CompTIA Blog

Policymakers and the military are continuing their focus on cybersecurity, with the military stepping up hiring, nations acknowledging the threat of cybersecurity and HHS working to strengthen security around online medical records.  Meanwhile, DowJones VentureSource has announced an upswing in VC investments.  The stories below highlight key policy news from the week of July 19.Military Stepping Up Cybersecurity Hiring – The Air Force has granted hiring officials special authority to use a stre ...

If you haven’t checked out the jammed-packed agenda for next week’s annual Breakaway conference, you’ll find a wealth of sessions, presentations, workshops and community meetings on the docket. Breakaway is one of the events I look forward to each year since there’s always something new starting or coming out of the confab. This year is no exception, and there’s one particular initiative that has my attention: The CompTIA Ambassador program.In the words of Annette Taber, the association’s vice p ...

 “May the dreams of your past be the reality of your future,” remains one of my favorite quotes of all time. The author is unknown, but it truly summarizes the wishes of most 12 year olds. While I’m still waiting for my own personal jet pack to be delivered, new and  innovative technologies are introduced to the masses each and every day. Imagine running into a time traveler from 1970, visiting  the local electronics store for the first time in 2010. There are a host of things he wouldn’t recogn ...

Submitted by guest blogger MJ ShoerIn the book Drive by Daniel Pink, the author includes a fantastic chapter on Purpose in Chapter 6.  I somewhat struggled with the differentiation of Motivation 2.0 and Motivation 3.0 up to this chapter, but Pink’s correlation of purpose to these really brought things into clarity for me.  Simply stated, Motivation 3.0 brings to the table to concept that today’s professional is looking for much more than a lucrative paycheck to feel valued as a person and an emp ...

Breakaway 2010 is right around the corner, and the race is STILL on - will you be the sponsor to recruit the most attendees in the Breakaway Grand Prix?Invite your customers and partners to Breakaway using your complimentary promo code and get credit for every reseller you register.  Not only will you earn rewards like free sponsorship opportunities and special welcome gifts for your partners, but the sponsor with the most resellers / solution providers in attendance at Breakaway will join the B ...

Those who enjoy baseball know that the game is as much about information and strategy as it is about skill. The most arcane player statistics are assembled and used to help managers make crucial decisions throughout a game. Picture a right handed starting pitcher facing a right handed batter in the eighth inning, with two runners on base and one out. Both managers will analyze the situation and consult a myriad of statistics before sending instructions to their team that could make the differenc ...

 At Breakaway, you’ll know you’ll learn new tips and make new connections to improve your business.  But hey folks, it’s summer time – time to kick back and party.  We’re planning a full-on Texas party for you, hoedown style.We’ll transport you to the Knibbe Ranch on Tuesday, August 10th.  Air-conditioned buses will depart at 6:30 p.m. for a 20-25 minute ride.  We’ll also outfit you with cowboy hats and bandannas, but wear your own jeans and boots.  Once at the ranch: Watch an authentic, profess ...

If strip poker and erectile dysfunction weren’t enough to raise the stakes in our PitchIT video contest, now we’ve got a voting scandal on our hands. Less than a month into the contest, 18 entrants have garnered more than a quarter of a million votes from viewers.  That many votes in such a short time period are raising some eyebrows, but hey we asked for creativity. We told you to do whatever it takes to get votes for your videos.  So let’s put a few rules in place – showing some skin, yes, it’ ...

Submitted by guest blogger John MehrmannDaniel Pink drives right to the heart of what matters with his latest book, DRIVE. He cites numerous case studies, historical references, and clinical examples to demonstrate the intrinsic and practical pursuit of excellence. The examples are fascinating, but one need look no further than his or her own work environment to immediately recognize the simple truths illuminated in his work.In the chapter on Mastery, Daniel Pink clearly conveys the value of mot ...

Note: This is the eighth of eight blog entries in which I examine managed services best practices identified in the CompTIA MSP Partners 2010 market research.What is your most valuable asset? No, I’m not talking about your winning smile or superior intelligence… but the asset that is most import to your business success. Here’s a hint to what I’m looking for: I once worked for a CEO who told me “I’d rather lose a good customer than a good employee.” His point was simple; a good employee is more ...

Author Robert C. Gallagher once quipped “change is inevitable-except from a vending machine.” In the IT industry, change is something we hear about every day.  It seems that the latest trend or fad is always just around the corner, ready to revolutionize our industry and turn traditional businesses upside down.For those of us who have been in the IT industry for a significant length of time, we have learned how to weather this constant barrage of change. For every noteworthy innovation or indust ...

Despite the occasional news report of a major cloud outage, there is no shortage of demand for SaaS offerings these days. If you pay attention to social media sites and other online communities/message boards, you likely think the majority of technology users are logged into a cloud solution on their iPad or netbook. Truthfully, there is a great deal of progress to make before we reach that point in web-application delivery (although Apple would surely want it now), but what’s fueling all this g ...

Submitted by guest blogger Sue KrautbauerIt’s a beautiful thing when seemingly disparate ideas intersect. In the book  Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, David H. Pink examines traditional theories of motivation which utilize external rewards and brilliantly contrasts them with research in psychology and behavioral science that states an individual is successfully motivated by intrinsic rewards.The way we have always done things isn’t working.  The baby boomer generation is bur ...

With the proliferation of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, MySpace and other social media sites, how do you decipher what (and if) social media sites are right for building your brand?  What about more traditional programs such as market development funds (MDF)? Are you taking full advantage of these vendor-provided programs?Learn how to make social media, MDF, and other programs generate new business and more revenue from CompTIA's International Vice-President Matthew Poyiadgi during Breaka ...

If you are among the many traditional break/fix VARs interested in jumping into managed services, you won’t want to miss our Breakaway panel on just that topic at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 10. I’ve lined up industry leaders and successful MSPs to share their advice and answer your questions about successfully making the move from break/fix to managed services. Hear insight from Jeannine Edwards, director of ConnectWise Community; Edward Stringfellow, president of Stringfellow Technology Group; Al ...