CompTIA Blog

  • How to Upgrade Your IT Skill Set for Cloud

    Feb 12, 2013, 16:00 PM by Janet Pinkerton
    We're not moving to the cloud just to move to the cloud. The cloud is a tool to reduce cost and make collaboration easier. Brian Glick, vice president of global information services, Vandegrift Forwarding Company Cloud is becoming a mainstream platform for IT solutions. Are you ready to take advantage of the opportunity for your company and your career? Moving processes and systems to cloud-based solutions requires IT personnel to gain not only new tech expertise, but also savvy critical t ...
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  • ChannelTrends: What True Opportunities Does the Cloud Hold for Solution Providers?

    Feb 6, 2013, 00:04 AM by Brian Sherman
    Demand for cloud computing-based solutions continues to climb, with Gartner Research predicting that trend to continue for the next several years, taking an even larger share of the total IT market. Gartner expects annual revenue for the Web delivery model to top $207 billion by 2016, as detailed in CompTIA’s Third Annual Trends in Cloud Computing study, which equates to almost 10 percent of overall IT spending. While cloud experts continue to focus on the benefits from mainstreaming Web-based a ...
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  • Dell Leverages CompTIA A+ for Metrics, Morale and More

    Feb 4, 2013, 16:00 PM by Jim Staats
    With CompTIA A+, the foundation is there to know how to troubleshoot and know about all the components. What you study and everything you are taught are things that we use every day. Steven Geha, technical support manager, Dell Need your technicians to become more technical? Want your employees invested in internal career paths? Looking to please your customers and supervisors as well? Dell Support Services in Australia and New Zealand has a single solution for those time-worn workplac ...
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  • Canadian High School Program Connects Students to IT Opportunity

    Feb 1, 2013, 18:00 PM by Janet Pinkerton
    Students work through through CCNA 2 curriculum involving basic router and switch configuration at the CompTIA/Cisco Networking Academy classroom/lab at Burnaby South Secondary in Burnaby, BC, Canada. The Computer Networking Technician (CNT) program at Burnaby South Secondary School, located in a Vancouver suburb, is creating student pathways to IT-related jobs and higher education, thanks to great local partnerships, an exceptional instructor and strong district support. For Burnaby South ...
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  • CompTIA Weighs in on Expanding Unlicensed Spectrum

    Jan 29, 2013, 20:53 PM by David Valdez
    In early 2012, Congress enacted the 2012 Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act, which included a provision that authorized the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct incentive auctions to maximize the utility and efficiency of the nation’s radio spectrum frequency bands.Consequently, on October 2, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking comments on several aspects of an FCC proposed “reverse auction” process aimed at incentivizing television broadcaster ...
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  • ChannelTrends: The Untethered Executive: How to Maximize Profits with Mobility

    Jan 29, 2013, 19:00 PM by Brian Sherman
    It was only a decade ago that many of my friends who owned businesses carried two cell phones and rarely travelled without a laptop weighing at least seven pounds. The inconvenience of using multiple devices, especially those without web-connectivity, was assumed to be balanced by the separation of their business and personal communications. Professional acquaintances were typically given the company phone number and email contact information, while their friends and family were granted access t ...
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  • The Year Ahead in Technology: Growth Outlook and Trends to Watch

    Jan 29, 2013, 00:23 AM by Tim Herbert
    “The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable,” cracked economist John Kenneth Galbraith. Although said in jest (sort of), Galbraith accurately captures the sometimes questionable track record of prognostications. Yes, this applies to tech sector forecasting as well – I know, hard to believe! Nonetheless, no business can avoid thinking about the future. Even if imperfect, economic and industry forecasting serves a useful purpose in fram ...
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  • How to Handle an Irate Customer

    Jan 28, 2013, 20:00 PM by Janet Pinkerton
    Let your customer vent their frustrations first, advises Sharon Nielsen, account manager at One Prospect Technologies. "Most people, once they have vented their frustrations and felt heard, calm down on their own and become more willing to listen to your suggested resolutions, or provide feedback with suggestions of their own," she says. Your customer is screaming, or worse, quietly seething. What is the best way for you to respond? Several seasoned IT professionals recently shared their best ...
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  • ChannelTrends: Selling Security is Critical to the Health of Solution Providers – and Their Customers

    Jan 23, 2013, 22:05 PM by Brian Sherman
    The human body is quite miraculous. Consider how an assortment of bones, tissues and organs can come together in a machine capable of performing such intricate operations. On top of that, the body employs its own defense systems to protect itself from pathogens and other dangers, from multiple layers of skin to a variety of protective antibodies. While not quite as miraculous as the human anatomy, a business computer system is similarly complex and also employs several layers of defense to pro ...
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  • Technology Salaries on the Rise

    Jan 23, 2013, 21:00 PM by Natalie Velazquez
    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 ...
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  • Security Remains in Demand While Skills Gaps Persist

    Jan 22, 2013, 19:00 PM by Anna Matthai
    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 ...
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  • How Sequestration Could Affect Career Technical Education Funds

    Jan 18, 2013, 21:56 PM by Randi Parker
    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 ...
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  • ChannelTrends: Is Big Data a Real Opportunity for the Typical Provider?

    Jan 16, 2013, 19:15 PM by Brian Sherman
    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 ...
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  • CompTIA President and CEO Todd Thibodeaux on Serving as ChiTech Board Chair

    Jan 15, 2013, 01:27 AM by Todd Thibodeaux
    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 ...
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  • Kick-off to North Carolina TechVoice Chapter Features Federal and State Policy Forecast for 2013

    Jan 15, 2013, 00:55 AM by Elizabeth Hyman
    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 ...
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