CompTIA Blog

Indianapolis Public Schools students Christopher Williams, Nigel Leitzell, China Harris, Andrea Williams, and Scott Patrick earned their CompTIA Strata IT Fundamentals certifications after an enrichment class in conjunction with Harrison College. Harrison College's offer to teach a CompTIA Strata IT Fundamentals technology class to a group of Indianapolis public high school students was a handshake deal that became a success. Thanks in no small part to the students' aptitude and hung ...

A look at the week of June 19 in public advocacy for the IT channel: Small cloud companies are struggling to secure federal contracts and certification due to the overwhelming demand of the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, says the Washington Post. Small business owners are embracing a new bill designed to keep productive immigrant workers in the U.S., says the Wall Street Journal. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee predicts that Obama will back down from his thre ...

Indianapolis Public Schools students Christopher Williams, Nigel Leitzell, China Harris, Andrea Williams, and Scott Patrick earned their CompTIA Strata IT Fundamentals certifications after an enrichment class in conjunction with Harrison College.Harrison College's offer to teach a CompTIA Strata IT Fundamentals technology class to a group of Indianapolis public high school students was a handshake deal that became a success. Thanks in no small part to the students' aptitude and hunger for IT, th ...

Last night, Microsoft held an event that had the tech world buzzing through the weekend. Most industry watchers knew a tablet was in the works, but beyond that there wasn’t much firm data. Since Apple, Google and Facebook have been the companies making the most waves in tech recently, there was a sense of surprise that Microsoft had been able to generate so much interest.There was indeed a tablet at the center of all this interest: the new Microsoft Surface. Steve Ballmer said that the Surface “ ...

Although still early, the 2012 Presidential election remains very close (within the margin of error).  According to Rasmussen Reports, Governor Romney leads President Obama 47 percent to 44 percent (5 percent support another candidate and 4 percent are undecided).  Expect these numbers to fluctuate throughout the election, but generally remain very close.Of course, some events may lead to slight changes in polling numbers in the near term, including the Supreme Court’s ruling on healthcare refor ...

While some may choose to dismiss the various discussions, events and training programs on cloud solutions as hype, there are many more proving that the business model works. Members of the IT channel can be somewhat cautious, but it’s rare for them to ignore business applications that their customers want. And everyone from the smallest mom-and-pop retailer to the largest corporation wants the benefits that cloud services offer, according to respected industry analysts.For example, IDC reports t ...

Takeaway of the week is that it remains good to be in the IT job market, if one has to be in a job market at all. Choices abound, given the right skills and aptitude. This goes for anywhere in the globe, given the right skills. Dice: Tech Job Market Rises Above Despite economic woes, the job market for IT pros remains hot, a new Dice hiring survey indicates. According to the survey, nearly three-quarters of IT-focused recruiters and hiring managers expected to build out tech staffs in the last ...

In my previous blog I wrote about the need to reduce customer concentration in order to increase your value to prospective buyers.  Now let’s talk about the importance of building your internal management team.In the early days of running your own business, it's natural for the founder to do as much as possible. It's the most cost-effective way to do things in the beginning—and no one knows your stuff better than you do. But as the company grows, you'll find yourself stretched too thin. At some ...

As early as last week, Senator Lieberman stated that he is hopeful that “there is still a possibility” that cybersecurity could get passed in the Senate this year.  This is Senator Lieberman’s last legislative session since he is retiring this year.  Many beltway insiders believe that the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is eager to see passage of comprehensive cybersecurity reform as his last major achievement.Although the odds are no better than 50/50 to get ...

A look at the week of June 13 in public advocacy for the IT channel: The revelation that the U.S. was partly behind a computer virus used to damage Iranian nuclear centrifuges has added urgency for Congress to compromise and push through cybersecurity legislation, says The Hill. Two cybersecurity bills are stalled in the Senate amid the growing media spotlight on the U.S.’s vulnerability to cyberterrorism, says the National Journal. A bipartisan group of senators is working out a compromise rega ...

After several years of discussing the benefits of UC (unified communications) with solution providers, it’s clear that many, including some of the largest MSPs, still haven’t found the right solution to offer their customers. While some indicated questionable value for their clients and others were concerned about potential competition from telecoms and cable companies, most thought the opportunity was limited.UC is one of those unique categories in the technology field, much like the POS (point ...

For recent generations the digital era is not an emerging trend but simply the status quo. Previous generations have had to learn or "un-learn" and part ways with legacy technologies before adopting new technologies, but Gen Y (aka "millennials" born 1982-1994) and Gen Z (aka "digital natives" born 1995-2011) have been immersed in the technologies of the digital era since day one. Downloading an app or trying to get to what she needs on a computer is second nature to my six-year-old daughter who ...

For recent generations the digital era is not an emerging trend but simply the status quo. Previous generations have had to learn or “un-learn” and part ways with legacy technologies before adopting new technologies, but Gen Y (aka “millennials” born 1982-1994) and Gen Z (aka “digital natives” born 1995-2011) have been immersed in the technologies of the digital era since day one. Downloading an app or trying to get to what she needs on a computer is second nature to my six-year-old daughter who ...

Takeaway of the week is a reminder to constantly maintain and expand your personal skill set. Otherwise, you might just take a long fall down that ever-growing "tech skills gap" separating you from that next great job. Widening Tech Skills Gap Signals Changing Jobs Market The growing space separating those IT job openings and the candidates with the necessary expertise is the clearest sign yet that this segment of the job market is in the midst of a veritable revolution, experts say. As tale ...

Startup Act 2.0 was recently introduced in both the House and Senate by a bi-partisan group of legislators.  In the Senate, S. 3217, was sponsored by Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS).  In the House, companion legislation H.R. 5893 was introduced by Rep. Grimm (R-NY-13) and Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA-47).This legislation is intended to boost our economic recovery by providing greater support for high-paying, high-skilled jobs in ...