CompTIA Blog

It’s Earth Week—that period of the year now set aside for all the “green topics” that we should be thinking about all the time—but most of us are just too doggone busy to really “go green” in some significant way. I admit it—I get “guilted out” during these Green Days and Earth Days and such (although I do like the band Greenday and American Idiot). I hate my low-flush toilet. I like long showers (and my friends seem to encourage me to spend more time in there). I can’t stand separating all the ...

It’s Earth Week—that period of the year now set aside for all the “green topics” that we should be thinking about all the time—but most of us are just too doggone busy to really “go green” in some significant way.I admit it—I get “guilted out” during these Green Days and Earth Days and such (although I do like the band Greenday and American Idiot). I hate my low-flush toilet. I like long showers (and my friends seem to encourage me to spend more time in there). I can’t stand separating all the g ...

CompTIA is looking for healthcare IT subject matter experts to help create a new exam. We are looking for IT professionals with four years of experience in healthcare IT, with at least two years in practice workflow and information management. That could include redesigning workflow in a healthcare facility, integrating IT functions into workflow design, documenting health information exchange needs or accommodating quality improvements and reporting. A workshop to start creating the exam will ...

Green IT business opportunities have grown significantly in recent years as companies increasingly recognize the many benefits of green, primarily reduced energy consumption, cost savings and improved environmental impact. As businesses grow and modernize rapidly, their carbon footprint also increases. Investing in greener technology is a major opportunity for companies to not only reduce their carbon footprints, but to save a considerable amount on energy costs. Consider: A McKinsey report pred ...

Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, eligible healthcare professionals and hospitals can qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments when they adopt certified electronic health records (EHR) technology and use it to achieve specified objectives.  Two regulations have been released, one of which defines the “meaningful use” objectives that providers must meet to qualify for the bonus payments.  This year, t ...

The CompTIA mission is to advance the global IT industry. A cornerstone of that mission is to support a national network for career training and education. Tomorrow’s IT entrepreneurs may be today’s student or dislocated worker that needs access to training and knowledge. Hence our deep engagement and support for federal, state and local programs that meet these objectives.On April 15th the President signed into law H.R. 1473, the long-term continuing resolution that will fund the federal govern ...

I often wonder if the old spring phrase should be amended to “April tradeshows bring May flowers.” That one word substitution makes the adage quite true, as this month typically signals the kickoff to the IT channel events season. After attending an industry conference, solution providers typically come home charged and ready to make changes in their business, from new technology and service offerings to training and business development programs.Going back to the old phrase, attendance at April ...

The House introduced a new version of Business Activity tax legislation this week, H.R. 1439, the Business Activity Tax Simplification Act of 2011.  During the last Congress, CompTIA urged passage of similar legislation, which would have provided distinct physical presence requirements as a prerequisite for the taxation of interstate business activities.  On Wednesday, April 13, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law held a hearing on this new legislation for which ...

A look at the week of April 11 in public advocacy for the IT channel   This week, the Senate finally voted to repeal the much-debated 1099 provision, which now heads to the President for his signature.  The new health IT coordinator plans to keep the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) on the same path set by his predecessor, David Blumenthal.  A new report from the Ponemon Institute shows that energy and utility company infrastructure is inadequate to defend against c ...

Cloud computing is different than many other technology discussions these days, not due to its complexity, but because it touches every vertical, technology and potentially every end-user. It‘s more than a delivery system, transforming the way we use and deploy technology. Thus, the discussions around cloud computing and SaaS tend to be very broad and confusing at times. Almost all solution providers are invested in its development and use it to some degree, which explains the variety of questio ...

In today’s global economy, leaders in the training industry must keep up with trends not only in their region, but also worldwide. Industry partners need to work together, no matter where they are located. CompTIA Colloquium gave attendees a look at how some of these international partners are working across borders to drive the IT industry forward.In Mexico, industry partner Norma Valdez from Accithia Learning is working toward integrating certification in the learning centers’ curriculum. Acci ...

Believe it or not, the video games you were so hesitant to buy for your child may just be his or her key to a successful education and career. Speaking at Colloquium yesterday, John Jamison from ImagiLearning questioned what it was that drew people into a game for hours at a time and looked for ways that he could integrate it into the learning process.The Questions:What is it about games that draw kids in to play 45 to 55 hours a week? Why can’t they pass their classes in school but spend all th ...

In his keynote at CompTIA AMM, Daniel Burrus, futurist and CEO of Burrus Research, engaged the audience with seven radical principals to accelerate growth and transform your business. Rather than continue doing the things that bog us down, taking a fresh approach to overcome issues is one of his suggestions. For example, Burrus proposes that if you have a problem, just skip it. Chances are what you consider to be the problem is often not the real concern, so shifting your focus elsewhere could l ...

During the IT Security Community meeting at CompTIA’s Annual Member Meeting today, Chris Whitener, chief strategist, HP secure advantage, enterprise business, Hewlett-Packard Company, listed out for attendees where major threats to your IT network can originate.Chris Whitener of HPInsecure interfaces and APIs can wreak havoc on your IT system.  For instance, watch for anonymous access and/or reusable tokens or passwords.  Check for clear-text authentication or transmission of content.Malicious i ...

Training companies are all about technology and looking for new ways to increase learning.  However when it comes to using technology to enlarge their own marketing reach, they often are a step behind.  During Colloquium yesterday, Elizabeth Shaw, social and emerging media analyst, Forrester, gave training leaders an in-depth tutorial on why interactive marketing matters and how they can use it to grow their businesses.Internet-enabled marketing channels create a dynamic and/or two-way dialog wi ...