CompTIA Blog

Senators Landrieu and Snowe, chair and ranking member of the Senate Small Business Committee, have introduced legislation (S. 2050, the Small Business Tax Extenders Act of 2012) that would extend certain expired small business tax provisions though 2012.  Some provisions in the bill include: Section 179 expensing limitation of $500,000:  Extended through 2012. Temporary exclusion of 100 percent of gain on small business stock:  Extended through 2012. Five-year carryback of general business credi ...

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion." Muhammad Ali’s quote illustrates the commitment that most successful people make, whether participating in a sport or starting a small business. Boxers of his caliber spend years improving their skills and talent until they get their big break, typically working with a variety of experienced training specialists and coaches who know the ropes. The fights represent a small part of ...

Takeaway of the week is it’s good to be in IT. Granted, that may not be a shared view from the vantage point of some current job-seekers in the sector, but overall indications from the latest batch of surveys, studies and published scribblings show the tech job market to be bubbling, whether it be Silicon Valley titans, burgeoning startups, healthcare providers jumping on the tech bandwagon or countless others. Study: The Cloud Good for IT Job Creation For those who say cloud computing and it ...

A look at the week of January 31 in public advocacy for the IT channel:  This week, a compressive cyber bill under discussion in the Senate has some contractors worried about what they see as government overreach.  President Obama’s Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra stepped down last week, and members of the tech industry have expressed hope that his replacement will continue to engage in public-private partnerships.  Following the State of the Union, tech leaders are calling on President O ...

This year, CompTIA continues to follow its ECAP focus, initiated last year, to grow the IT industry worldwide.  Our efforts are centered on Education, Certification, Advocacy and Philanthropy (i.e. ECAP). CompTIA President and CEO Todd Thibodeaux recently discussed how the association is enlarging its reach and taking its programs to the next level.  Why?  To make CompTIA work better for the industry and our members. Hear how we expanding and diversifying our channel traini ...

With the exception of utility companies and a limited number of monopolies, few businesses are able to turn almost every one of their prospects into paying clients. The optimal business deal is one where both parties get a fair value. Both the buyer and seller should be pleased with the results of the transaction, with no lingering issues that could prevent future sales. Though that scenario may seem straightforward, many companies lose that perspective over time. The sales team may fall into a ...

Takeaway of the week is another round of survey-a-go-go. No sooner do you read one firm’s survey or report of the positive news of rising job openings, salaries and bonuses amid the tech-sector, then you come across a report which debunks that bright, shiny news with reports of massive job cuts late last year. Guess it comes down to “What report have you read lately?”   Survey: Big Pay Bumps for Tech Pros Good news for the prospective IT pro or ladder-climber: workers in technology fiel ...

The old saying says two heads are better than one.  So what’s better than two?  Try 200.  At our Annual Member Meeting (AMM) this spring, more than 200 CompTIA members will meet to collaborate on new industry programs.Check out our interview with Jim Hamilton, VP of member communities for CompTIA, on how AMM will help members cross-communicate on programs.  Members will meet to examine the progress of educational training, business credentials and community roadmaps.  Plus each community will se ...

The ever-quotable baseball great, Yogi Berra, once quipped “the future ain’t what it use to be.” After several years of weak economic fundamentals and market volatility, getting excited about the future is arguably more difficult than it used to be.Many signs point to modest improvement in 2012, but it likely won’t be drastically different from the previous year. For those with the right product mix and business model, that’s probably not such a bad thing.Heading into Q1, CompTIA’s IT Industry B ...

A look at the week of January 24 in public advocacy for the IT channel:  This week, an adviser to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said that the Senate plans to bring cyber legislation to the floor within the next month.  President Obama will make the chief of the U.S. Small Businesses Association into a cabinet-level position.  Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is urging the Senate to move forward with data breach legislation.Senate Nears Agreement on Cybersecurity Bill — Speaking at the ann ...

The ever-quotable baseball great, Yogi Berra, once quipped “the future ain’t what it use to be.” After several years of weak economic fundamentals and market volatility, getting excited about the future is arguably more difficult than it used to be. Many signs point to modest improvement in 2012, but it likely won’t be drastically different from the previous year. For those with the right product mix and business model, that’s probably not such a bad thing.Heading into Q1, CompTIA’s IT Industry ...

2012 promises to be an interesting year in Washington, D.C., with the upcoming presidential election dominating the political scene. Members of Congress will be anxious to wrap up the session so they can get home to campaign for reelection.  This means that the calendar will be compressed and legislative achievements will be limited.That said, hot issues will kick up (such as the online piracy debate), and we see some opportunities to push ahead with CompTIA priorities.  Moreover, Washington som ...

From time to time, CompTIA brings you blog posts from our media partners that directly relate to the success of the IT channel. Check out the post below from Tech Security Today's Michael Vizard on the how to prepare for security threats in 2012:Security in the coming year is going to be more complex than ever to manage. The attack vectors are widening and the skill sets of the hacker community are getting sharper with each passing day. In fact, the top 12 threats to IT security in 2012 are:Soci ...

We were recently bowled over by the generosity of employees at Trend Micro, who reached down deep before the holidays to help veterans who are trying to make it in the IT field.Their generosity will help Creating IT Futures recruit more veterans to the IT-Ready Apprentice Program, which is launching in 2012.Including the Foundation in the mix of worthy causes just made sense, said Mike Menegay, who oversaw the giving program while he was employed as the company’s VP of Global Alliances."Trend Mi ...

In December of last year I reported that Senate Majority Leader Reid and Minority Leader McConnell were in talks on how best to approach cybersecurity reform. Senator Reid expressed preference for a comprehensive and holistic approach, and Senator McConnell expressed a preference for a piecemeal approach to reform.So far, it appears that the piecemeal approach has prevailed. Senate Staff for the Commerce and Homeland Security Committees have begun floating several provisions of what may ultimate ...