IT Business Education, Delivered Your Way

One of my all-time favorite taglines goes back a few years; Burger King’s “Have it your way” campaign.  The slogan was simple and to the point, telling prospective customer that their chain’s ordering process was more flexible than their competitor’s, proclaiming that they would deliver your food the way you wanted it anytime. If you wanted a burger without lettuce or onion, it was no problem. Burger King identified a customer value (food fixed to your preference) and used it to increase their sales. That’s the same philosophy successful service providers employ in their business every day, designing and promoting offerings that satisfy their clients’ needs. Whether customers need disaster recovery protection, proactive maintenance or anything else, creating a solution that satisfies that need is in the best interest of the industry.   

CompTIA adopted the same attitude with its new Educational Videos On Demand portfolio, a series of online resources developed to help association members successfully advance their business and professional goals. This library of recorded seminars covers topics that IT channel professionals have asked for and, much like Burger King, its flexible delivery is intended to cater to your needs. While you can’t add pickles or hold the lettuce on the videos, you can access the archive any time of day, from any computer having access to the internet. Unlike the Whopper, CompTIA’s Educational Videos On Demand series is free to CompTIA members.

In today’s 24x7 business environment, IT service providers face major time constraints which keep them from participating in many education courses, webinars and training event. It’s not easy to juggle travel to seminars or dedicate time each week to attend a local college, but many providers are interested in gaining the specific knowledge required to move their careers and business forward. The CompTIA Video On Demand series is intended to help solve that time management problem. Though each session requires less than an hour of your time, the recording can be paused and resumed as needed. That means the normal interruptions experienced by a business manager won’t cause a major problem.

The web-based education videos are perfect for team meetings as well. Many sessions would be helpful when onboarding or training new personnel, or when employees have unplanned downtime and need to brush up on a relevant subject matter. There’s a host of ways you can utilize the valuable information and topics in your business, as well as in your own professional development plans. 

How easy is it? Imagine you’re at a client site waiting for new software to load or systems to come back online. Access the CompTIA Videos On Demand library on the Member Resource Center using your laptop, netbook or iPad (virtually any device that will allow you to view a video with internet access) and select a topic of interest. It’s as easy as YouTube; just click the appropriate session link to start the video. Pick up valuable tips and formulate new plans for your business using time that was previously unproductive!  

Videos On Demand subject matter ranges from new opportunities for channel providers and industry best practices, to regulatory information and business fundamentals. The diverse portfolio of recordings originated and developed in the CompTIA Communities. Each group identified important education needs and suggested the skilled practitioners that could develop and present each session (which was then professionally recorded). With a heavy contingent of IT service providers involved in the recommendations and design of the videos, the issues and concerns of the channel are addressed first and foremost.

CompTIA members now have free access to expertise that wasn’t readily available or was cost-prohibitive for most IT services businesses. The initial series is divided into four categories based on four of the CompTIA Community groups; IT Security, IT Services, Healthcare IT, and Cloud/SaaS . When you view the topics listed under each grouping, notice each is focused on a key issue for that particular IT service provider community. For example, topics such as ‘Security Business Planning’ and ‘The Unique Needs of a Healthcare Practice’ address different issues in each community.  Of course, the technology is an undercurrent of each video, but fundamental and advanced business presentations are the true focus.  New topics are already in development and, when members gather for their Community meetings at Breakaway (in San Antonio August 9-12); requirements for future educational videos will be on the agendas.  

CompTIA’s Videos On Demand series give you new freedom, at least when it comes to IT business education for your organization. It may not solve your hunger pangs, but it will be healthier after consumed and provide even more value!

Not a member of CompTIA and want to learn more?  Go to www.comptia.org/channeltools to learn more about the new video on demand series or to learn more about membership.