5 Essential Elements of an Effective Disaster Recovery Plan for Businesses

by Monica Mendoza — 7 mins ago in Business Ideas 3 min. read

One of the biggest mistakes that business owners can make is to expect that they’d never encounter any form of setback. In an ideal world, business conditions will always be safe and unhampered, and nothing will get in the way of a solid profit.

But in reality, establishments are always vulnerable to many types of disaster, including the following:

Physical disasters like hurricanes, floods, and fires can result in heavy damage to both business hardware;
Digital disasters like data breaches, ransomware, and other types of cybercrime, and;
Disturbances are related to infrastructure-related failures, like power outages.

Knowing this, sensible business owners should do what they can to protect their physical and digital assets, train their staff on how to respond to disasters in real-time, and cushion the business against an even worse impact the next time around. And this is where the importance of disaster recovery planning comes in.

An effective disaster recovery plan should consider three things: the actual process of disaster recovery, business continuity, and an assessment of the business impact. You will be well-positioned to ensure that these considerations are met if you also have the following:
Also read: Top 10 Business Intelligence Tools of 2021

Dedicated Protocols & Procedures for Disaster Situations

The natural human reaction to a disaster is feeling lost, disoriented, confused, or even scared about the circumstances.

But a business owner can prevent the “headless chicken” kind of panic mode from overtaking their staff by consolidating disaster recovery protocols and designating a special disaster response team within the office.

The disaster response guidelines can spell out what exactly employees should do in different disaster-related solutions, and—just as importantly—whose lead they should follow when executing the disaster recovery plan.

Staff need not wait until the very last moment to practice their response and their coordination with one another. The disaster response team can oversee the testing of recovery-related technologies as soon as possible, and they can also hold quick tests for real-life scenarios.
Also read: The Top 10 In-Demand Tech Skills you need to have in 2021

The Right Data Backup and Disaster Recovery Solution

A business should also have a dedicated strategy for backing up business data. Ideally, this includes the use of a backup disaster recovery solution that enables frequent backup of business-critical data. If something catastrophic were to happen, the company will be able to recover its data and continue with its operations as soon as possible.

It’s a good idea for an enterprise to use not only a cloud solution but also hardware options for disaster recovery.

These options include a backup and disaster recovery (BDR) appliance as a priority, and USB drives and external hard drives as other forms of backup just in case. Some can be kept onsite while others can be stored in alternate or offsite locations.

A-List of Critical Duties to be Fulfilled During a Disaster Recovery Situation

Some types of disasters will require a business to pause certain activities but continue with others. Business staff needs to be able to determine their priorities way in advance and determine which tasks to dedicate their energy to.

A good rule of thumb is to identify the most urgent and time-sensitive of business functions and processes and then follow that hierarchy.

For example, tasks like establishing a new data center and updating customer data and communications can be established as top priorities.
Also read: Top 10 Best Software Companies in India

An Inventory of the Hardware and Software Necessary for Recovery

Next, businesses should be able to list all the hardware and software they’ll need to recover and to get back on track, depending on the type of disaster. The inventory can be comprised of the following:

Business hardware like desktop machines, laptops, computer peripherals, and power supply accessories;
Restored networks, servers, and firewalls that enable day-to-day business;
Restored and secured access to business software applications (e.g. ERP software, billing and payroll system, and CRM software) and;

Checking off on the essentials will allow businesses to narrow the gap between their post-disaster downtime (which can be devastating on their finances, no matter how short) and their uptime.
Also read: 7 Best Woocommerce Plugins to boost your Store you must know

A Means to Do Business Impact Analysis

Lastly, businesses should incorporate business impact analysis into their overall disaster recovery plans.

This should involve a comprehensive assessment of what happened, how much and what the business lost as a result, how quick and effective the response was, and how the existing plan can be improved for future use.

It’s wise for business owners and their staff to identify the point at which the business has enough resources to operate normally again. Once everyone knows what the benchmark is, it will be easier to focus on getting there.
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Conclusion

Once again, no business establishment has any control over when a disaster will hit. It’s possible that something could go awry as soon as tomorrow or as late as in the next few years.

But if you are a business owner, you must cultivate a sense of urgency about what the future might bring, and you must commit to being proactive about your disaster recovery planning.

This is what will allow you and your staff to keep your composure when the unthinkable happens—and more importantly, to get back to running your business.

Monica Mendoza

Monica Mendoza is a content writer and marketing professional based in Manila, Philippines. She spends a lot of time studying how to transform technology, lifestyles, and communities. Outside the office, she keeps herself busy by staying up-to-date with the latest technology trends and reading about the latest news.

Top 7 Tips To Bootstrap A Successful Shopify Online Store

by Amelia Scott — 11 hours ago in Business Ideas 3 min. read

Shopify makes it easy to start an online store. It allows you to create intuitive, well-designed websites in just a few hours.

With the rise of entrepreneurship, the availability of niche products from low-cost suppliers, and the tailwind provided to digital channel adoption by the pandemic, this is perhaps the best time in history to open an online shop.

Top 7 Tips To Bootstrap A Successful Shopify Online Store

Tip #1: Rely on an experienced group of owners

Building an online store is like any other activity. It comes with its learning curve. It is not uncommon for new store owners to have difficulty getting their business up and running within the first few months. There is a way to avoid these common setbacks. You can learn from the successes of store owners who have overcome similar obstacles.

KeepShoppers.com ‘s community is a great place for answers to the most commonly asked questions about creating an online shop on Shopify. This includes tips on sourcing, web design, and customer relationship management.
Also read: Best 10 Email Marketing Tools in 2021

Tip #2: The power of delegation

Many store owners only have a few skills that they can use when building their eCommerce websites. It is important to know when to delegate tasks to qualified personnel to build a Shopify-based online shop.

This is possible by relying on freelancers who can be hired through websites such as Fiverr and Upwork to handle the most difficult tasks that you might not be qualified to complete.
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Tip #3: Secure multiple reliable suppliers

Suppliers are essential partners to any online store because they can help you ensure that all your top-selling items are available even when there is high demand.

You should not rely on one supplier. Instead, build a network that can respond quickly to your changing needs. You should never compromise on quality or delivery dates.

You’ll be able to quickly scale up your products if you find three suppliers.

Tip #4: Stand out from the rest

Virtual stores are many years in the making. They have evolved to be more generalists than niche businesses.

This presents a unique opportunity for store owners to better serve a niche market by focusing their attention on their customers’ needs. You can achieve this by providing a personalized shopping experience, helpful content, and promotions.
Also read: Top 10 Business Intelligence Tools of 2021

Tip #5: Leverage CRM tools

The Shopify ecosystem attracted some of the best developers in the world. These developers are focused on creating the best apps for store owners to improve their customer relationships. This includes how they manage abandoned carts and lead nurturing and after-sales services.

These tools can be used to improve the customer experience in your store. You can also fine-tune your automated marketing system to increase conversions.

Tip #6: Use paid ads wisely

Although it might seem appealing to spend a lot of money on social media ads because of their wide reach and potential higher capacity to convert cold leads into customers. However, online store customer acquisition costs are very high.

According to, a report by Shopify this year, the average cost for acquiring customers for small online businesses was $58.6. However, it could be higher or lower depending on the industry.

It might be twice as high for beauty and health products at $127 and double for home and garden products at $129.

If you’re considering investing in paid ads, keep in mind that the average revenue per order must be sufficient to cover the higher cost of acquiring new customers. You should also ensure that you have the right systems in place to keep your clients coming back. Client retention is critical for the longevity of your business.
Also read: The 15 Best E-Commerce Marketing Tools

Tip #7: Before you start, make some financial projections.

A business plan is essential for launching an online store. It should also include financial projections. Your break-even point is one of the most important aspects to include in your projections. This is the level of sales at which your store will become profitable.

Once you have established the threshold, it will be easier to focus your efforts on achieving this goal. Then, you can work harder to increase your top-line results and turn a profit.

These tips were helpful to us. We wish you much success when you start your online store.

Amelia Scott

Amelia is a content manager of The Next Tech. She also includes the characteristics of her log in a fun way so readers will know what to expect from her work.

What is Voice Search and How Voice Search will Transform the Future of eCommerce?

by Richard Gall — 18 hours ago in Business Ideas 4 min. read

Voice search is dominating the internet. Nowadays, consumers around the world start their internet searches using phrases such as “Ok Google” or “Hey Siri”. These are two of the most used voice search engines. They can be used to make a call, check the weather, turn on lights, and many other purposes.

These applications are growing every day and have huge business implications.

What is Voice Search?

Voice search is the use of speech to ask compatible devices such as smartphones and smart speakers. The device responds to the user’s question or follows their commands. 72% use such devices daily to do multiple chores.

Nearly 40% of internet users use audio search to find information. Audio search has seen a rapid increase in popularity, which has opened up new opportunities for businesses to communicate with users.

According to researchers, 55% of American households will have a smart speaker in 2022. Voice shopping is also expected to reach $40 million that year.

Let’s explore how voice search can help businesses, and how to optimize your website or eCommerce solution to take advantage of it.
Also read: Best Top 10 Paid Online Survey Website in the World

How Voice Search Technology Works

Scientists have long dreamed of a technology that allows devices to talk like human beings. Continue reading to learn how this technology works.
Users can command the voice search device by using phrases such as Hey Siri, Ok Google, or Alexa followed by their questions.
These devices have a voice assistant that transcribes spoken words into text.
The text is then analyzed to determine the user’s needs.
The device can connect to external data sources such as the search engine to provide relevant information for the user’s question or command.
The program then converts the data into an easily digestible format to satisfy the user’s intent.

Voice Search is an important part of eCommerce

To make the most out of the growing demand for voice SEO, include a voice search application in your customer experience strategy.
Also read: Best CRM software for 2021

1. Get a personalized shopping experience

With the help of recommendations, shopping experiences can be personalized to each person based on their preferences. If you place an order for your daily needs on Amazon Fresh using Alexa voice search then the assistant will suggest items based upon your past purchases and your diet.

2. It’s easy to review

Businesses can now collect more reviews using voice search. Consumers can now easily give feedback. It is easy and convenient for consumers to leave feedback, which makes the reviews more genuine and meaningful. This allows other consumers to make better buying decisions.

3. Time-Efficient

A voice search assistant will take the stress out of searching for long phrases. A person can type 30-35 words per minute on average. However, when speaking, they can say around 100 words per minute. Voice search allows consumers to quickly get their answers.
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4. Smart Shopping

Voice search is limited to voice but also uses machine learning and AI. These mechanisms allow search engines to be able to understand the shopping habits and behavior of people. You will be reminded, for example, of the items you forgot to buy when you shop for your monthly groceries.

Optimizing your eCommerce store for voice search is a great way to maximize the benefits. Below are some tips to help you grow your eCommerce business and create powerful solutions.

How to optimize an eCommerce store for voice search?

1. SEO Strategy to Re-orient Your Business

SEO is essential for any website, even if it doesn’t have a blog. This will help you be seen by your target audience and ultimately bring you more business.

Voice SEO can help your website rank highly on search engines, increasing brand visibility online.

2. Prioritize Right Keywords

Optimizing voice search requires that you use the correct keywords specifically designed for voice search. If you are a web designer who is skilled in creating websites that meet SEO requirements, hire an eCommerce company. We have listed a few tricks to generate keywords for voice optimization.

Question Keywords: Voice searches tend to be in the form of questions rather than phrases. If you’re looking for an ATM in your area, you might say “OK Google, where is it?” While typing, you might write “ATM near me”. These keywords are trigger keywords that you should be paying attention to.

Long-Tail Keyword: Because they are less competitive, it is easier to rank long-tail keywords. As we have discussed, when speaking to the voice assistant, people will use longer phrases than they would while typing.

Natural and conversational: Your business will be more visible if you use natural and conversational content. It is the everyday language people use to communicate with one another.
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3. Optimize to Speed Up Your Page

Optimizing your eCommerce website or store is all about speed. Websites that load faster improve user experience and increase engagement. Google must respond immediately to voice searches. If your website takes too long to load, Google may ignore it.

Fey tips to speed up your site:

Choose a fast web host.
Use caching.
Remove all broken links.
Reduce the image size on your webpage.

Also read: Top 10 Best Software Companies in India

4. Responsive eCommerce Website

Mobile phones will not be going away. Because of their convenience on the move, users are more likely to use mobile phones than laptops or PCs.

Responsive websites are becoming more important than ever because of the shift in consumer behavior. Responsive websites allow users to have a pleasant experience regardless of the website they visit.

5. Structure your Content with a detailed FAQ Page

Although it may seem odd that an FAQ page should be included in an eCommerce store’s SEO strategy, the truth is that many people rely on FAQs to clarify any doubts they may have when shopping online. If you have all the questions that a customer may have while shopping,

FAQs will save you time. They will have all the information they need and will be able to eliminate any doubts or concerns before purchasing.
Also read: Best CRM software for 2021

Conclusion

Voice search will become more popular in the future. It enhances the customer shopping experience and makes it easier for eCommerce shops to sell. For a competitive advantage, brands like yours should adopt modern approaches.

A professional eCommerce web design company is recommended to help you redefine the shopping experience for your customers. You can also get voice search optimization help so you don’t miss opportunities to rank higher.

Richard Gall

Richard is senior editor of The Next Tech. He studied International Communication Management at the Hague University of Applied Sciences.

What are the Working Mechanisms of Liquidity Providers?

by Nikita Razumovskiy — 19 hours ago in Finance 2 min. read

When it comes to getting your feet wet in the Forex market, one of the fundamental concepts you must grasp is liquidity. Money has absolute liquidity, and many novice traders depend on this assertion, unaware of the distinction between Forex and broker liquidity.

What does Forex liquidity mean?

Customers convert one currency to another when it comes to Forex trading, and execution speed is critical. The market consists of millions of bid and ask transactions; nevertheless, a brokerage firm may be unable to work with liquidity providers – i.e., get access to the market’s main participants. What does liquidity provider mean?

Consider the following scenario: a broker has 1,000 registered traders but has submitted no applications to liquidity providers. For example, an order book may include only bids and offers made by registered traders.

As a result, one user needs to purchase 100 units of GBP/JPY at the current price of 154.01232. However, the order book only has 15 units at this price. As a result, traders are forced to buy assets at a premium to the market price or risk incurring losses.

In the same scenario, how does a liquidity provider work? A broker’s order book is augmented by external bid and ask transactions. The brokerage firm acts as a middleman between two parties.
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Cooperation models with liquidity providers

Brokers may work with liquidity providers (LP) in various ways; nevertheless, all of the models fall under the category of No Dealing Desk (NDD). The Dealing Desk (DD) concept transforms brokers into market makers, with no LPs involved.

The NDD class of models comprises the following:

The ECN (Electronic Communication Network). A trader receives bids and asks for offers that are automatically sent to the market and executed according to the market price. Meanwhile, price slippage is a possibility.
DM (Direct Market Access). When a trader creates an order, they can act as both a price giver and a price taker. Brokerage firms present trades directly to liquidity providers.
The STP (Straight-Through Processing). LPs offer bid and ask rates. When a trader places an order, brokerage firms immediately route it to liquidity providers.

Beginner traders should grasp how liquidity works and which brokerage firms to use. However, what about brokers? How can a brokerage firm locate a liquidity source that is both dependable and powerful?
Also read: 7 Best Woocommerce Plugins to boost your Store you must know

Useful tips for brokers looking for liquidity providers

There are many liquidity providers, and selecting the right one may be difficult. However, consider the following critical points:

Deal only with “Tier-1” limited partnerships, which link brokers to the biggest banks and financial institutions.
Choose global businesses that offer a range of services. Additionally, it is preferable to work with suppliers that provide a variety of additional efficient options (for instance, White Label trading platforms).
Apply to LPs that offer superior customer service and are prepared to exceed your expectations.

In terms of the worldwide market, B2Broker is one of the most exemplary definitions of what does liquidity provider mean. The business is always on the lookout for the most innovative and advantageous solutions for brokers.

Nikita Razumovskiy

Nikita Razumovskiy - FinTech Specialist, Market Analyst.

How to Save Money on Canon Printer Ink

by Alan Jackson — 24 hours ago in Gadgets 2 min. read

The cartridge market is a battleground between printer manufacturers and third-party ink suppliers. If you do not want to buy expensive original products every time your machine runs out of ink, there are cheaper alternatives. Consumers do not have to be trapped in a cycle due to the “razor and blades” economics.

Any big brand like Canon can sell some of its printers below the breakeven point, as the producer knows it will capitalize on the ink.

At the same time, you can save over $50 with this great offer for Canon 270 from the Smart Ink store. Generic or aftermarket cartridges are a bargain. Here is how to choose an affordable and reliable product for your machine.

R&D or Greed?

According to big printer brands, the prices for their ink are high due to their research and development expenses. This can hardly make consumers feel better about their pricing.

For example, Canon Pixma MG5720 is currently sold at around $100, but equipping it with fresh ink may cost nearly as much! A printer is a one-time purchase, while its cartridges must be replaced frequently. Naturally, customers feel they are being ripped off.

Best Value for Money

The first inkjet printer for the masses appeared in 1988 and initially cost over $1,000. Since then, the market has changed a lot, and big brands are now competing with independent manufacturers of ink. To save money, you may opt for a compatible product or a manufactured cartridge. Here is how they compare.
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1. Compatible Cartridges

Third-party suppliers design their own cartridges that suit popular printer models and fill them with proprietary ink. The quality of printing may be excellent. Customers also get additional benefits like free shipping, a money-back guarantee, etc.

The original equipment manufacturers have tried to ban these products in the past, but they have no legal grounds to stop you from using them.

Deviations in design make the cartridges original, so their providers do not violate patent protection laws. And even though companies like HP issue firmware updates preventing recognition of such supplies, you can always disable them.

2. Remanufactured Cartridges

Basically, these are original cartridges that have been filled with new ink. The process involves careful disassembly, maintenance, and assembly. Reliable providers check the products at every stage and replace any components if necessary. As a result, you can get an original cartridge at a significant discount.

Customers make substantial savings as the shell and internal components are reused. Recycling is also more sustainable than buying a new product every time. Today, such cartridges are also sold online, with extensive warranties and free shipping.
Also read: Top 11 Cool Websites everyone Should Know

Tips for Buyers

While cheaper cartridges are extremely attractive, they are not created equal. When shopping online, look for a trusted store with a money-back guarantee and certified quality (compliance with CE, ISO 9001, ISO 14000, Reach, or STMC). Check user feedback before placing an order.

Alan Jackson

Alan is content editor manager of The Next Tech. He loves to share his technology knowledge with write blog and article. Besides this, He is fond of reading books, writing short stories, EDM music and football lover.

Top 7 Reasons to Choose MySQL for Organizing Your Web Database

by Amelia Scott — 1 day ago in Development 4 min. read

Datanyze recently released a survey showing that MySQL has gained 15.46% market share, while MongoDB only has 4.13%. Why is MySQL better than MongoDB? This blog will explain seven reasons MySQL is better for business applications.

It is not surprising that MySQL has been ranked second on Statista for most popular database technology. It is however up against strong competition from MongoDB, PostgreSQL, and other database technologies. MySQL’s popularity seems to be as great as the human race.

Datanyze recently released a survey showing that MySQL had gained a 15.46% market share, while MongoDB holds a market share at 4.13%. MongoDB is preferred by most developers and DBAs today, however.

MySQL is in fierce competition to stay relevant on the market. When you are looking for the right database technology for your application, the first thing that pops into your head is:

Does it make sense to implement in your project?

This blog will answer this question. This blog will explain the seven top reasons MySQL is the best choice for your business applications.

MySQL is better than other databases.

Let’s take a look at the reasons why the MySQL database is so popular.

1. It’s easy to use & administer

MySQL is preferred by most web developers because of its simple database. This database is easier to set up and maintain than MongoDB. It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on training or hiring DBAs. Anyone can learn MySQL with little or no experience.

It is also easy to use and runs quickly. It takes only minutes to download and install the MySQL server. You can also use productivity features such as triggers and stored procedures, MySQL Admin and MySQL Workbench, GUI Tools, and many other utilities to make it simple to set up and manage.
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2. Outstanding Performance

MySQL must provide unmatched performance and optimum speed to compete with other database technologies. MySQL can perform exceptionally with features such as thread-based memory allocation and optimized nested loop joins. It also has storage engine frameworks that guarantee flawless performance.

It can process multiple transactions and queries at the highest speed, regardless of whether you are running an e-commerce site or a transactional processing platform.

Clustering and replication are also useful for managing heavy workloads and multi-user concurrency. Index in performance schema, a new addition to MySQL, is a way to improve data retrieval and performance.

3. It is flexible and adaptable

MySQL provides the flexibility and scalability to efficiently manage growing data demands for enterprises. MySQL can scale with growing data demands, from deeply embedded applications to large applications that store terabytes of information. It’s also the best choice for smaller applications.

Enterprises who require additional features to their database servers can also use it with vertical and horizontal scaling. It can scale without compromising performance and database load.
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4. Supports large communities

MySQL is a well-known open-source database system. It has more than 11,000,000 active installations. It has thousands of forums that can help you solve any MySQL problem. dev.mysql.com consists of blogs, whitepapers tutorials webinars, videos, and discussion forums for MySQL.

All your queries will be answered. GNU General Public License allows you to modify the source code and makes it free of charge.

You can also get the commercial license fee for an advanced version that includes code updates, bug fixes, and priority 24/7 support. It is compatible with many platforms, technologies, programming languages, and other software. MySQL is an excellent choice for businesses.

5. It’s Safe & Reliable

Any business can be severely affected by a breach of its database. Data security is a top concern for all enterprises. MySQL is the database management system that Netflix and Amazon use. It is also one of the most secure and reliable. MySQL protects your application’s sensitive information from cyberattacks by offering data protection features.

MySQL data encryption protects against unauthorized access to data, while SSH support and SSL support provide secure connections. ACID compliance (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) ensures data integrity and consistency at all costs.

Access control management allows you to easily grant or revoke users. It also provides secure transactions and password encryption.
Also read: Top 10 Successful SaaS Companies Of All Times

6. It is low on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

MySQL is an open-source database management software that can be downloaded and installed for free. It takes very little knowledge to set up this DBMS. You can eventually save money on other business aspects like marketing and development. The commercial enterprise version won’t cost you much. You will also pay significantly less for support and maintenance.

MySQL promises to lower the total cost of ownership. The licensing fee is reduced by over 90%, downtime is reduced by 60%, hardware expenses are reduced by 70%, support costs can be up to 50%, and engineering and maintenance costs are cut by as much as half.

MySQL’s low TCO is a reason why many companies around the world use it. Alcatel, US Census Bureau, and Cox Communications are just a few. Migrating to MySQL is also cost-effective and straightforward, making it the best database system for developing and deploying applications.

7. High availability

In today’s highly competitive market, it is vital to keep the system running. Failure or downtime can have a direct impact on the company’s reputation as well as its revenue. High availability is a key feature that must not be ignored. MySQL provides businesses with 24/7 uptime through the use of replication and cluster configurations.

Cluster servers manage and handle the failures, and ensure that your system is available 24 hours a day for uninterrupted access. When one server is down, users’ requests are redirected to another server to complete the operation.

MySQL also ensures that your data is protected against catastrophic consequences due to human error, network failure, or planned maintenance. Apart from this, high availability in MySQL can be achieved through Virtualized Systems, Shared-Nothing, Geographically-Replicated Clusters, and using third-party solutions.
Also read: 5 Best Resource Capacity Planning Tools for Teams

Conclusion

Below are a few reasons MySQL is a great choice for enterprise database design. It can also provide round-the-clock support and can deal with system downtime or failures well. This Relational database management system offers many benefits and features that can meet both individual and enterprise database management needs.

Amelia Scott

Amelia is a content manager of The Next Tech. She also includes the characteristics of her log in a fun way so readers will know what to expect from her work.