CompTIA Blog

When it comes down to it, any professional accreditation is only as good as its relevance in the field. According to veteran security engineer Jeremy Hoel, the new CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) certification covers the big picture for today's needs. "It's very useful," said Hoel. "It seemed to be much more focused on the reality of what tools go where and why and how multiple parts fit together." Hoel, a senior security engineer for global IT services provider PE Systems Inc. ...

When sitting amongst attendees at IT channel events, I typically ask which sessions are “must see” on the meeting agenda. Whether looking for real takeaways for their business or attempting to gauge future opportunities, the panel discussions are often at the top of their schedule. After attending a number of these interactive group discussions, I began to understand their appeal—especially when the topic is pertinent and the panelists are willing and able to share valuable business insight.Of c ...

Takeaway of the week is that it's good -- very good -- to be a cybersecurity pro. To say you're wanted is an understatement. What is also clearly wanted, more and more, is a 212-area code tech headquarters. College degree? These days, not as much. What's a College Degree Worth? Recent and not-so-recent circumstances point to a decline in value of the college degree -- and traditional education as a whole -- as the end-all, be-all foundation in the tech world. At least that's the view of one ...

High school students learn about potential careers at Harvey Mudd College's Women Engineers and Scientists of Tomorrow event in February. Photo: Schenck and Schenck Photography Through her advice and her own career story, Maria Klawe, president of STEM-centric Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif., offers many insights about how women can secure the experience, knowledge and support for successful IT or STEM-related careers. Take hard-core computer science courses—lots of them—an ...

Through her advice and her own career story, Maria Klawe, president of STEM-centric Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif., offers many insights about how women can secure the experience, knowledge and support for successful IT or STEM-related careers.Take hard-core computer science courses—lots of them—and don’t be intimidated.Continuously taking computer science courses is a matter of necessity, given technology’s lightning speed rate of change, Klawe contends.“If some students appear to kno ...

A look at the week of May 29 in public advocacy for the IT channel:  With the celebration of Memorial Day weekend, The Washington Post renewed its focus on how to educate and train our nation’s returning veterans.  White House Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel testified before a congressional committee, defending the federal government’s efforts to take advantage of the latest technology. On the small business front, Small Business Administration Head Karen Mills s ...

Ask any solution provider to describe the amount of information collateral their vendor partners send their way and quite often the first response you’ll get is a groan.Think about it: Daily (or more) email newsletter blasts, social media feeds, frequent partner portal updates with strategic information on product roadmaps, pricing, sales promotions and technical updates. That’s not to mention the collateral on discounts, rebates and MDF that changes regularly, along with the constant flow of in ...

IT certifications can help a veteran land a job, but veterans need to understand how much work earning the credentials will require and the salary the resulting IT job will command, says Army veteran Ryan McCauley. Since October 2011, McCauley has used funding from the Post 9/11 GI Bill to earn CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ and other industry certifications at New Horizons Learning Center in Durham, N.C., while working a full-time job. It's been hard, attending 12 hours of class at New Horizo ...

IT certifications can help a veteran land a job, but veterans need to understand how much work earning the credentials will require and the salary the resulting IT job will command, says Army veteran Ryan McCauley. Since October 2011, McCauley has used funding from the Post 9/11 GI Bill to earn CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ and other industry certifications at New Horizons Learning Center in Durham, N.C., while working a full-time job. It's been hard, attending 12 hours of class at New Horizo ...

According to a CompTIA research report released a couple months ago, business executives have become increasingly concerned with protecting access to their companies’ information systems and the data they contain. Whether driven by new rules and regulations, or well-publicized news of critical breaches and their repercussions on organizations and their clients, a majority of decision-makers are taking note of the value of an effective IT security program.And the awareness level is escalating rap ...

Takeaway of the week is a clarion call for the IT pro who never sleeps on what he or she knows amid an always changing technical landscape - and that goes all the way to the CIO. Who knows, show your tech skills and you could even end up in the White House. Constant Learning Curve for IT Pros Given the ever-expanding reach of technology, the smart IT professional will seek out ways to expand skill sets in comparable measures, says one industry veteran. While the IT job market is doing some ...

When her post-retirement career didn't work out as planned, Navy veteran Mellisa Stroman trained with New Horizons of Southern California to earn IT certifications and get the IT instructor job she really wanted.

Mellisa Stroman When her post-retirement career didn't work out as planned, Navy veteran Mellisa Stroman trained with New Horizons of Southern California to earn IT certifications and get the IT instructor job she really wanted. Stroman worked in IT nearly her entire Navy career while raising two children with her husband, also a Navy sailor. "I just always wanted to go into the computer field," she says. From 1985 through 2005, Stroman's Navy rotations included maintaining an I ...

We’ve heard so much about cloud computing, and Dan Shapero, technical marketing executive of ClikCloud and CompTIA board member, is no stranger to the subject. Shapero co-founded ClikCloud in 2011 to offer cloud-based marketing support to small businesses, including website and social media management, email marketing and website analytics.“The cloud has created a frictionless market for us to deliver high value services at an affordable price point,” Shapero said. “Economies of scale afforded b ...

The President recently signed into law the JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act, which among its provisions would allow for crowdfunding for small businesses. Under the new law, companies can raise up to $1 million during a 12-month period under streamlined Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reporting requirements.While businesses in high-growth geographic areas, such as Silicon Valley or Cambridge/Kendall Square have exposure to a variety of fast-growth organizations and leaders, th ...