CompTIA Blog

More money may be coming your way if you're an IT pro. The average annual salary for technology professionals jumped more than 5 percent, from $81,327 in 2011 to $85,619 in 2012, according to the Dice annual salary survey released this week. This is the biggest wage increase in the profession since the early 2000s. And it's not just seasoned professionals who are getting a bigger paycheck. Salaries for IT pros with two years or less experience reported an increase of 8 percent, bringing the ...

In an increasingly digital, interconnected world, cyber security affects organizations on more levels than ever before. Given the criticality of information security, it comes as no surprise that four out of five companies responding to CompTIA’s 10th Annual Information Security Trends study expect to focus on security going forward. The continued focus on information security has made it a unique field in which demand exceeds supply. According to the job board aggregator Indeed.com, the number ...

We may have stepped back from the fiscal cliff – as Congress negotiated an 11th hour deal on taxes at the start of 2013 – but the threat of sequestration still looms. Congress has until March 2, 2013, to work out a deal to avoid automatic across the board budget cuts. If these cuts take place, career and technical education funding could be at risk for a $92 million cut in fiscal year 2013 alone.The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 provides federal funds for ...

Every few months, a new technology offering or industry opportunity comes along, seemingly from out of nowhere, and myriad pundits and researchers espouse its merits to the entire channel. From the latest vertical market practice to a new solution delivery method, each undergoes months of close examination and experimentation before it gains traction with the greater provider audience. That process has been instrumental in vetting and promoting the opportunities in cloud and managed services, bu ...

For the next year, I will serve as board chair for the Chicago Tech Academy. This tech-intensive high school located just outside the heart of Chicago is home for over 500 students learning about math, science and technology, as well as entrepreneurship and professionalism. The school is the brainchild of Terry Howerton, the outgoing chair, and has been ably led by Matt Hancock, the current executive director. What makes ChiTech so special is the environment, the culture and, of course, the kids ...

On January 11th, CompTIA partnered with the North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA) to launch our third TechVoice chapter. About 60 technology executives attended a breakfast gathering and panel discussion in Durham, NC featuring Congressman David Price (D-NC), State Representative Marilyn Avila (R), information technology attorney Ed Turlington and myself. NCTA President and CEO Brooks Raiford moderated. With 2012 elections now completed and the fiscal cliff averted for now, the conversati ...

Cheers to 2013! Happy New Year, CompTIA members, partners and channel folk. On behalf of all of us at CompTIA, we wish you your best year yet. The best way to kick off the New Year is to resolve to come to CompTIA’s Annual Member Meeting (AMM) in Chicago, March 12th and 13th. CompTIA’s AMM brings together 250 of our most committed and engaged members, working together in defined communities to drive the IT industry forward. Vendor/distributor channel execs and solution/service prov ...

When Alexander Graham Bell got together with two other investors to form AT&T in 1875, it signaled the beginning of a communications revolution. His invention, the telephone, was a major improvement over previous forms of communication such as the letter and telegraph, allowing voice communication between individuals in their own homes and businesses. No longer did they have to wait for others to deliver messages and place orders, so the risk of misplaced or lost information was significantl ...

What does a senior systems engineer do every day? Let's find out!

Good project management skills are highly valued in IT and other industries. But people generally don't arrive in the workforce knowing how to initiate, plan, execute and close a project on time and on budget.

CompTIA Communities are the foundation of the association’s initiatives, programs, education and research. These member-driven groups collaborate to advance specific technologies, vertical markets or business segments that are vital to the IT industry. CompTIA Community members include IT professionals, vendors, distributors and thought leaders who work together on the issues and programs that will shape the future of the IT industry.In this podcast interview, Jim Hamilton, vice president, membe ...

While many may not have switched their calendars yet, 2013 is officially here. Before all the New Year’s resolutions have either been forgotten or broken, make sure to take time to review what went well in 2012 and what needs to change to make the next year more successful. What challenges and opportunities do you foresee? In reviewing a similar blog post I wrote around this same time last year, it’s interesting to note the similarities between 2012 and 2013. While technology conti ...

Takeaway of the week is a tumultuous, industry-altering year for IT comes to a close with positive predictions and high expectations for the coming year. IT job seekers don't have time to catch a breath because from all appearances, the industry remains on the rise in expansion and prominence with no signs of slowing down. To-Do List to Shake Up IT Career Whether you're an active job seeker in the ever-changing IT industry or an entrenched veteran in need of new challenges, your New Year's resol ...

IT support company Mirus IT have been members of CompTIA for almost two years. Before joining CompTIA, Mirus IT felt that they weren’t fully engaged in the industry and were unable to make the most of making business connections. Areas such as business planning were always fully managed within the company and had little external consultation. They were looking to join an organisation that could help them to develop relationships and increase their connections within the IT industry.After taking ...

Takeaway of the week is that it's good, nay, great to be a developer with an understanding of the agile process, for such a person is quite the commodity. Speaking of commodities, the IT industry as a whole has a sunny spending forecast for the coming year and another resource highlights basic business know-how as a commodity that's key when it comes to job-seeking. Headhunters: Jobs-a-Plenty for Agile Developers If you're in the market for a development job and you have a solid comfort level wi ...