CompTIA Blog

What will customer service and help desk communications look like in the future? How will solution providers change the process to address the Millennial audience? Learn how social media and other technologies will play a bigger role in future channel communications, and how savvy providers will get started even faster.

Ed Baker, technical evangelist at Microsoft UK, has kept a busy schedule of trainings for numerous different organizations and audiences for years. A holder of multiple CompTIA certifications, he advises those in IT at every level to never stop learning. The story of his career shows how it’s done.

At our second UK Channel Community meetup of the year, which took place in Birmingham on the 15th of June, a whole range of issues were discussed to provide our members with all the materials they need to be prepared for the challenges that lie ahead for the industry. One of the topics that was covered was the impending EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), which Richard Nicholas, a Technology Lawyer at Browne Jacobson LLP & Greg Shanks, Commercial Director at insurance broker Techdis Financial, covered in detail in one of our breakout sessions.

The UK Channel Community gathered in Birmingham on the 15th of June for CompTIA’s second UKCC meeting of 2016. Hosting 100’s of CompTIA members, some of the best and brightest in the Channel industry, the theme for this event focussed on IT as a business game changer. Breakout sessions discussed everything from data regulations to diversity in the workplace, and high-profile keynote speakers shared a wealth of experience and knowledge with attendees.

When the news that Microsoft intended to purchase LinkedIn came out this week, the initial response of those in the channel ranged from disbelief to bewilderment. Many wondered why a company so heavily focused on line of business applications and infrastructure would want to own a social media site. An even larger question filling the comments sections of several publications was why would they ever pay so much?

In her year-long cybersecurity course at McKinley Technology High School in Washington, D.C., Melanie Wiscount teaches her students a real-world understanding of the ever-changing world of cybersecurity – and helps them get the career endorsement of CompTIA Security+ certification.

The conversations at CompTIA’s latest Canadian IT Business Community meeting centered on both activities, as members discussed a number of tech challenges and opportunities before they headed out for an afternoon on the links.

Social media can help you stand up to stand out. Learn the importance of a brand story, efficient ways to connect with people and how to build a solid, responsive network in this four-part AWIT F2F webinar series.

Brian Richards and Tenette Prevatte – two long-time IT pros – have seen big changes in the day-to-day work of a server administrator, and as subject matter experts for the CompTIA Server+ exam, they’re making sure CompTIA certified pros are set up to handle them.

Remote workforces are terrific productivity boosters that more and more organizations are embracing, particularly in tech. But working from home does have its challenges. It helps to stick to a schedule, establish a proper work space, take breaks, embrace social routines and avoid distractions.

Learn all about thenew CompTIA Channel Standards for Managed IT Solution Providers. These industry best practices and baseline business measures were designed in great part by your peers; those who have built successful managed services practices. Along with a number of other subject matter experts (SMEs), they compiled a list of essential business activities, tools and customer-oriented practices. They ranked issues and opportunities for providers based on their unique perspective and experience and we documented each step and process that would help both new and established providers attain their wildest MSP ambitions.

Some of you may know about many of Jean Alexander’s career accomplishments and how she worked behind the scenes to help make the channel a better place for providers, vendors, distributors and anyone else she encountered along the way. She was a very humble person and would be the last person to brag, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t proud of those she worked with to make things happen. This post is intended to celebrate the Jean many of us knew, and highlight how she became such a great mentor, industry advocate and friend to all.