CompTIA Blog

A look at the week of December 5 in public advocacy for the IT channel: This week, States urge Congress to address the issue of sales tax in online commerce.  Senate Democrats introduced a new payroll tax bill to Republican criticism.  A House cyber bill recommends creating a clearinghouse to share data between the government and private sector. Congress Urged to Close Online Sales-Tax Loophole — State officials and some retailers urged Congress to finally close a loophole that they say benefits ...

This is the time of year when most companies are working full speed on their 2012 business plans, from setting sales and marketing objectives to estimating the upcoming operational and capital investment needs. December is also the holiday season for many, but the work never stops for solution providers and others in the IT industry. In addition to building budgets and plans for the New Year, the push is on to meet and exceed annual revenue goals before the end of the month. That’s on top of the ...

Interesting times we have in the IT industry. New business models, new economic realities and new customer buying patterns warrant a pretty serious look at business transformation, especially in the channel. There’s simply no denying that the way IT goods and services are sold, delivered and managed is undergoing a foundational shift from product transactions to solutions- and services-oriented selling. What isn’t so certain is the roadmap for change. Nobody – not IT vendors, solution providers ...

Takeaway of the week is that we may be presented with more evidence that cloud computing and mobile technology are must-have skills and expertise for the IT job-seeker - with explosive potential for 2012, but it could be just as important to expand that technical skill set to include real-world business skills.   Forrester: Cloud Computing Makes More Inroads in 2012 By next year, more businesses will have knowledge and interest in the notion of cloud computing, which is both good and ...

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced several changes to encourage the adoption of electronic health records, specifically by delaying Stage 2 of meaningful use standards by one year.  According to HHS, “to encourage faster adoption, the Secretary announced that HHS intends to allow doctors and hospitals to adopt health IT this year, without meeting the new standards until 2014. Doctors who act quickly can also qualify for incentive payments in 2011 as well a ...

A look at the week of November 28 in public advocacy for the IT channel: This week, the arrival of new Department of Homeland Security Deputy Undersecretary for Cybersecurity Mark Weatherford might lead to greater cooperation between DHS and the intelligence community.  Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) wants to attach cyber legislation to the defense authorization bill.  The Department of Defense is seeing significant savings in consolidating IT.Cybersecurity Expert Hails New DHS Cyber Chief — New Depa ...

As the year comes to a close, two of the most popular activities are looking back at what just happened and looking ahead to what we expect for the New Year. Thinking back on the big IT trends from this year, it’s interesting to look forward at how those will continue to grow and what effect they will have on IT departments and solution providers.Three of the largest trends shaping the IT landscape right now are: Cloud, Mobility and Social solutions.Cloud is changing the way IT approaches infras ...

The other day I went to the doctor. As usual, I was a few minutes late. This was my first visit to this particular doctor and when I checked in the receptionist told me that I would have to reschedule and come back another time. At first I was somewhat confused, since it was an early appointment and it was not my fault that I got stuck in traffic! I asked her why I could not be seen now and she responded, “Why should the other patients be told to wait an additional 15-20 minutes for their schedu ...

Earlier this month, more than 30 CompTIA members and partners gathered in Washington, D.C. for the CompTIA D.C. Fly-In. This event gave participants the opportunity to see how Washington works first hand, learning more about CompTIA policy priorities and how they relate to their business, and then taking their questions and concerns to the Capitol Hill offices of senators and representatives from around the country.Participants, like CompTIA Board Member Linda Lynch, appreciated the opportunity ...

Takeaway of the week is a Thanksgiving treat: Job seekers who live in and around Silicon Valley should be thankful for the bounty of apparently tech-starved firms seeking valued staffers, while those seeking the security sector just got another boost to their expected value - just don’t get too stuffed on one skill while abandoning all others.   The Tech Job-Seekers’ Next BFF? New Wave Merit Badges Long the domain of the Boy Scouts of America, Brownies or other regional coming-of-age c ...

Thanksgiving serves as a great reminder of all the things we should be grateful for in our personal and professional lives, and it’s especially true in the IT field. Some of the world’s greatest minds contribute their knowledge and energy to our industry, creating the products and services that solution providers can combine with their own ingenuity to support a variety of business clients.The IT channel is a collaborative community, requiring a number of people, processes and passion to accompl ...

CompTIA started out the month of November with a bang, hosting our Washington, D.C. Fly-In.  With more than 50 advocacy visits made by more than 30 CompTIA members and partners, we certainly delivered to Capitol Hill an important message – that the interests of small and medium sized IT firms must be addressed.As we near the end of November, however, the interests of small IT businesses will have to be seen within a broader context.  At this writing, it appears that the “Super Committee” charged ...

Takeaway of the week is that, ironically, the most secure position in IT seems to be in IT security - or at least its the best chance for better pay around the corner. However, it doesn’t hurt, apparently, to know how to handle big blobs of data using Hadoop. If you’re in the Pacific Northwest then you probably already know you’re in a good place.Security the Best Way To Secure Better Pay Findings from a new salary guide indicate IT professionals working in the security sector can expect the bes ...

Below is a special blog post from Karen Elzey of the Aspen Institute.While the “skills gap” is undoubtedly felt by many of our country’s employers, small and medium-sized businesses in the technology industry especially are scrambling to fill open positions.  This need was highlighted at the recent CompTIA meetings in Washington, D.C., where the executive vice president of Alvaka Networks stated that there are currently 450,000 unfilled IT jobs.  That’s why it’s critical for small and medium-siz ...

Takeaway of the week is that, ironically, the most secure position in IT seems to be in IT security - or at least its the best chance for better pay around the corner. However, it doesn’t hurt, apparently, to know how to handle big blobs of data using Hadoop. If you’re in the Pacific Northwest then you probably already know you’re in a good place.   Security the Best Way To Secure Better Pay Findings from a new salary guide indicate IT professionals working in the security sector can expec ...