CompTIA Blog

You’ve surely seen the commercials publicizing the repercussions of defrauding insurance companies in which someone suggests taking part in a seemingly harmless scheme. Of course, the proposed activity, which is intended to help the alleged claimant, is not only unethical and costly to the industry, but illegal. These commercials are meant to educate the public on the consequences of fraud by demonstrating that what appears to be a harmless way to recoup a loss is actually a serious crime. ...

Soon the inaugural graduating class of Chicago Tech Academy High School (ChiTech) will be launched into the world equipped with 21st century technology and leadership skills.

This guest editorial is by Ron Culler, chief technology officer of Secure Designs, a managed security services provider based in Greensboro, NC. Like 90 percent of our customers, we are a small business – we have only 22 employees. Most of our clients are small businesses with just a handful of computers. Last year, our company revenue was $3.4 million, and over the last two years, Secure Designs has been on the Inc. 500/5000 list as one of America’s fastest growing companies. Our co ...

The better you understand your customers, the more successful your business. That’s why CompTIA is encouraging its vendor and distributor members to attend training courses at ChannelCon – July 29 to 31 in Orlando, FL. The three-day conference will be packed with attendees representing a variety of IT channels. They’ll be participating in networking activities, meetings and training sessions including Executive Certificates, live channel training and Quick Start Sessions. Vendo ...

Remember the old fallacy that men never use or even carry roadmaps? That misconception may have held more meaning in the past, when printed charts and written directions were the only option for travelers. Modern technologies such as GPS and other direction applications have all but invalidated that sentiment, as both genders ditch the Rand McNally paper version for its virtual equivalent. That doesn’t mean roadmaps are completely out of style. While the paper versions that help drivers fi ...

Our company, ASI System Integration, recently landed a huge contract for technology migration; a year-long project requiring more than 100 technicians working at multiple locations across the country. If the project was centered in the New York metro areas, our home base, it would be a piece of cake for us. But it’s not. It’s in multiple locations across the United States, many of which do not have access to the workforce development and IT training resources we typically tap to fine ...

In 2005, Managed Enterprise Technologies (MET) and Technology Installation Services (TIS) were unaffiliated businesses located in central England that each faced the same challenge: How to differentiate from price-aggressive competition in the UK’s price-sensitive market. Earning what is now the CompTIA Accredit UK Trustmark+ credential helped them differentiate the quality of their services and set the stage for their future ...

CompTIA is taking an uncommon approach to the Wednesday, July 31, lunch session at ChannelCon in Orlando, FL. It’s called the Unconference Lunch and is sure to be an unmatched event – featuring content driven by you! This fun, cutting-edge education and networking opportunity allows exhibitors even more exposure to the ChannelCon solution provider audience. During lunch, CompTIA will provide open meeting spaces and let you guide the agenda – some might call it ungoverned! What ...

In the wake of Tim Cook’s appearance at D11, technology pundits are eagerly dissecting his speaking points to determine what might be happening at Apple. There is more than a little disappointment being voiced, primarily because people are wondering when Apple – or anyone – is going to change the world again. What’s missing from all the analysis is the recognition that the world may not drastically change in the near future; that technology in general is maturing rather t ...

For Adam Henson, establishing a career in the field of information technology once seemed impossible.  “With IT, it’s hard to get a job without experience, but it’s hard to get experience without a job,” he said. “It was a real Catch-22.”  Then he learned about IT-Ready.  Henson, working as a meter reader for an energy company at the time, was perusing job postings on the Careerbuilder website when he saw an ad for IT-Ready. He found the p ...

When your firm's mantra is the successful flow of information, having a technical staff well versed in the latest standards and practices can be a difference-maker. For UK-based Newman Business Solutions, this is achieved through an employee development program built around recognized industry certifications, including offerings from CompTIA and Microsoft. Something for All Experience Levels Service Director Jeremy McCarthy, who shepherded his first team of MFP technicians through CompTIA PDI+ c ...

Stories that hold a connection to our personal interests are often the most memorable. I will always remember my uncle’s accounts of learning to fly a biplane back in the early 1930s as he struggled to make enough money during the Great Depression to pay for both lessons and fuel. While the years have faded many of my memories, his stories remain as crystal clear in my mind today as they were more than 30 years ago. Psychologists suggest that long-term recall varies based on two major fact ...

The House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Subcommittee on the Internet held back-to-back hearings on May 21 focused on “Cyber Threats and Security Solutions” and “An Examination of the Communications Supply Chain” in what was a marathon day of testimony. The first hearing consisted of two panels. The first panelist was Patrick Gallagher, undersecretary of commerce for standards and technology and director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). ...

This week, CompTIA was invited to attend an event with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) at the American Legion Hall in Alexandria, VA. Kaine has introduced his first piece of legislation since joining the Senate last fall, called the “Troop Talent Act of 2013,” and Duckworth introduced the companion bill in the House. They were there to share information about the bill and urge the veterans and industry supporters in the audience to ask members of the ...

This week, CompTIA’s EVP for Skills Certification Terry Erdle and I attended the National Journal policy briefing, “The Underemployed Generation: Matching Skills to Jobs.” The discussion was informative and included a lot of great experts on the subject. The first part of the morning was a discussion between National Journal reporter Fawn Johnson and Jane Oates, assistant secretary of employment and training administration with the U.S. Department of Labor. Oates spoke passiona ...