CompTIA Blog

Add Neiman Marcus to the growing list of retailers that have announced information systems breaches over the past few weeks: In a company statement, the Dallas-based department store chain reported compromised servers, a hack that gave outside access to customer payment information. On the heels of Target’s holiday debacle, the news fueled the IT security discussion and elevated consumer angst. This should be a call to arms for solution providers, vendors and distributors. No business will ...

Crystal balls and tea leaves have been in heavy use of late; as IT industry prognosticators prepare their predications for the year ahead. With so much innovation in the tech space, there is certainly no shortage of material for trends lists. The temptation, though, is to overhype the future, while understating the present. Trends take time to progress through the stages of adoption — often taking longer than many expect. The year ahead will certainly feature its share of surprises, but re ...

Tomorrow, President Obama will deliver his fifth State of the Union speech, an opportunity to set forth a theme that will guide his administration’s agenda for the year. It is widely anticipated that the president will speak to the topic of economic opportunity and how to close a gap between those at the bottom of the economic ladder and those at the top. The IT sector has always had a role in this important discussion. The industry is a driver of the economy, with a steady stream of inno ...

Certifications often help people grow their careers, but for Lamia Al-Azzawe, IT training went beyond this. It helped her pivot from an uncertain future in her home country to a world of job opportunities.

On Jan. 14, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned two of the three net-neutrality rules initially passed by the Federal Communications Commission as part of its 2010 Open Internet Order. Despite what some have said, this ruling does not give carte blanche for ISPs to run roughshod over their customers. That’s because the overturn overshadowed perhaps the more important aspect of this decision: The court found that the FCC now has clear authority, under S ...

Workforce development and STEM awareness — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — are two key success areas for Tech Collective, Rhode Island-based technology industry association that’s leveraging its state’s small size to make personal connections with the legislators who influence the future of these programs. We spoke to Tech Collective Executive Director Kathie Shields to hear about the group’s progress, their victories and her tips on how to make c ...

Industry number crunchers estimate 30 to 40 percent of the SMB market runs Microsoft Windows XP and Office 2003. With Microsoft ending support for these products on April 8, there is a short but fantastic window of opportunity for information technology service providers (ITSPs) to build stronger relationships with clients and uncover new revenue opportunities. Here are four ways to make this situation work in your favor: 1. Be Proactive. Whether you use spreadsheets to track client assets or us ...

Administrators wanted students at Chicago’s West Leyden High School to understand the IT skills needed in the business world, so they set up a technical support internship (TSI) to provide a live IT help desk for the school.

“The Innovators Job Creation Act,” bi-partisan legislation co-sponsored by Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), was introduced in the Senate this week. This legislation would promote innovation by making the R&D tax credit more accessible to small startup firms. Under current law, the R&D tax credit can only be offset against federal income tax liability. However, because most startups do not generate net income in the early years, they have no fe ...

The beginning of a new year always brings with it a ritual for everyone who keeps a close eye on technology: the International CES, produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). First held in 1967, this year’s show featured 3,200 exhibitors and more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, making it a premier location for exhibiting new technology and innovation. With so much on display, there are obviously many different themes on the radar. The Internet of Things was pegged ...

Negotiating a new job salary and benefits is played like a high-stakes poker game, with some cards right out on the table and others played close to the vest.

It’s well-known that achieving A+ certification can give folks a leg up on employment opportunities, but in some areas of the world, the focus, direction and career mapping offered by CompTIA’s certification programs can turn an uncertain reality into a concrete career path.

Whether 2013 brought you record-setting success or presented significant challenges to your business, or ended up somewhere in between, it’s time to reflect on past results and kick off the strategy for the next twelve months. Most IT companies have probably already assessed the past year’s outcomes and made some adjustments to their operations and business practices. But just because January 1 has already come and gone, it doesn’t mean every change companies need to make to be ...

IT industry entrepreneurs can understand their clients’ business challenges better than their own and typically work faster to resolve any emergency or major concern – as long as they get paid. Of course, that’s common regardless of the industry or geographic region solution providers operate in. Many business owners follow the philosophy that 100 percent of their attention must be focused on their customers and can fail to set aside time to properly plan for future growth and ...

This guest blog entry was contributed by Tim Jemal, CEO of Jemal Public Affairs. The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced that it will award approximately $100 million in grant funding, divided among 30 to 40 recipients, to support education and training in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) industries. The grant funding comes from user fees paid by employers to hire workers in the H-1B visa category. According to the Seattle Times, since 2001, nearly $1 billion from H1-B fe ...