Platform Groups

What are Platform Groups?

Platform groups are collections of trading servers:

• Different MetaTrader/cTrader servers
• Different brokers
• Different server locations
• Different liquidity providers

Why Multiple Groups?

Firms use multiple platform groups for:

Account Size Segregation

• Small accounts ($10K-$50K) → Group A
• Large accounts ($100K+) → Group B
• Separates risk exposure

Phase Segregation

• Evaluation phases → Demo servers
• Funded accounts → Live servers
• Cost efficiency

Geographic Distribution

• US traders → US servers
• EU traders → EU servers
• Reduced latency

Broker Diversification

• Multiple broker relationships
• Risk distribution
• Redundancy

Assigning Groups to Phases

Configure which group each phase uses:

Phase 1

• Usually demo/evaluation server
• Lower cost
• High volume

Phase 2

• Usually demo/evaluation server
• Same as Phase 1 typically

Funded

• Live server with real liquidity
• Higher cost
• Real money

Example Configuration:

• Phase 1 → "Evaluation Demo Group"
• Phase 2 → "Evaluation Demo Group"
• Funded → "Live Funded Group"

Group Configuration

Each platform group has:

Server Details

• Server IP/hostname
• Port number
• Server name
• Platform type (MT4, MT5, cTrader)

Credentials

• Manager login
• Manager password
• API access

Settings

• Default leverage
• Allowed instruments
• Trading hours
• Server timezone

Account Creation Flow

When account is created:

1. System checks current phase
2. Looks up assigned platform group
3. Connects to that group's server
4. Creates trading account
5. Returns credentials to trader

When trader passes to next phase:

1. System checks new phase
2. Looks up new platform group
3. If different, creates new account on new server
4. Migrates data if needed
5. Provides new credentials

Multiple Groups per Phase

Some firms use multiple groups for same phase:

Load Balancing

• Distribute accounts across servers
• Prevent overload
• Better performance

A/B Testing

• Test different server configurations
• Compare performance
• Optimize setup

Broker Rotation

• Rotate between brokers
• Risk distribution
• Negotiate better terms

Group Selection Logic

How system chooses which group:

Round Robin

• Rotate through groups evenly
• Simple and fair

Random

• Random selection
• Unpredictable distribution

Load-Based

• Choose least loaded server
• Optimize performance

Geographic

• Based on trader location
• Reduce latency

Manual

• Admin assigns group
• Full control

Monitoring Groups

Track platform group health:

Server Status

• Online/offline
• Response time
• Connection quality

Account Distribution

• Accounts per group
• Balance distribution
• Active traders

Performance Metrics

• Average latency
• Order execution speed
• Slippage rates

Migrating Between Groups

Sometimes need to move accounts:

Reasons to Migrate

• Server performance issues
• Broker change
• Cost optimization
• Consolidation

Migration Process

1. Create new account on target group
2. Copy account settings
3. Notify trader
4. Disable old account
5. Trader logs into new account

Migration Challenges

• Open positions
• Account history
• Trader communication
• Downtime minimization

Best Practices

Evaluation Phases

• Use demo servers
• Lower cost
• High volume capacity
• Acceptable for evaluation

Funded Accounts

• Use live servers
• Real liquidity
• Better execution
• Worth the cost

Backup Groups

• Always have backup server groups
• Redundancy for outages
• Business continuity

Clear Naming

• Descriptive group names
• E.g., "Eval Demo - US", "Funded Live - EU"
• Easy to understand and manage