When someone tells you that your product or service is the best-kept secret in town, what do you do with that? Surely it’s a compliment that you’re providing something great — but it’s doubtful that you want to be kept a secret. CompTIA recently found itself in that very same position and we’ve spent the last 12 months figuring out what to do about it. What we’ve come up with is a new, open-access membership model that enables both individuals and businesses to directly benefit from CompTIA resources, communities and programs at no cost, while simultaneously bringing more exclusivity and value to our dues-paying members.
Our goals with this new membership model are to expand our reach, educate the community at large and empower channel partners worldwide with knowledge, resources and networking opportunities. As part of this game-changing move, CompTIA is also introducing a new, mobile-optimized, easy-to-use online engagement platform. This new site will make it easier for users and members to find what they’re looking for, engage with CompTIA and interact with others within the association.
Expanding Our Reach
Helping channel partners succeed has always been part of what we do at CompTIA. In the past, we were reaching a fraction of channel partners worldwide. Now, with an open-access model, we’re able to cast a wider net with registered users and go deeper with our premier members to deliver even more value from the association. It’s our hope that those who are not leveraging CompTIA today will now be encouraged and empowered to become registered users and start gaining access to select educational content, research and news dues-free.
Educating the Community
As the needs of the industry have changed, so have we. CompTIA has become a trainer, an educator, an enabler, an advocate and a visionary for the IT industry. Above all, we’re a valued resource and, in many cases, a valued partner to the IT channel. We want to take our research and industry insight mainstream and help the IT channel make more informed decisions about the technologies they sell and support, the services they provide and businesses they run.
Empowering with Knowledge
Knowledge is power and CompTIA has invested millions to develop a growing portfolio of resources designed and proven to help you, your staff and your peers become more successful. These include training modules, business tools and best practices across sales, marketing, technology and general business. The more we can empower channel partners and IT pros worldwide with knowledge and resources, the better position they are in to enhance their businesses. After all, your success is our success.
Your CompTIA Membership
With all these enhancements, how will your own membership be affected? If you are a CompTIA member, consider yourself a premier member. Premier members gain even greater distinction and business value from CompTIA — including priority access to research, complimentary event registration, 50 percent off Trustmark vouchers and discounts on additional CompTIA certifications. And, of course, your premier-membership status will extend to all employees within your company. While it’s our goal to become a top resource in the IT industry, we also realize that membership is a two-way street for our most engaged. Premier membership is not just about consuming, but contributing — not just to the association, but more importantly to the membership and the IT industry. Association voting rights and community leadership position are reserved for premier members.
If you’re not currently leveraging CompTIA, you can now become a registered user at no cost and leverage a good deal of our content and benefits dues-free! Whether you’re a premier member or a registered user, it’s our mission at CompTIA to advance the IT industry through your individual success. This new open-access model will bring greater visibility, value and voice to CompTIA. Here, CompTIA becomes a brand your peers, partners and even your customers recognize and see value in. No longer the best kept secret; open access allows CompTIA the opportunity to become a most trusted resource and map to our organization’s mission of driving the IT industry forward. Visit www.comptia.org for details on our open-access membership model.
Nancy Hammervik is CompTIA’s senior vice president, industry relations.
