CompTIA Blog

Now less than six months away from Election Day, campaign season is in full swing.  TV and radio advertising has already begun and candidates are traveling the country raising campaign funds and speaking to large crowds of supporters.  The general election is also becoming clearer after a hotly contested Republican primary.And the Republican Nominee Is …As the Republican presidential field narrows, Governor Mitt Romney is now widely believed to be the presumptive Republican nominee.  Romney has ...

Dan O’Sullivan’s new IT career gives him plenty of diversity in both what he does and whom he works with. Six months after he earned CompTIA A+ and Microsoft certifications, O’Sullivan holds two IT jobs in the United Kingdom. He works for Venatrack, whose software tracks movement in football matches (‘soccer’ matches for American readers) and provides 3D digital playback for post-match analysis. He also provides IT support for Norsk European, an international logistics company.His day-to-day wor ...

Dan O'Sullivan’s new IT career gives him plenty of diversity in both what he does and whom he works with. Six months after he earned CompTIA A+ and Microsoft certifications, O'Sullivan holds two IT jobs in the United Kingdom. He works for Venatrack, whose software tracks movement in football matches ("soccer" matches for American readers) and provides 3D digital playback for post-match analysis. He also provides IT support for Norsk European, an international logistics company. His day-to-day wo ...

“Entrepreneurs innovate. Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. It is the act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.” That quote from the celebrated management theorist Peter Drucker illustrates not only the business opportunities available for manufacturers (such as IT vendors), but emphasizes that a distinct process is needed for solution providers, distributors and other professionals to get the most out of their creativity.You don’t have to invent the ...

Takeaway of the week is another shout-out for that seemingly superhero IT pro who can wrangle big data - i.e. the elusive data scientist. Also on tap is another survey that shares some good and some bad about those working in IT, a generation shift the industry has created in India and a virtual invitation for techies with a hankering to relocate to the Emerald Isle. Survey: IT Pros a Hot Commodity If findings from a recent survey commissioned by a recruitment firm are correct, IT professionals ...

A look at the week of April 30 in public advocacy for the IT channel: This week, the House passed CISPA, a controversial Republican-backed cybersecurity bill.  The House also passed several other bills relating to cybersecurity, including the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act, which increases funding for education and R&D to confront cyberthreats.  Rick Pollack, executive vice president of the American Hospital Association, sent a letter to Health and Human Services saying that electronic medica ...

The internet of things (IoT) is rapidly becoming a very real phenomenon. CompTIA’s market research department explores the topic of big data, M2M and machine learning.

Are your vendor partners communicating effectively with you? That’s just one of the questions behind CompTIA’s second annual State of Channel Partner Programs study, a research project that examines the relationship between channel firms, the IT vendors they work with and the partner programs they participate in. Fielded in March, the online survey sought the perspective of 400 IT channel companies -- running the gamut from hardware resellers to MSPs to consultants. The results reveal a number o ...

Until recently, the cloud for solution providers was a lot like an NFL draft prospect to their future team: a lot of discussion and tremendous potential, but no tangible results. But it’s really more than just a “buzz word” bandied about by the tech community to confuse end-users and reduce channel margin. Cloud services are finally becoming a significant source of revenue and business growth for solution providers and vendors. It’s become readily apparent over the past few years that there’s a ...

A look at the week of April 23 in public advocacy for the IT channel:  This week, the House will review four cybersecurity bills, including the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA).  A new small business tax cut was approved by the House this week.  National Journal looks at the role of the House Homeland Security Committee in evaluating cyber legislation.House Boots Up 'Cyber Week'— The House is set to vote on four cybersecurity bills during what lawmakers have dubbed "cyber we ...

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to represent CompTIA at the North Carolina Technology Association’s Annual “State of Technology,” a statewide conference on tech trends and innovation by North Carolina companies and organizations, all with a focus on data storage and security.Congresswoman Ellmers (center) with Brooks Raiford, CEO of NCTA (left) and Matthew Evans of CompTIA (right)In a post conference session, CompTIA partnered with the North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA) to pr ...

Previous, I gave an overview of the key pieces of cybersecurity legislation under consideration in the House. Now let’s turn to the Senate, which favors a comprehensive approach to this issue.In the Senate there are two competing cybersecurity bills. S. 2105, Cybersecurity Act, which includes bill provisions authored by Senators Lieberman, Collins and Rockefeller, also incorporates cybersecurity recommendations for legislative reform provided by the White House.Among the key provisions: Grants n ...

This week, the House Republican Leadership plans to put up four cybersecurity bills for floor votes: CISPA,  FISMA, CEA and NITRD.In contrast to the Senate, the Republican Leadership in the House is pursuing a piecemeal approach to cybersecurity reform. In fact, Representative Thornberry issued a report last year stating that the best approach to cybersecurity reform was to allow each committee of jurisdiction to develop, vet and introduce cybersecurity legislation.Senator Reid’s preference for ...

As the technical equivalent of a gym rat, Weylin Piegorsch took on the new CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) certification exam for the professional challenge and came away impressed.

As the technical equivalent of a “gym rat,” Weylin Piegorsch took on the new CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) certification exam for the professional challenge and came away impressed. Piegorsch, a network engineer for Computer Sciences Corp., said although his current job duties don’t revolve around computer security, “I expect CASP to bear great rewards for future positions, and was interested in it to increase my future marketability.” It doesn’t hurt to have the CompTIA pedigr ...