Since it has been determined through the years that there is an immediate need for risk management on every project proposal, program managers are entitled to delegate someone to perform risk management training for participants to get to know more about the processes needed to identify and assess common risks and threats. Usually, the risk manager is the one responsible for providing risk management training, unless another one was asked to do so. Risk management training is required for every proposal and start up phase of a certain project. It is also used to disseminate information about the risk management program plans to subcontractors and team members.

There are also a lot of risk management trainings conducted by third party companies to aid in spreading risk awareness among organizations. To search for the training program that suits your business’ needs, you can always use your Web browser and go to any popular search engine and type in “risk management training” on the SEARCH box. A list of search results will then appear. Some web sites offer in-house trainings and classroom discussions for potential clients.

Risk management trainings are also sorted out depending on the expected participants. Trainings being offered specify its purpose and contents, the learning outcomes, the achievement that the participant can use as a certification of completing each course and training options (i.e. in-house or classroom training). Some sites even indicate who the training facilitator will be, including his or her credentials. A contact link is also made available to make room for additional inquiries.

A service level agreement is basically a legal contract between at least two parties that stipulates what the service provider (the Seller) is offering as a service to the client (the Buyer of the service.) Contrary to what many might believe, a service level agreement is not cast in stone once the Buyer has created it. A Seller or service provider can negotiate the content of the service level agreement to a certain degree so that he can secure favorable terms for his business that will provide the service. If all Buyers (or client companies) were able to dictate the terms by which the service level agreement functions, then business would be terribly one-sided and many Sellers would go out of business soon enough.

If, for example, the service level agreement concerns the call center industry, the service level agreement will incorporate certain terms common to that particular industry:

– First Call Resolution (FCR): this is computed as a percentage of inbound calls whose problems the agent may provide solutions for without having to resort to callback (meaning the client making the inbound call need not call succeeding times to get a solution to his problem.)
– Time Service Factor (TSF): the percentage of inbound calls which were answered within a specific period of time.
– Average Speed to Answer (ASA): defined as the average time required by the service desk to answer a call.
– Abandon Rate (ABA): this indicates the percentage of calls that clients abandoned after waiting for an answer.

A basic service level agreement will have some common elements regardless of what type of industry the agreement was developed for:

– definition or naming of the specific service/s to be provided by the Seller;
– the way the Seller or service provider will be gauged as to his service performance;
– problem management;
– the responsibilities, obligations and duties of the client (or Buyer of the service);
– warranties;
– protection and recovery from unforeseen problems (such as natural disasters, airplane crash, or fire);
– and clauses that state how the agreement will be completed and/or terminated (including stipulations about possible penalties on the Buyer and/or Seller if they take certain actions or fail to take certain actions.)

The elements of any service level agreement examples can be categorized as either management elements or service elements. Management elements are components such as the way the effectiveness and efficiency of the contracted service will be monitored; how the data being monitored will be communicated and who will make decisions based on such data; how misunderstandings and differences of opinion regarding service will be approached; and when the agreement ought to be amended by both parties. Service elements talk about the service itself.

Service level agreements have become more common nowadays because of the growing use of outsourcing to tap companies for their services. Even government agencies are choosing to outsource their functions rather than maintain costly in-house bureaucratic arrangements that are unwieldy and end up costing taxpayers more money in the end.

The SQL Server provides organization the benefits of reducing the cost of processing information, improve data accuracy and reliability which at the end results to a more facilitative report information in decision making.

The SQL Server covers an assortment of add on services.  These services may not be essential in the operation of the database system but such provide value-added services over and above the core database management system. These add on services are as follows:

1. Service Broker provides reliable messaging and messages queuing platform for SQL Server applications.  
2. SQL Server Replication Services are used to replicate and synchronize database objects, either in entirety or a subset of the objects present.  It follows a publisher/subscriber model where in the changes are sent out by publisher in one database server and the subscribers received the changes.
3. SQL Server Analysis Services includes the Online Analytical Processing and Data Mining capabilities for SQL Server databases
4. SQL Server Reporting Services is designed to prepare and deliver variety of interactive and printed reports using RDL files.  It is web interface administered with features that support the development of custom reporting applications.
5. SQL Server Notification Services uses a platform designed for generating notifications.  Notifications are sent to Notification Services subscribers who opted for notification on specific events.
6. SQL Server Integration Services is designed to integrate data from different data sources.  It  includes GUI tools  to  build data extraction workflows integration  functionality such as extracting data from various sources, querying data, transforming data including aggregating, duplication and merging data, and loading data transformed  onto other sources, or sending e-mails detailing the status of the operation
7. SQL Server Full Text Search service is a designed to provide specialized indexing and querying service for unstructured text stored in SQL Server databases.

The concept of knowledge management has increasingly been gaining notice in the business world. Many companies have been attempting to implement a form of knowledge management. It means that these companies are looking into their IT systems, company processes, company structure and company trainings to facilitate knowledge transfer within the company and possibly beyond when it is necessary.

Well, companies know that they need to have an edge over their competitors if they want to rise above them in the industry. For example, if the company’s business is service oriented they have to continuously make their customers happy and satisfied. This can possibly be done through on the job trainings. This way experienced customer service associates can share their experiences and guide the rookies on how to best serve the customers. Service innovation is as important as well.

Anyway, this is just an example on how one company can approach knowledge management implementation. Every company would have to examine how they can best approach their own knowledge management. Knowledge management has no single definition so companies may have to a bit creative and adaptive as well.

For a company which is planning or at least looking into implementing knowledge management it would have to do homework first. The company would have to do research on it. Fortunately, the internet is available. It would be a good resource for the company’s research. There are quite many knowledge management PDF files available there. Some companies who have implemented or least conducted a test in knowledge implementation would share their experiences and their findings. Academics would also share their share of studies as well. Now with these resources, companies would have a way to research on it and perhaps have a greater chance of a successful implementation.

Microsoft Company has revolutionized its approached and processes in all of its certification procedures particularly in their Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician and Microsoft Certified IT Professional certification examinations. 

As part of the revolutionary change, Microsoft is introducing innovatively created and drafted structure of how certifications are being done.  This move of Microsoft is to align its mission on how it can better mirror job-related skills and the technology. 

The Microsoft Certified IT Professional certification examination is one of the pivotal certifications that Microsoft has.  Being it as premier, it has successfully highlighted and validated the sets of skills and knowledge that the industry needs.  Because of this, the certification procedures is in itself a good battery test to determine who among the examinees are prepared to become part of the competitive industry. 

On the other hand, the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician level requires that the examinee has the sufficient knowledge in three major cores:  the application software for desktops, the network configuration skills, and the use of the Operating Systems for desktop.  Microsoft Company has perfectly drafted all the types of learning that an examinee may need to be able to prepare him or her for the actual certification examination.

Getting an expertise from MCDST to MCITP is not a difficult transition to have.  For one, both the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician and the Microsoft Certified IT Professional are seated on a common environment – Microsoft.  All areas that are covered on each certification are essentially discussed and encompassed on both disciplines.