media Strategy for Online Casinos

    Effective Social Media Strategy for Online Casinos

    Operating an online casino can be a very lucrative business. But for it to be successful, it is crucial you use an effective social media marketing strategy. Here are four great tips to help you on your way.

    Choose the Right Social Media Platforms

    The first part of any online casino’s social media marketing strategy involves getting on to the right platforms. While big names like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram can provide you with access to large numbers of potential customers, and you should most definitely get onto the large social media sites, it is just as important to find more niche social media platforms that cater to your demographic audience. To find the right social media platforms, you need to begin by analyzing consumer statistics. Once you know things like the target age range, the interests of your customers, and their spending habits, you can target advertisements and content accurately by getting on the most relevant social media sites. Also, while you will not be able to get on to every social media platform out there, you should never restrict your social media profile to just one platform.

    Attract New Customers with Ads and Promotions

    You can place paid ads on most social media sites, and post regular content, to promote your online casino. But make sure you use relevant phrases and keywords to target your demographic audience. For example, if you run an international online casino that wants to attract players in New Zealand, use words like “You can play a wide variety of games at this New Zealand online casino,” in which you specifically mention the country. Think carefully about how best to attract new customers. Online casinos often use promotions as enticing ways of generating new custom. Special time-limited promotions are a great way of convincing people to give a site a go. Furthermore, when you post promotions on most social media sites, you can track the promos to see how successful they have been in converting people into customers. One of the best types of promotions an online casino can offer is a no deposit bonus, which means new players do not have to commit any of their own money to start playing casino games.

    Share Knowledge

    The more your online casino interacts with its followers on social media platforms, the more engaged those people will be and the more brand-new followers you will get. In turn, that builds brand loyalty and helps to convert followers into active users of your online casino. To interact with followers on social media in the best way, share knowledge and information. By writing content about the casino industry, you are sure to attract and convert more people. So, do things like writing about roulette strategies, the rules for complex casino games, and the history of casino games. Just make sure the content is of high quality and genuinely of interest to your followers.

    Create Hype for a New Game or Service

    At the end of the day, every social media platform is about popularity and hype. For instance, sites like Twitter base their entire model around what is trending. You can definitely use the hype strategy to your own advantage. If your online casino is about to launch a new game or service, create hype around it so that there is a buzz around the new item and it begins trending. When you recommend a certain game as the next big thing on platforms like Twitter and YouTube, you are sure to get people interested. When you are the first to get your foot in the social-media-trending door, when the trend takes off, people will know that your company spearheaded the idea.

  • Working From Home is Here to Stay, and That’s a Good Thing

    Working From Home is Here to Stay, and That’s a Good Thing

    Modern technology and constant connectivity allow many workers to carry out their work tasks from any location, as long as there’s an internet connection. In recent years, an increasing number of forward-thinking companies have started to embrace the idea of allowing employees to work from home for all or part of the workweek. The COVID-19 pandemic took things to the next level, forcing many employees to work from home and arguably fast-forwarding a process that may otherwise have taken a lot longer. 

    The pandemic has shown many businesses that were hesitant about their employees working from home that working remotely is in fact an effective solution. When employees are working from home they spend less time commuting, have a better work-life balance and it has been shown that they are typically much more productive. Countless tasks such as business invoicing, payroll, marketing, accounting, customer service, account management, and a range of other tasks can easily be completed at home. Working from home is becoming a popular choice in a range of different industries and it doesn’t show signs of slowing down anytime soon. 

    Continue reading to learn why working from home is here to stay and why that’s a positive! 

    Improved Work-Life Balance

    Working from home allows your employees more flexibility with their schedule. In many remote jobs, employees can structure their day in a way that suits their lifestyle so long as they get their work completed. With this flexibility people have more time to spend with friends, family, doing, chores and exercising creating a much better work-life balance. 

    No Commuter Stress

    When you are working from home, you can avoid spending time stuck in traffic or on public transport every morning. If you bike or walk to work, you can still get out for your morning exercise but instead of finishing at the office, you can come home and have breakfast with the kids before logging on to work. Avoiding the stress of commuting in the morning, not only allows employees to save time but it helps to start their day on a positive stress-free note too. 

    Embracing Location Independence

    Just because you are “working from home” doesn’t mean you need to be at home. Many remote workers are choosing to spend their workdays moving from one cafe to the next, at a coworking space or in a public library. This flexibility also allows you to take your work with you if you need to take the kids somewhere or you are looking after a friend or relative. Having this level of flexibility is just another reason why working from home will be here to stay for the foreseeable future. 

    More Productive Workforce

    Employees that have a better work-life balance have been shown to be more content and therefore more productive in their work. When people have more free time to spend with family and friends and to pursue their passions and interests, they tend to be more focused when they are at work. Conversely, employees who spend all of their time at work are often distracted, thinking of all the things they are missing out on and their mental health can start to suffer as a result. 

    Expect Remote Working To Become The Norm Moving Forward

    The work from home concept has taken off in a big way because of the impacts of COVID-19 and it’s not going anywhere soon. Not only does this way of working benefit employees but companies can have a fortune in overheads and expensive office rents when their employees are working from home. With so much to be gained from working from home, we can expect it to not only continue but potentially become the norm moving forward.