In August, CompTIA podcasts provided insight into today’s most talked about tech topics—from what the customer experience means in the IT channel to the importance of soft skills in cybersecurity, overused tech terms, women in SaaS, and more.
This month, CompTIA podcasts covered a range of topics with member-experts and CompTIA staff providing insight into today’s most talked about tech topics—from what the customer experience means in IT to the importance of soft skills in cybersecurity positions, overused tech terms, the food-for-thought conclusion about women in SaaS, and much more. Take a look at what we overheard on CompTIACasts in August then check out all of our podcasts. Subscribe and start listening today.
Customer Experience is King
On Coffee Break with CompTIA Councils, Chris Phillips, director of CompTIA's Industry Advisory Councils, talks with Tony Francisco, CEO of CloudPlus, about what customer experience means and how it's changed for vendors, distributors, solution providers and end-users.
“The end customer is where everything is going…. Now, a customer and a user and go directly to the company and purchase an enterprise-class email system just by clicking a button—who would have thought that was possible 10, 20 years ago? Now it’s commonplace. The end-user’s customer experience is where the vision has to be.”
- Tony Francisco, CEO, CloudPlus
Listen now.
Most Marketable Skills for Cybersecurity
Technologist Talk covers which skills are most marketable for IT candidates interested in today’s most in-demand market: cybersecurity. Guest expert and CompTIA CEO Todd Thibodeaux makes the case that soft business skills—such as researching, writing, teaching, learning and collaborating—are what set candidates apart from the cybersecurity crowd in the eyes of employers.
“[A talent for teaching matters in a cybersecurity career because] it’s about passing down the knowledge, sharing what you know, the value of analogy, and story, and examples. Being able to teach in a way that you wouldn’t think is teaching, but it is because you’re looking at that other person’s perspective, and you’re not only thinking about what is it that they should know, but how they can best consume it… In cybersecurity, that’s especially true when talking about complex issues and timely and sensitive things. You have to be clear and concise in your communication.”
- Todd Thibodeaux, President and CEO, CompTIA
Listen now.
Overworked Tech Terms and Definitions
On Volley, hosts and CompTIA research analysts Carolyn April and Seth Robinson talk about the history, trends and drawbacks of naming conventions and hyper-specific (and possibly pigeonholed) definitions and labels used in the ever-evolving and increasingly complex technology industry.
"Having one umbrella term for all the types of businesses that are in the channel doesn't necessarily define these companies properly. But we're always trying to get the nomenclature right. It used to be very cut and dry. Now, the universe of companies that are in the business of technology have mushroomed into all different types of companies that are not the same, and we might want to start thinking about how we define and talk about these players.”
- Carolyn April, Senior Director, Industry Analysis, CompTIA
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TWO WOMEN PIONEERS SHARE THEIR SAAS SECRETS, PART 2
On Women TechCast, hosts Cristina Greysman, partner strategist for Amazon, and Janet Schijns, CEO of the JS Group, continue their deep dive into digital SaaS businesses. In the second part of their candid conversation, guests Dina Moskowitz, CEO of SaaSMAX, and Kathryn Rose, CEO of wiseHer, talk about what they’ve learned about running SaaS businesses.
“What we’re trying to do is figure out how to reach that product market fit. Because nobody wants to tell you your baby’s ugly. What I did was come out from behind my computer—which is really important—and went to every women’s meet-up I could find and pretended to be an investor. I took [the personal side] out of it and people would tell me the truth about how they felt about the idea.”
- Kathryn Rose, CEO, wiseHer
Listen now.
Rewind: Attracting and Managing Remote Workers Successfully
In this oldie-but-goodie episode of TechServices Success podcast, host Sue Krautbauer talks with Kathy Kacher, founder of Career/Life Alliance Services, about what managers and companies need to understand about the “new collar worker”—the remote worker. Delving beyond flexible schedules and adjusting the traditional workplace, Kathy offers tips and real-world experience for managers to successfully onboard, transition and maintain solid remote teams.
“IT organizations really have to step back and rethink their brand as an employer—are they an employer of choice? What do they want to bring to the individual who is looking for that job? When there’s this much stress on an industry, you have to go above and beyond what you offer and how you communicate with your potential new hire.”
- Kathy Kacher, Founder, Career/Life Alliance Services
Listen now.
