CompTIA Blog

Despite much hand wringing over the impact of cloud in the channel, many companies are beginning to gain a clearer – and more relief-tinged – picture of what the model means to the industry at large and their own business roadmaps.Clearly for the channel, the devil is in the details. Companies today are determining the role they will play in the cloud evolution and how they will implement steps needed to make the transition and overcome obstacles. This holds true whether they are planning a mino ...

A look at the week of September 6 in public advocacy for the IT channel:  This week, IT policy news focused on two topics: cybersecurity training and employment and the role of cloud computing in cutting government IT costs.  Nextgov.com reports that the GAO is concerned about whether the supply of U.S. cyber workers will meet the government’s demand, while USA Today reports that cyber programs are springing up in institutions of higher education across the country to address this gap.GAO Review ...

CompTIA UK hosted our UK Channel Community last Thursday at the ICC in Birmingham and most of us agreed it was the best meeting to date.A community operates differently. Whilst sometimes tempted to dictate the run of play, it was more productive and more satisfying to see members of the community step up and take the lead at different times during the session, each adding their own nugget of value to the collective. Our chair, IT consultant Richard Tubb, is well respected by all, and his effortl ...

So you just came back from the latest IT event and found the one service/product that you think is a perfect fit for your company. You want to get it up and running quickly and can’t wait to see how it grows your bottom line! So you have a staff meeting, roll out the new offering to your team and walk away satisfied that the conference was a success—with your organization ready to make a lot of money!Well take a step back, because this type of “fly by” business plan is typically unsuccessful.  I ...

The West Coast generally gets all the attention when it comes to earthquakes, which seem to be a part of everyday life for those in California, Oregon and Washington (not to mention Alaska and Hawaii). The Gulf Coast, on the other hand, seems to be a magnet for hurricanes and tropical depressions. So it came as quite a surprise to those in the North East who got hit with both last week. A rare 5.9 earthquake struck Mineral, Va., on Tuesday, which rattled nerves and lit up Facebook with “what was ...

By the time she had graduated from Stanford University, Stephanie Brown had already completed internships with Fortune 500 companies Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Deloitte. She was only 21.No wonder, then, that Microsoft’s human resources department tracked her down, offering her a position she had not even applied for: helping the company’s enterprise customers in the Southeast streamline their IT infrastructure.Getting connected with BDPA in high school put Stephanie Brown on a learni ...

A look at the week of August 29 in public advocacy for the IT channel: This week, government agencies take steps to expand health IT to rural areas.  States and businesses struggle over sales tax as more transactions take place in cyberspace.  A new report finds that IT workers received millions of dollars in recruitment, retention and relocation incentives in 2009. HHS, USDA Align To Reach Rural Areas with Health IT — The Departments of Health and Human Services and Agricultur ...

A recent article in The New York Times discussed how security concerns are contributing to the reluctance of federal agencies and businesses to migrate their IT operations to the cloud.  While some of these concerns are legitimate, given the benefits of the cloud, the transition seems inevitable and the longer we wait, the more money is wasted.In the past, businesses of all sizes and government agencies spent billions of dollars on IT hardware and software.  Much of this technology was proprieta ...

CompTIA has long believed it, and a recent gathering of U.S. veterans in Chicago confirmed it: Veterans and returning service members need a program that helps them qualify for IT jobs. With the right IT job skills and aptitude, a veteran could take advantage of career opportunities in the U.S., where more than 450,000 IT positions remain unfilled due to a lack of qualified candidates. To address both veterans’ and U.S. industry needs, CompTIA on Tuesday, August 23rd, unveiled Troops to Tech Ca ...

CompTIA has long believed it, and a recent gathering of U.S. veterans in Chicago confirmed it: Veterans and returning service members need a program that helps them qualify for IT jobs. With the right IT job skills and aptitude, a veteran could take advantage of career opportunities in the U.S., where more than 450,000 IT positions remain unfilled due to a lack of qualified candidates. To address both veterans’ and U.S. industry needs, CompTIA on Tuesday, August 23rd, unveiled Troops to ...

Cloud computing has been one of the most hyped IT strategies in recent years, with vendors scrambling to provide cloud-enabled technologies and businesses trying to figure out if this new model can deliver on its promises of cost savings. CompTIA’s 2nd Annual Trends in Cloud Computing study finds that beyond the hype, cloud is indeed a strategy that proves beneficial to end-users, and one that has significant momentum for years ahead.Other firms agree with this assessment. Gartner projects publi ...

A look at the week of August 22 in public advocacy for the IT channel: This week, Amazon announced a new cloud service geared toward government agencies.  Peter Orszag, former director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under Obama, believes the HITECH Act is creating significant value in healthcare.  The White House wants to expand the role of agency CIOs to encompass management of the agency’s total IT portfolio. Amazon Launches Gov-Only Cloud — Amazon's new "G ...

These days the question on everyone’s mind seems to be: “Will the economy ever recover enough to let us succeed in business again?” Unfortunately, the key to success can’t actually be found in that question. You see, a thriving business is only marginally dependent on the broader economic conditions in which it operates. While many businesses benefit from a thriving economy, it’s undeniable that strong businesses are able to thrive no matter what the economy is like.Thus, the more meaningful que ...

Our UK Channel Community is nearly one year old, and members are finding they get out much more than put in.  The community allows them to share knowledge and learn from each other.This month, UK Channel Chair Richard Tubb interviewed community member George Ilko of Vitality Consulting, a leading managed services provider focused on the small and medium-sized business market.  Why is Ilko involved in the community and how is it helping him grow his business?  Listen to the podcast.[podcast]http: ...

Every year the NFL and NHL refit their players with some of their historic uniforms, paying homage to the great teams of the past—while raking in some extra cash by selling this limited-edition gear to their fans. They’ve learned that people relish the past and the organizations can still generate significant income by providing that link. While the correlation between that situation and what’s happening in the IT vendor community may not be exact, this week’s news seems vaguely familiar.  Of co ...