CompTIA Blog

If you are planning to attend the CompTIA EMEA Conference on Tuesday, November 8th, you can register for one of the special sessions hosted by Cisco networking authority Todd Lammle, author of Sybex’s CompTIA Network+ Study Guide. Wireless Mobile Networks…  Mobility in Motion and What You Must KnowLearn how cross-layer feedback, along with other exciting new capabilities and innovations built into Mobility in Motion, work to create the “smart grid” of cutting edge wireless mobile networks. Todd ...

THE DAY BEFORE THE EXAM 1) Know the address and phone number of the testing center, and how you will get there, and how much time it will take to reach the testing center site. 2) Get a good night’s sleep before the exam   THE DAY OF THE EXAM 1) Eat a balanced breakfast, including some form of protein to give long-lasting energy. 2) Dress comfortably, in layers. 3) Give yourself plenty of travel time. 4) Bring the address of and directions to the testing site 5) Bring any needed ide ...

Congress continues to look at the complications of collecting sales taxes for interstate transactions completed via the Internet.  Earlier we discussed the Main Street Fairness Act, which would require interstate sellers to collect and remit sales taxes to the states into which sales are made.  Our concern with that legislation was that it failed to define a “small seller exception.”  Although the Main Street Fairness Act would require certain small sellers be exempted, this legislation would gi ...

One of the qualities that make the American political system unique is the access citizens have to their elected officials. James Madison himself set out the right to petition our government within the first amendment to our Constitution.  From town hall meetings to office visits, Americans have long seized the opportunity to speak their minds to those they elect to office. While the current political climate sometimes brings into question the value of one person’s voice, we at CompTIA believe t ...

The Deficit Reduction Super Committee and looming re-election campaigns have taken all the air of out of the room. It seems that despite best efforts by Congress to focus on reforming cybersecurity laws and regulations, the environment looks challenging for current proposals to pass during this legislative session. The Republican Cybersecurity Task Force, chaired by Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-TX), recently issued its report with a list of recommendations for reforming the nation’s cybersecuri ...

CompTIA member Peter Cannone is chief executive officer of OnForce, a cloud-based source for on-site tech talent. He and other OnForce team members have been involved with CompTIA and the IT Services Community for a number of years, supporting and promoting many of the association’s workforce development initiatives and programs.Cannone has extensive experience in the IT channel and the services community, an essential element when running a company that supports more than 20 technology segments ...

1) Know your exam. Carefully read the exam description details to build your exam prep strategy. What are exam objectives or subjects covered? What question formats will be used: multiple-choice, simulated scenarios, essays or fill in the blank? How many questions will be in each exam section? How much time is given to complete the exam? How will the exam be graded? 2) Ask yourself: What kind of learner am I? How much do I know? Answering these questions can help you decide what tools to use to ...

A look at the week of October 17 in public advocacy for the IT channel: This week, the SEC updated a disclosure requirement to press companies to report data breaches and cyber attacks.  Agencies also are updating policies due to data breaches, requiring that contractors that handle personally identifiable information complete privacy training.  As politicians tout small businesses as the engines of job creation, the Small Business Administration looks into the facts and figures of these claims. ...

Earlier this week the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade held a hearing entitled “Understanding Consumer Attitudes About Privacy.”  Subcommittee Chairman Bono Mack stated that “despite everything that I have heard in our previous hearings, I still remain somewhat skeptical right now of both industry and government. Frankly, I don’t believe industry has proven that it’s doing enough to protect American consumers, while government.  Unfortunately, tends to overreach whenever it com ...

While the old adage claiming that people use only about 10 percent of their brain has been disputed by a number of neurologists, most of them admit that man still uses just a fraction of its true capacity. Few really tap into the potential intellectual power they have available.You don’t have to be the next Einstein or Da Vinci to see the parallel to managed services tools. A couple of the keynotes from this week’s Tigerpaw User Conference emphasized the need for solution providers to create gre ...

As small businesses across the country continue to search for reliable sources of capital, Congress has fallen short of providing real solutions.  While there is no magic bullet that will free up much needed capital, there are some small steps that can be taken immediately to aid in capital formation for some small businesses.  H.R. 1070/S. 1544, the “Small Company Capital Formation Act of 2011” would reduce the filing and compliance burdens for certain small businesses that seek to raise capita ...

I just returned from a two-week trip to Asia, stopping in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Toyko, Beijing, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Frankfurt and then back to Chicago. Along the way I ran speed tests on Internet access speeds at each hotel where we stayed. The results verified a lot of what I’d noticed anecdotally on prior trips to the region. They also demonstrate, that regardless of what you read and hear, the U.S. has the absolute best, most affordable and widely available Inte ...

Since its founding via a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant in 2005, CyberWatch, the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Center headquartered at Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) in Largo, Md., has had one mission: to improve the cybersecurity workforce in both quality and quantity of workers.The NSF funded CyberWatch, along with two other ATE Centers (The Cyber Security Education Consortium in Oklahoma and the Center for System Security and Information Assurance at Moraine Valley ...

Since its founding via a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant in 2005, CyberWatch, the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Center headquartered at Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) in Largo, Md., has had one mission: to improve the cybersecurity workforce in both quality and quantity of workers. The NSF funded CyberWatch, along with two other ATE Centers (The Cyber Security Education Consortium in Oklahoma and the Center for System Security and Information Assurance ...

CompTIA member Steve Harper is president and CEO of Network Management Group Inc. (NMGI) , a managed services provider and consulting business based in Hutchinson, Kansas. He is a long-time contributor to CompTIA and has been with the association in a number of leadership and support roles over the years, including an appointment to the Board of Directors.Harper is always willing to share his IT channel experience and expertise with peers, vendors and distributors. He has served on advisory boar ...