Steven Ostrowski Posts

Expertise and specialization will separate successful solution providers from those that struggle, according to a ChannelCon Power Panel of channel executives from four leading IT vendors. “What I see now are partners with deep expertise doing very, very well,” said Greg Davis, vice president and general manager of global commercial channels at Dell. “Make an investment in your people to build your expertise.” “The most successful partners have developed a point of ...

Consultation and creative problem solving are important keys to success in the marketplace for cloud-based solutions. That message was delivered Tuesday by top executives from three leading IT distributors who participated in a Power Panel Discussion at CompTIA ChannelCon 2013. The market for cloud solutions is big and getting bigger, the panelists agreed. Jason Bystrak, director of cloud services at Ingram Micro, cited data that shows 70 percent of new customers were driven to a purchase decisi ...

Ideas stolen from other industries helped grow the Geek Squad from a one-man operation with a bicycle, phone and $200 into an IT repair service behemoth with 25,000 employees and thousands of iconic black-and-white Geekmobiles, the company’s founder proudly admitted Tuesday. “Every problem you face in your business has been solved,” said Robert Stephens, Geek Squad founder and former CTO of Best Buy. Stephens delivered a keynote speech at CompTIA ChannelCon 2013, the premier ed ...

ChannelCon 2013 attendees were urged by CompTIA President and CEO Todd Thibodeaux to embrace the future and all the opportunities it will offer, but also ask themselves tough and thoughtful questions about their business. During his keynote speech Tuesday, Thibodeaux used clips from several Hollywood blockbuster movies – A Few Good Men, Jaws, Dead Poets Society and Rudy – to illustrate his challenges to the business owners and executives in attendance. Can you handle the truth about ...

Unrealistic expectations about what cloud computing can deliver often derail relationships between technology vendors and their channel partners, as well as between partners and their customers. The CompTIA Cloud / SaaS community debated how to overcome those obstacles during its meeting Monday at ChannelCon 2013, the premier education and training event for the IT channel. Attendees agreed that setting realistic expectations that are understood and agreed to by both parties – whether vend ...

New regulations and technologies are creating new challenges and concerns for companies delivering IT services and support. A panel of experts delivered this sobering message on the state of cybersecurity to attendees at Monday’s meeting of the CompTIA IT Services and Support community. The session took place on the opening day of CompTIA ChannelCon 2013, the premier education and partnering event for the IT channel. The panel noted that according to a recent survey, the number one issue k ...

On the surface, the jobs of sports agent and IT solution provider may appear to have little in common. But the two professions share many traits that lead to business success, according to noted agent, author and speaker Molly Fletcher.Fletcher, who heads up her own sports agency business, MWF Enterprises, LLC, delivered the keynote address Wednesday at CompTIA’s Annual Member Meeting in Chicago.Fletcher shared a series of anecdotes and stories from her career, from how she got her start in spor ...

The training industry has entered “the Age of Personal Learning,” in which individuals expect to take control of their own personal learning experiences and organizations will have to adjust to meet those expectations – this according to Doug Howard, chief executive officer and founder of TrainingIndustry.com, a market intelligence firm that studies the global training industry.“They want it now and if you don’t give it to them they will find it somewhere else,” Howard said.Howard delivered his ...

Three technology innovators who helped make wireless computing and database management possible and a pioneer in franchising for the computer reseller market are the newest members of the IT Hall of Fame.Victor Hayes, the “Father of Wi-Fi,” dBASE designer C. Wayne Ratliff and Jim Ciccarelli, who helped transform the IT reseller franchise model, were inducted into the IT Hall of Fame today in a ceremony held at CompTIA’s Annual Member Meeting.The IT Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have ma ...

CompTIA’s IT Services and Support Community is investigating the feasibility of creating an industry-wide clearinghouse to validate and track technical certifications held by IT service technicians. Tuesday’s community meeting was part of CompTIA’s Annual Member Meeting.“The clearinghouse would allow potential clients and customers to validate a technician’s qualifications, including training, certifications and specialties, so the client can be sure that they are getting what they are paying fo ...