CompTIA Blog

This week’s take-away would seem to be when one gathers facts pointing to a positive trend in the IT labor market in the coming year, plan to face the flip side for the future the following week. Hence. . . The Cloud Could Rain on Tomorrow’s IT Staffing Trends An oversized, centralized IT department is a relic in this day and age of cloud computing and mobile technology, according to reports out of a recent technical conference. The IT department of 2015 will have fewer full-time staffers, mo ...

I grew up and remain a computer agnostic. I've built, bought, used and sold nearly 100 computers in my life, but there has always been something amazingly special and unique about Apple products. For me, they've always held a certain indescribable magic I couldn't and still can't ignore. The years when Steve Jobs was away from Apple, the company frequently lost its way because the magic that was Steve Jobs went with him as he built NeXT and Pixar.But when he returned for what would be his final ...

With the premature passing of Steve Jobs, the tributes quickly filled the airways and social media sites. Many highlighted the technology that Apple introduced over the years, from the original Macintosh to the latest iPhone. But overall, many of the posts missed the real innovation that their founder brought to the world: a quality user experience.While Jobs and his partners were instrumental in introducing personal computers to the masses, the company eventually went in a much different direct ...

This will only take a moment: Vote online right now and bring significant attention to an innovative program that readies inner-city high schoolers for tech careers.Chicago Tech Academy is one of 75 finalists (out of 400 nominees!) for the Chicago Innovation Awards. Today it needs your help to get to the top 10.CompTIA and the Creating IT Futures Foundation have been supporting the school for several years. Placing in the Top 10 would give the school even more valuable publicity so it can attrac ...

When Obama was elected president, there was a slight kerfuffle about whether he would be allowed to continue to use his Blackberry. As you may or not know, BlackBerrys are the lifeblood of congressional communication, and during his tenure in the senate (and probably before that), he became addicted. As the story goes, he was able to keep his Blackberry with some additional encryption and even picked up an iPad along the way. But those are just gadgets. What I’m really waiting for is the nation’ ...

Hiring forecasts are typically done years, not months, in advance. How then does one factor the twists and turns of real life into the mix? By having long-range predictions and latest studies at your fingertips to make informed career decisions. Which is exactly what we’ve tried to do here. As 2011 stutter-steps to a conclusion, good news can be found on balance sheets of some of the largest and most influential IT companies in the U.S.: income and revenue remains high with signs for continued ...

The tech world watched yesterday as Apple held a keynote to announce several new products. Most analysts were expecting the iPhone 5 to be revealed, but the major iPhone reveal was an iPhone 4S. Although this device has some significant upgrades—such as the ability to function on either GSM or CDMA networks—most reviewers were disappointed in the lack of a major revision to the product line. However, looking past the specific device that was announced, there are three themes for the near future ...

A look at the week of October 3 in public advocacy for the IT channel: This week, a new report by the Government Accountability Office found that sensitive data in a number of federal agencies remains greatly at risk.  The U.S. remains the most competitive nation for IT despite economic troubles.  The Obama Administration has designated October as National Cybersecurity Awareness month and will be conducting events across the country to promote cyber safety.GAO: Federal Data at Cyber Risk — Sens ...

CompTIA member Linda Lynch is president and co-owner of the KI Technology Group, an East Lansing, Mich.-based technology consulting organization. She has been an advocate of the channel, a mentor to many in the IT community and was appointed to the CompTIA Board of Directors in January this year.As if Lynch wasn’t busy enough building and leading a successful technology consulting firm, she’s also been extremely active in her neighborhood. She serves on the board of Capital Area United Way, is a ...

For every phrase which begins with the words “the economy may have stalled, but...” seems to end with positive news for the IT industry. It’s a new take on an old adage: “If you don’t have anything nice to say about the economy, at least say something nice about the IT labor market.”Demand for Managed Security Services Remains HighA frenzied shift to use more mobile devices and cloud computing together with an increased number of security threats worldwide means more work in the coming years for ...

For every phrase which begins with the words “the economy may have stalled, but...” seems to end with positive news for the IT industry. It’s a new take on an old adage: “If you don’t have anything nice to say about the economy, at least say something nice about the IT labor market.” Demand for Managed Security Services Remains High A frenzied shift to use more mobile devices and cloud computing together with an increased number of security threats worldwide means more work in the coming years ...

The week is full of mobility news, from the latest iPhone launch date to the upcoming rollout of Amazon’s new tablet. But why is there so much fascination for solution providers and channel vendors? On the surface, the biggest opportunities seem to be in the sale of the consumer products, getting the latest devices and cool apps in the hands of millions of adoring fans.This basically breaks down into two camps, the Apple enthusiasts and the fans of everything else. That’s not a slam on the compa ...

When you hear cries from voters for their politicians to take bold steps to meet challenges, I’m never sure what that means, and I find myself almost always being disappointed. Here's my take. I'll frame it in the context of what is and isn’t bold from one man’s perspective.On corporate taxes…Bold is the wholesale elimination of the corporate tax. “Eliminate the tax, eliminate the loopholes” has the result of eliminating 90 percent of the tax distortions inherent in the system. While you’re at i ...

CompTIA member Scott Barlow is vice president of sales and product management for Reflexion Networks Inc, a hosted email service vendor headquartered in Woburn, Mass. As a contributor and leader of several CompTIA Communities over the years, he brings a wealth of knowledge and extensive partner program experience to CompTIA's initiatives for advancing the IT industry. Barlow understands the solution provider business model and enthusiastically promotes programs he believes will benefit not only ...

A look at the week of September 26 in public advocacy for the IT channel: This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved three controversial data breach bills.  Spending cuts might limit the government’s ability to transition to cloud computing and take advantage of long-term cost savings.  A new Senate bill aims to stop large firms from pirating federal contracts meant for small businesses.Panel Approves Data-Breach Bills Despite Partisan Rancor — The Senate Judiciary Committee approved thr ...