CompTIA Blog

A look at the week of January 9 in public advocacy for the IT channel: With Congress on recess until the end of January, Beltway publications have been focusing on the 2012 legislative agenda.  National Journal gives an overview of where cyber and cloud legislation currently stands in both houses and what to expect when Congress reconvenes.  Additionally, a recent report on U.S. competitiveness calls for investment in technology education.Tech Policy Items to Watch on the Hill - National Journal ...

Meet Eric Duquene, senior systems engineer at System Solutions Inc., and CompTIA subject matter expert (SME).

While the tax agenda for small businesses faces a number of challenges in 2012, there were two major successes in 2011.  Congress repealed two provisions that should never have been enacted in the first place: New Form 1099 filing requirements and 3% withholding on government contracts.Both of these provisions found their way into tax legislation without public notice, vetting or comment by the business community.  The underlying reason was seeking new sources of revenue; that is, both of thes ...

Can you imagine how hard it would be for a farmer to till a field without a plow or for a pilot to circumnavigate the world without a navigation unit? Sure, they could find other ways to accomplish the same goals, but the complexity and effort required would be significantly greater. When you have the right tools for the job, it makes the process a lot simpler.The same rules apply to IT services businesses: with the proper tools, the path to building a successful organization is a lot smoother. ...

1. No Hostage Taking – The U.S. federal debt ceiling debate is going to rear its ugly head again in the next few months, and whatever fragile economic recovery we have could be dashed with a matter of a few votes. If Congress and the President don’t want to spend our tax dollars (and more), then don’t authorize it. But if spending measures do get passed, then don’t hold the country hostage over money already spent. 2. Frank Talk – Here’s hoping the Presidential campaign in the fall somehow mag ...

Takeaway of the week is more of the good and a little of the bad, kind of a semi-sunny outlook for this new year. More good words on the horizon if you design, code, maintain and orchestrate in the tech arena and continuing good things are in store for those who seek to control the spigot on giant inflows of customer and product data. The year also brings with it a healthy dose of fun, new titles for IT pros and some all-too-familiar woes.   Dice: Developers Dominate Staffing Needs If y ...

Is yours a recession-based business, able to maintain profitability or survive longer-term economic downturns?  The topic was brought up by Karl Palachuk in his State of the Nation Address webinar earlier this week as he discussed some of the things solution providers can do to strengthen their organization. Without a firm handle on the IT business metrics and processes (such as cash flow and automated systems), it’s easy for MSPs and VARs to find themselves in financial trouble when the economi ...

SaaS technology is not only changing the way applications are designed, developed and delivered, it also can support an efficient and flexible model for application and data integration.  So how can solution providers work with online services to get the right mix of technology for their customers?  Dell Boomi and RightNow recently teamed up in such an example, as guest blogger, Ralph Hibbs of Dell, relates below.RightNow, the Bozeman, Mont.-based originator of the cloud-based customer experienc ...

No Hostage Taking – The U.S. federal debt ceiling debate is going to rear its ugly head again in the next few months, and whatever fragile economic recovery we have could be dashed with a matter of a few votes. If Congress and the President don't want to spend our tax dollars (and more), then don't authorize it. But if spending measures do get passed, then don't hold the country hostage over money already spent. Frank Talk – Here's hoping the Presidential camp ...

Have you blocked off April 10th-12th to attend one of the most interactive and collaborative events of 2012? That’s when CompTIA will host its next Annual Member Meeting (AMM), with hundreds of IT channel executives and a number of IT Hall of Fame members expected to join in the festivities. Several of these “titans of the technology industry" will be honored during an induction luncheon held April 11th during the Chicago event.AMM gives attendees the chance to take part in a number of education ...

Channel leaders aren’t born…they typically step forward after spending years learning the basics of the indirect business model and the people who make it work. With a deep appreciation of the industry, these individuals understand the issues and opportunities, as well as what’s needed to help solution providers hone their skills and business proficiencies. To be effective leaders, respect of their peers is essential. A high level of esteem is required to garner support of new ...

Takeaway of the week is it’s best to pack up 2011 in a box and leap forward into the coming year with your best job-hunting gameplan as employers shake off the holiday slowdown and start to put all those forecasts and predictions to the test. Final remnants of an almost-year-past include a virtual map of techies across the U.S., good or bad news out of China and boffo boasts for data wranglers and tech freelancers.   Considering an IT Job? See Where the Techies are Now The highest perce ...

For most, the year has either wrapped up or is just hours from completion. Whether the last 12 months were prosperous or challenging for your business, it’s time to close the books on 2011 and build on the things that went right. What lies ahead for your business in the next year? While the areas of opportunity for solution providers aren’t expected to change considerably, the focus will surely continue to shift in the coming months.The drivers that created project and service revenue for VARs a ...

Telling Congress What We Need: CompTIA’s DC Fly-InIn early November, I was part of a lobbying delegation charged with telling congressional staffers the story of small technology businesses.  CompTIA’s “DC Fly-In” took place on Capitol Hill in the various congressional office buildings.  I live in Maryland so I met with the staff of my state’s two U.S. senators, Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski, and my congressman, Chris Van Hollen. The effort was very worthwhile. Below is a picture of the delega ...

Takeaway of the week is for prospective IT job seekers to take each survey predicting alternate hiring boon and/or gloom for the coming year with a grain of salt. As mentioned before, another six to eight forecasts are likely right around the corner at this “end-of-year, let’s-predict-forward” time of year. Best one can do is pull the positives out of each prediction and build on the valued suggestions of those in the position to hire others.   Survey: 2012 IT Outlook Big on Projects, N ...