CompTIA Blog

Takeaway of the week is a nice and tidy set of fun-filled nuggets that just about everyone in and around the IT job market will find interesting. Tech hiring hotspots are examined West Coast to East Coast with some surprising results; big-picture career decisions are broken down in ways that every candidate should be doing them if they haven't already; and sometimes career advancement begins outside of working hours. Tech Hotspots with a Shocker Up Top So long Silicon Valley? Nice knowin' y ...

Small business owners feel policies favor large businesses. Republicans oppose more regulations to boost private businesses’ cybersecurity. Former FBI official calls for clarity on how to combat cyberthreats. Small business owners feel too many policies endorsed by politicians favor large businesses, says Bloomberg. SMBs say politicians unjustly believe that small companies operate just as larger corporations do when in reality they are not operationally similar. Republicans feel tha ...

While Congress and the Administration concentrate on the upcoming elections, Middle East crises and keeping the government running, expiration of the Bush tax cuts looms as a huge issue for all Americans, especially small businesses.  Currently, business planning is near impossible, as major tax increases could take effect on January 1, 2013.  The potential expiration of these cuts could cause an economic slowdown as consumers and businesses face uncertainty on their 2013 tax bills.  This uncert ...

IT veteran Jimmy Hooh says CompTIA played a major role in his grasp of cloud security.

Going with the flow isn’t a strategy, and it certainly isn’t a route that business owners should take. But the path of least resistance is often thrust upon solution providers, especially when their clients and prospects are the ones making the decisions. Satisfying clients while doing what’s in their own best interests is a delicate balancing act. With cloud services, that’s a common dilemma.Without a carefully crafted, well-validated strategy, solution providers may find themselves pulled into ...

Takeaway of the week is something akin to a broken record: Notably, that another publication touts the value of "soft skills" in the hiring process, IT certifications tend to bump up one's pay grade and IT hiring continues to be on the rise. Nothing new, yet good to know. The IT Skills That Matter Most Just about anyone worth their salt in the IT job market these days can code, so what can set a candidate apart from the pack? We'll give you a hint. It's not hard. As a recent item in TechRepublic ...

Big Data, the buzzword du jour, has captured the IT industry’s attention with some truly impressive examples of what the future may hold.

White House drafts preliminary executive order intended to protect U.S. computer systems. Congress back in session; expected to react. The Obama administration has sought to boost loans to small businesses. The White House has drafted a preliminary executive order with the hope of protecting our nation’s computer systems, says the Washington Post. The exact dimensions of the order are still being debated, but it would create voluntary standards for businesses. With Congress back in ses ...

Due to changes in the information technology industry, CompTIA will retire the CompTIA CTP+ certification exam at the end of this year. The CompTIA CTP+ certification exam, launched in 2010, covers the topic of convergent technologies, more commonly referred to today as unified communications. Since the exam launch, new forms of technology have developed, causing changes in the way business is conducted. These technologies include new mobile technologies and business models such as cloud computi ...

What skills are in demand? How do certifications impact salary? How does your salary compare to national averages? Global Knowledge and Windows IT Pro are undertaking these issues and more in the 2013 IT Skills and Salary Survey. Participants receive a complimentary copy of the final report. Those who enter by Oct. 19 will be entered into a random drawing for one of eight $250 American Express gift cards. The annual report is one of the industry's most extensive surveys of IT and business profes ...

It’s been a whirlwind of political activity for CompTIA’s staff these past two weeks. This week, we joined the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte to spotlight the contributions of innovation to our economy.  We’ve been working on-the-go to ensure that the views – and contributions – of the tens of thousands of small and medium sized tech companies and entrepreneurs are recognized.This week in Charlotte, the Democratic Party focused on several policy provisions significant to CompTIA and ...

While business owners and executives are more inclined to focus on the bottom line costs of new investments, typically due to cash flow and stockholder demands, most understand that price plays a lesser role when it comes to protecting their assets. That doesn’t mean companies are open to purchasing preposterously expensive security services, but most will spend a few dollars more each month to ensure their organization is compliant with governmental and industry regulations.The inclination of b ...

Takeaway of the week is a nice and tidy summation of the key ingredients to a good IT job search: Know the value of the industry you're in and how many others hold it in high regard; learn some tips on how to remain relevant whether as a candidate on the outside looking in or working your way up from within; and, of course, the monetary value others place on your work, which in the IT world these days is not too shabby. Study: IT a Hot Do-Over Thought Given the need to alter directions on that ...

A look at the week of September 4 in public advocacy for the IT channel: Veterans are finding it harder to find work and harsh economic times are forcing employers to downsize and thus exclude more former soldiers from being hired, says CBS News. The Democratic Party – outlining its platform heading into the Democratic National Convention – affirmed that President Obama will be taking executive action to ensure American businesses and consumers are safe from cyber attacks, says the Washington Po ...

This election cycle CompTIA has joined several of its tech association peers and several IT company sponsors in hosting receptions in Tampa and Charlotte honoring the contributions of innovation to our economy. Our objective is to continue to highlight to policy-makers the diversity of the industry and the fact that it is driven not just by large OEMs and service providers but also by tens of thousands of small- and medium-sized tech companies and entrepreneurs. This week in Tampa, the Republi ...