CompTIA Blog

CompTIA President CEO Todd Thibodeaux kicked off Breakaway 2011 yesterday morning saying, “We’ve lined up our most robust slate of content and training for all of you, so that you can truly accelerate your business.” He wasn’t exaggerating, and the workshops starting shortly after morning keynotes concluded backed him up.I headed for the “Cloud Business Development Workshop” early.  Good thing. The session was SRO – Standing Room Only.So many VARs wanted to attend the workshop that the afternoon ...

One of the most important things channel vendors can do to increase partner satisfaction is to improve their communication skills. That may be as simple as listening to the issues they face in their daily business operations, everything from employee problems to a critical system alert at one of their major clients’ sites. The bottom line is they have a lot on their minds and vendor representatives need to understand the way their partners work, as well as how they work.A majority of solution pr ...

Recovering from the whirlwind that was Breakaway today? Get ready for another jam-packed day on Wednesday. Check out our top 5 things you don't want to miss tomorrow: Women in IT Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. in the Gunston Room (just down the hall from the Press Room on the Terrace Level): Dr. Madeline Lewis, president and CEO, The Deline Institute for Professional Development, will address the CompTIA Women in Technology, an open consortium of professional IT women. Channel Chiefs Power Panel at 9: ...

Positive trends seem to be a rarity in the business community this year, but according to the latest CompTIA research, the growth in cloud services is bucking the norm. Not only are solution providers overwhelmingly adopting virtualization in their sales portfolios, they are “eating their own dog food” and using it internally to help their own businesses.As discussed at Breakaway at a press briefing, CompTIA research shows that in 2011 more than 41% of VARs/MSPs both sell and use cloud solutions ...

Four technology-forward charities, benefiting schools, hospitals, libraries, unemployment and disaster relief, received philanthropic gifts donated by the member communities of CompTIA. Each of CompTIA’s member communities are donating $5,000 each in 2011 to IT-related charities, and some are announcing their gift selections at Breakaway this week in Washington, D.C. The IT Services & Support Community in Europe gave $5,000 to Close the Gap, an international not-for-profit organizatio ...

In Washington, D.C. for Breakaway and need to set your agenda?  Check out our list of the top five events you shouldn’t miss on Tuesday: Opening Keynote at 9:00 a.m. in the International Ballroom Center: Hear about the state of the industry from CompTIA and learn how to “Make it Happen” from noted author Peter Sheahan. Lunch Choices at Noon in the International Ballroom Center: Choose from three different networking and learning opportunities during lunch.  Meet with CompTIA’s top ...

Both the House and Senate introduced legislation to require sellers to collect and file sales tax returns on all interstate sales.  In the Senate, Sen. Durbin introduced the bill (S. 1452) with co-sponsors Sens. Reed and Johnson.  And in a surprise move in the House, Rep. Conyers introduced a companion bill (H.R. 2701), with co-sponsors Reps. Shuler and Welch.  Although Sen. Durbin had been reported to be searching for a Republican co-sponsor, bi-partisan support did not materialize in either th ...

Four technology-forward charities, benefiting schools, hospitals, libraries, unemployment and disaster relief, received philanthropic gifts donated by the member communities of CompTIA. Each of CompTIA’s member communities are donating $5,000 each in 2011 to IT-related charities, and some are announcing their gift selections at Breakaway this week in Washington, D.C.The IT Services & Support Community in Europe gave $5,000 to Close the Gap, an international not-for-profit organization that h ...

CompTIA is becoming a more known quantity around Capitol Hill, but the average lawmaker’s understanding of the IT community is still skewed. We’re out to show them how small IT companies are a vital part of the equation, when policymakers draft tech-related laws. Some of our top issues focus on business taxes, cybersecurity and privacy concerns, health IT integration, and tech workforce funding. We need your input and involvement. Sign up at TechVoice.org so that you contact yo ...

Vendors and distributors at Breakaway in Washington, D.C., are welcome to attend our breakfast and forum on Tuesday morning, August 2nd. From 8:00- 9:00 a.m. in the Gunston West Room at the Washington Hilton, meet with Nancy Hammervik, senior vice president of industry relations at CompTIA, and network with other vendors and distributors.  Learn about CompTIA member benefits such as free market research and live channel training courses for you and your partners.  CompTIA membership includes the ...

Cloud computing is the biggest change driver in the IT industry, and IT vendors are rising to the challenge with a host of new products, services and solution packages to help solution providers maximize their business growth.  See a host of them on display at Breakaway in Washington, D.C., this week.Box announced programs for certified reseller and solution providers, designed to accelerate and optimize the adoption of Box's cloud content management solution within businesses of all sizes. Thes ...

CompTIA communities are the foundation of our 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. IT professionals, vendors, distributors and thought- leaders work together on the issues and programs that will shape the future of the IT industry.Nearly all of our 10 communities will meet at Breakaway next week in Washington, D.C. Attend the meetings to see ...

With so many negative business trends in the news these days, one of the rare exceptions seems to be the continuing opportunities in healthcare IT, particularly with the push to adopt electronic medical records (EMR). A significant number of hospitals, clinics and physicians’ offices are making the transition to the new technologies, leading to refresh and system upgrade opportunities for solution providers. While many are focused on the healthcare IT business model’s revenue poten ...

What’s it going to take to strengthen cybersecurity in the U.S.? Explaining to an 80-year-old grandmother that she downloaded spyware when she played online games? Teaching middle-schoolers good cyber hygiene and cyber etiquette, along with the math and science fundamentals they will need to understand how tablet PCs, smartphones and wireless networks work? Outlining cybersecurity competencies and required certifications for a system administrator job description? Persuading Fortune 500 companie ...

Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau once said, “The essential ingredient of politics is timing.”  While he certainly has a point, we also believe it is a matter of time … how much time you have to get your message across. Elected officials make decisions every day, many of which directly affect your business.  Remembering a constituent’s face and the message that they sharply delivered can make the difference in how they cast their votes or develop policy.We would like to invite you to come t ...