The rapid pace at which our industry is evolving is no secret – especially to those of us immersed in the business of technology. It’s our job at CompTIA to provide our members with the insight and resources needed to keep up and grow. We made great progress this year as we expanded our membership focus to all business models and technologies driving business solutions – and want to make sure you’re taking advantage of everything we have to offer.
1,700+ New Member Contacts and a Community of More Than 175,000 Registered Users
Membership grew in 2018 to just over 1,700 corporate Premier Members, many of which are in the emerging technology space. We welcomed 95 new vendor and distributor members this year, 65 of which are driving leading-edge solutions. A diverse and engaged membership means that you all benefit from each other. There are many lessons to be learned from both small and large businesses across a variety of industries. Engage with your peers and get involved!
The Tech Event of the Year
July 31 to August 2 we hosted ChannelCon in Washington, D.C., with more than 1,000 people in attendance. Retired four-star General Stan McChrystal delivered an excellent keynote relating examples of how the troops he commanded in the Middle East relied on the agility, adaptability and cohesion of small teams, combined with the power and resources of a giant organization. Mark you calendar now for ChannelCon 2019, August 5 to 7 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas – and remember, members receive unlimited, complimentary registrations!
A Place to Advance Your Career
CompTIA AITP has grown from 2,500 IT pros, students and academic members to more than 13,000 members, including 9,500 students. This year, we launched two additional benefits – access to thousands of on-demand business and soft skills training courses through BizLibrary, and TechTurnout regional events, which gave IT pros in San Diego and Dallas the opportunity to network, gain knowledge from industry leaders, earn CEUs and get up close and personal with emerging technology. We also published our inaugural Tech Towns research report that ranked the 20 best U.S. cities for Tech Pros to live and work in.
CompTIA Training and Certifications to Get You to the Next Level
CompTIA certifications are constantly evolving to keep pace with the ever-changing world of IT, and 2018 was no different. This year we introduced CompTIA PenTest+ and updated four other certifications. We defined two career pathways to help IT pros identify the next steps in their IT careers and launched CompTIA Stackable Certifications to show a deeper mastery of knowledge. To help IT pros develop the skills they need for today’s jobs, we launched new training products, including official study guides and the CompTIA CertMaster suite of products.
A Unified Voice Impacting Federal, State and International Policy
Our advocacy team saw some positives cross the finish line, like reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, and passage of the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act. Our State Government Affairs team tracked 1,100+ bills in 44 states. Privacy remained the dominant set of issues of the 2018 session, and we monitored or engaged on 435 bills in 42 states. We lobbied hard on international matters like the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA) to ensure CFIUS had proper jurisdictional lanes, and the threat of Chinese tariffs.
Representation in the Public Sector Market
Our State and Local Government and Education (SLED) council led the way in the formation of vendor advisory bodies in Los Angeles; and our Human Services IT Advisory Group (HSITAG), partnering with the American Public Human Services Association, got 25 states to participate in the HSITAG State of the States Survey. Through the Space Enterprise Council, we saw a landmark agreement with Brazil signed between CompTIA and Brazil’s largest trade association Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (FIESP). The agreement calls for collaboration in space activities, smart cities and workforce training.
The Chance to Meet Face-to-Face with Policymakers
Last February, nearly 150 CompTIA members and partners converged on Capitol Hill for our annual DC Fly-In. Participants had an opportunity to meet with over 150 elected officials and staff to discuss key technology trends and needs for our industry. If you never participated in this complimentary annual member event, it’s something you don’t want to miss. This event provides you with a platform to share your voice with our government. Join us in Washington, D.C., February 5 to 6, 2019 – it’s an experience worth flying in for!
Engage in Industry-Specific Forums
Our 10 IT communities stayed busy this year working on their own goals and initiatives. Amongst these initiatives are new infographics, podcasts and workforce development plans. Our communities offer a forum for industry-specific networking opportunities and the chance to better understand your field and its direction. Take this quick four-question quiz to learn how your involvement in a CompTIA community can have a huge impact on your company.
The Center for Technology and Workforce Solutions
New this year is the Center for Technology and Workforce Solutions (CTWS). This new think tank studies the intersection of technology and the workforce, and leverages those insights to produce data-driven, smart policies and methodologies. CTWS focuses on three major themes: expanding the tech talent pipeline, achieving equity in the tech workforce and preparing for the jobs of now and the future.
Two New Issues of CompTIAWorld
We released two issues of our association magazine, CompTIAWorld, this year. Issue three focuses on the evolution of technology and the tremendous opportunity and challenges it is creating. Learn how our members are combining and configuring evolving components to offer new solutions. Our latest issue is full of stories of how CompTIA, our members and technology are changing the world we live and work in.
The Opportunity to Give Back While Strengthening the IT Workforce
This year Creating IT Futures, the charitable arm of CompTIA, enabled 200+ adults to launch their IT careers and secured funding to more than double IT-Ready classes for 2019. Additionally, we expanded our IT-Ready curriculum and launched CompTIA’s first-ever instructor-led online training program. We also inspired more teens to get interested in tech careers through our NextUp initiative by exposing 200+ girls in Chicago to tech via our partner TechGirlz; enabling 33 middle schools to receive FUSE Studios and support the Technology Student Association, which reaches more than 250,000 teens nationwide.
The 2018 IT Outlook Study
CompTIA’s IT Industry Outlook report maps out the enterprise tech territory and gives a comprehensive view of where we’ve been and what’s to come. The 2018 report expands upon 10 key findings, including the arrival of machine learning, making use of digital data, big business transformations, global IT spending, tech exports, the importance of soft skills, the need for a tech-savvy board, cybersecurity, the new collar economy and SMB partnering.
Cyberstates Data at Your Fingertips
Tech employment in the U.S. expanded by nearly 200,000 jobs in 2017 to an estimated 11.5 million workers; and at $1.6 trillion, the tech sector is one of the largest components of the nation’s economy, according to CompTIA Cyberstates 2018, the definitive annual analysis of the nation’s industry. The economic might of the tech industry is felt in nearly every state. The industry is a top-five economic contributor in 22 states; and in the top 10 of 42 states.
The New CompTIA Community Forum
We unveiled the new CompTIA Community Forum (CCF) in Chicago back in March. The idea was to execute an expansive, fast-paced working meeting that accomplished direct industry impact via opportunities to share ideas. Everybody was on board; no one at CCF was mincing words as we looked at tech from all angles. Take a look at what we learned. Save the date for CCF 2019, March 11 to 13, at the Chicago Marriott Downtown.
Annual ChannelChangers Awards
At ChannelCon, we honored three young professional who are making a mark on the tech industry. Our 2018 ChannelChangers are Jessie Devine of QuoteWerks, Mackenzie Heddy of ASCII Group and Hannah Lloyd of Inbay. ChannelChangers are young professionals who are making their mark within a CompTIA member company, have shown success or originality as an entrepreneur, or have made an industry impact in some other demonstrable way. Read more about our 2018 winners.
The Inaugural AWIT Spotlight Awards
This year we shined a light on women who are making big changes in diversity, community and tech innovation with the Advancing Women in Technology (AWIT) Spotlight Awards. The Industry Leadership Award went to Roberta J. Fox, chief innovation officer for the Fox Group Technology; the Mentorship Guide Award went to Kathryn Rose, consultant for profitable partnership specialists Achieve Unite; the CompTIA/ChannelPro Cecilia Galvin Scholarship Award was given to robotics mentor, inventor and engineer Sarah Johnson; and, the Technical Pacesetter Award went to technology consultant Sheryne Glicksman. Read more about our honorees.
Our Member of the Year, Victor Johnston
At ChannelCon we honored our 2018 Member of the Year, Victor Johnston. This award recognizes a single member who, in the prior twelve months, demonstrated outstanding service and impact through his/her commitment, passion, professionalism and leadership. Victor sums up the meaning of CompTIA membership itself in one word – opportunity. “It’s the opportunity for community, friendships, knowledge and economic growth,” he said. “It’s the opportunity to be better tomorrow than what you were today.” Read Victor’s story.
Being a part of CompTIA IS all about opportunity – and the more you take advantage of, the more value you’ll see. We have lots of great plans in store for 2019, including launching a member app and a new community in Europe. If you are a member, thank you for all you do to support your industry trade association. We are an association for the technology industry, by the technology industry. If you are not yet a member, cost to get involved is minimal and return can be great. Sign up here today! Thanks to all for a great year and cheers to the year ahead!
