CompTIA Blog

We have the privilege of working in one of the best industries in the world. The IT channel is dynamic and it’s always changing. Most of us who run a VAR, solution provider, managed service provider—or whatever label you want to use—company are typically not born business people.Most of us are technology-oriented, whether through formal training or experience, typically getting into the business from the IT side. Over the years, we force ourselves to learn what we need to know in order to succes ...

Economic growth covers up a lot of warts, but when growth isn't there, those blemishes start to look pretty ugly. Elected officials at the federal, state and local level are beginning to wipe the steam off the bathroom mirror and they aren't liking the options staring back at them.Everyone is better at managing when times are going gangbusters. Really, how difficult was it to manage the U.S. economy in the second half of the 1990s? The economy was growing at near emerging market rates. Federal a ...

While the process of answering the phone hasn’t changed a lot over the years, the technology behind the call has transformed significantly—especially for businesses. Efficiency and productivity are being taken to new heights with the latest unified communications (UC) solutions, connecting a myriad of applications and account management platforms to reduce the time required to manage customer calls. Both the technology and business applications continue to advance, which was confirmed by two of ...

A look at the week of February 28 in public advocacy for the IT channel This week, discussions over government funding led to a reconsideration of essential security personnel.  The House is scheduled to consider stand-alone 1099 legislation.  Funding for electronic medical records (EMRs) may be threatened in budget cuts. Looming Government Shutdown Redefines Essential Personnel — The threat of a government shutdown has forced cybersecurity experts to reevaluate which employe ...

I love the TechRepublic website, and my last Monday morning’s reading included Jack Wallen’s “10 Reasons for Quitting IT” article. Lots of comments and suggestions—some of them humorous like farming and Buddhist monk, etc., but some of them observations from some pretty frustrated IT folks. As someone who has moved around for most of his IT career (production manager in database/imaging service bureau, IT manager, CIO in several places, storage industry executive leadership, now working for Comp ...

We’re establishing a new member community whose charter is to "deliver expertise and guidance to impact solution provider success".  The IT Business Growth Professionals Community (ITBGP) believes that providing innovative coaching and consulting services to other IT solutions firms is a way to raise the standards of quality and professionalism across the industry, thus benefiting all of us.The idea for the community began with discussions between CompTIA leadership and members recognizing the n ...

We are urging the House to pass H.R. 4, which would repeal a new 1099 reporting requirement that would impose an undue burden on small businesses. Unless this provision is repealed, beginning in 2012, all businesses will be required to file a form 1099 when they pay any business or individual $600 or more for goods or services during a year.The House is expected to vote on this legislation on Thursday, March 3.  Click here to send a message to your U.S. Representative. Your voice is IMPORTANT! ...

Through our Educational Foundation, we enable people to improve their lives through employment in the IT industry.  Our foundation’s services help at-risk individuals and populations under-represented in IT prepare for, secure and be successful in IT careers.We've helped thousands of individuals, including military personnel and spouses.  For instance last year, Christopher Venters, an Air Force veteran from Deleware, obtained several CompTIA certifications by way of the foundation.In the summer ...

In Illinois, legislation that would shut down many small internet businesses has been passed by both houses and sits on the governor's desk for signature. Dubbed the Amazon Tax, the new law would require any non-Illinois seller to collect Illinois sales tax if that seller acquires customers through a link on the Internet website of the Illinois business. This requirement applies even ‘though the out-of-state business has no other presence in the state. We refer to this emerging concept as “virtu ...

Earlier this month, CompTIA President and CEO Todd Thibodeaux observed that there is a significant knowledge gap among legislators, their staff and administration officials about the composition of the IT industry, and how sizeable and important a role the IT solution provider plays in the larger tech ecosystem."If a company isn't making a tangible product, producing patents or IP, they aren't getting noticed by lawmakers and federal agencies," said Thibodeaux. "We at CompTIA have a duty to rais ...

The preliminary news on Microsoft’s next version of Windows could lead to several ripples in the IT channel, far beyond its effects on the company’s escalating battles with rivals Apple and Google. According to long-time Microsoft expert and ZDNet blogger Mary-Jo Foley, the software company is on track to release Windows 8 (though this name hasn’t been finalized) in mid-2012, with beta clients getting access to the OS earlier in the year. The big question seems to be how many versions there will ...

During the 11th annual Health Information Management Systems Society conference in Orlando, Fla., this past week, I had the chance to discuss CompTIA’s plans to produce a certificate in Health IT later this year with a number of potential customers. I am more enthused than ever that CompTIA’s plans are well grounded in a good understanding of the market, and our credential will help IT professionals make the move into the exciting vertical market of healthcare IT with great success. ...

A look at the week of February 21 in public advocacy for the IT channel The Senate-approved version of the 1099 tax provision repeal bill clashes with a version of the repeal approved by House Ways and Means Committee regarding how the government can pay for the repeal.  This week, the Senate’s cyber bill was updated with language explicitly prohibiting the President from shutting down the Internet.  The White House’s 2012 budget looks to update its IT systems in order to save money in the long ...

There’s no doubt about it; whether it’s local, state or federal budgets, discretionary dollars are going to be in scarcer supply. Deep cuts are coming at all levels. But not all cuts are the same.A large part of the growth of the IT industry over the last 30 years has been a result of the wholesale buy-in and adoption of IT as a means to make government and municipal services more efficient and effective. Data processing, document management and networked systems now make room for cloud-based st ...

You don’t need to be an industry insider to know there is a tremendous amount of activity/interest in the Healthcare IT market. Companies across the broad spectrum of the IT industry are either actively involved in the HIT space or considering it as a practice option. Obviously, the benefits associated with the ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) and HITECH (The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act) programs have spurred much of this interest ...