CompTIA Blog

UK-based Firebrand Training Center has some pretty impressive numbers to report about its apprentice program. Thanks to help from the UK government and CompTIA, 99% of Firebrand’s apprentices are offered a permanent job by their employer at the end of the first year.

Hiring managers read resumes, sure, but more often their impression of you is defined by Internet search results. Rather than waiting until negative results pop up, experts recommend a proactive approach to updating your professional, online profile.

Your online presence is critical to putting the best version of you in front of those who are hiring, so it makes sense to invest some time in what it looks like. When you’re creating a brand for yourself, a professional photo goes hand-in-hand with your message. Once you communicate your character and your story, the need to sell yourself disappears.

Latin American engineer Martin Rodriguez is the CEO of his online startup, SegurosObligatorios, but more importantly, he’s a problem solver with an innate and tireless ability to solve even the most unexpected issues. Based on his own experience, plus anecdotes from others, Rodriguez has come up with a three-pronged approach to building the perfect startup team — problem solvers included.

Five of CompTIA’s industry-leading members were recently recognised in PCR’s influential ‘Top 50 Women in Technology’, marking a major leap forward in the campaign to transform the image of the industry among women.

Goal-setting is important to running a successful business, but without specifics can seem like an exercise in futility. The SMART system, often used in project management, is a simple, systematic and effective approach to goal-setting.

IT pros from all over the country are preparing for ChannelCon, CompTIA’s annual gathering for industry training, peer-to-peer learning and partner networking. The event’s comprehensive channel training is always a draw, and we’ve spelled it out for you in this A to Z guide to ChannelCon, scheduled for August 4 to 6 in Phoenix.

Businesses today have complex technological needs and serve more expansive and disparate markets than ever, which means partnering can be an important strategy for mutual success. This is certainly good news for solution providers, but it is important to keep in mind that not all partnerships are equally set up for success.

Why do we come up with the best ideas when we’re lying in bed at night or taking a shower? It’s because there are few moments during our hectic days when we have the time to be still and actually think about the big picture. If you find yourself caught up in the process and routine of everyday business life, CompTIA ChannelCon keynote speaker Lisa Bodell is a must-see.

Many military personnel report being on the right path in terms of their careers and believe their jobs allow them to make meaningful contributions, provide a sense of accomplishment and include opportunities for growth and professional development. In terms of what can be done to improve job and career satisfaction, CompTIA’s “Military Career Path Study” finds that more resources for training and professional development tops the list. Our study surveyed 865 active duty military personnel and military veterans who now work in a civilian capacity. The survey sample was drawn from the CompTIA database of more than 1.75 million and was supplemented with independent sample from the third-party research supplier.

In the wake of the now infamous Target data breach, which compromised the credit card data of 40 million people, the hunt for answers continues. Target’s point-of-service system might be to blame, or maybe even overlooked malware warnings. Some even speculate it was caused by a hack leading from an HVAC database into a repository of cloud-based services. Since the breach, Target’s tech chief has resigned and the search for answers is far from over. Cases like this always bring network security to the forefront of the industry’s concerns.

It could be today, tomorrow or even next year. The best time to make major improvements in your organization is not when sales are down or the creditors are knocking on the door. Successful entrepreneurs watch for positive trends and thoroughly research the latest innovations so they are fully prepared to take advantage of the next big opportunity. They adapt their business model to tackle new challenges and continually watch for better ways to run their operations, expand their customer bases and build the overall value of their organizations.

According to CompTIA’s IT Industry Outlook 2014, IT services and software show the most growth potential for the year. The IT services market represents nearly a quarter (24 percent) of the total IT industry in the U.S. That translates to roughly $240 billion in IT services sales to be had this year in the U.S. alone.

Innovation is a tricky subject. Many of us think about it as the epiphany — the moment of brilliance that is punctuated by “Eureka!” That, of course, is a romantic notion. Innovation is the product of collaboration and usually over periods of time. “We take ideas from other people, from people we’ve learned from, from people we run into in the coffee shop and we stitch them together into new forms and we create something new. That’s where innovation happens,” said author Steven Berlin Johnson in his July 2010 TED Talk, “Where Good Ideas Come From.”

The Senate Tax Extenders Bill, which amends the IRS code and extends various tax provisions related to individuals, businesses and the energy sector, initially passed the Senate Finance Committee with bipartisan support, but failed later to meet the 60-vote cloture requirement by a vote of 53 to 40.