CompTIA Blog

I was witness this week to an event becoming more frequent across the U.S.: the charter school lottery. CompTIA is a big supporter of charitable efforts in the Chicago area around education and workforce development, but one group in particular has gotten our full attention. The Chicago Tech Academy is now in its second year of operation and just this week held its third student lottery.Soon-to-be freshmen rejoice at winning the ChiTech lottery.The kids who attend ChiTech (as the students have n ...

Is the latest $2 billion public/private commitment to small business a real opportunity for the channel? The answer may not come until this decade is complete (it’s a 5-year program), but the details are worth a closer look by solution providers, vendors and business customers.Though the word “stimulus” has taken on a somewhat negative connotation with some, IT channel businesses are prospering from the healthcare technology incentives that the federal government enacted in 2009. Could this new ...

Does the Department of Defense have a role in the event of a major cyber attack on critical infrastructure?This is the question that Rep. Mac Thornberry, chair of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threat and Capabilities, raised.  Today, the Congressman convened a group of cybersecurity experts from academia, not-for-profits and the private sector to assess the vulnerabilities due to cyber vandalism, theft, crimes and warfare of the country’s critical infrastructure. Although the panel of experts off ...

Yesterday, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held the first (of possibly several) hearings focused on scrutinizing the rollout of the $7 billion fund administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Rural Development Agency. Testimony from the Inspector Generals from each respective agency indicated that there was concern that the Broadband Technologies Opportunity Program (BTOP) will need greater scrutiny going forward to avoid fraud and abu ...

For the House’s Small Business Committee hearing held on February 9, we submitted testimony entitled “Buried in Paperwork: A 1099 Update”.  During the hearing, committee members voiced bi-partisan support for repeal of the new 1099 requirement; the only question of discussion was how to “pay for” the repeal.  But the bottom line seems to be that repeal is viewed as more important than the philosophical issue of how to pay for it. In another positive development, last week the Senate agreed to an ...

A look at the week of February 7 in public advocacy for the IT channel This week, the Senate voted to repeal the 1099 provision from the healthcare bill.  After watching the Egyptian government dismantle Internet communications to stifle protestors, Senators are facing tough questions about the scope of proposed cybersecurity regulations.  Dr. David Blumenthal, the national health IT coordinator, will step down from his position.  Senate Moves Forward on 1099 Repeal — The ...

Some in our IT community may wonder what does the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and Workforce Investment Boards (WIB) have to do with our businesses and bottom lines?  Here’s why they matter:There are 400,000 IT jobs that are presently unfilled.  This is due to skilled workers not getting directed to employers that need them and/or the possibility that there are too few skilled individuals to meet these jobs.  Aside from those out of work, there are also incumbent workers who need to update the ...

People often use the words IT and tech interchangeably, but they aren't entirely the same thing. The tech industry does include parts of IT (and maybe makes up most of it), but it also includes industries like bio, green, automotive and other "techs".What separates IT from the others is that IT is first and foremost about bringing the pieces together. The IT industry is about bringing hardware, software, services and infrastructure all together to power, connect and enable. And that's the indust ...

To build upon our membership outreach initiatives, we’re introducing our Member Advocacy Spotlight, posting a unique outlook on how policy-related issues affect industry.  We’ll highlight a specific member and what they believe a certain law or policy might mean for their business.By keeping an open dialogue about what can be done in Washington, D.C., to improve our industry, we’re working with members to help get that accomplished.This post tackles how the 1099 reporting requirement will harm b ...

I have been a member of CompTIA in one form or another for the last 18 years and, I must admit, for the first year or two I was one of those guys who “just did not see the value” of the membership. My reseller business joined CompTIA in 1993 at the suggestion of our VP of Services. He thought that the Authorized Service Center Certification might help us stand out from the somewhat crowded break/fix IT services market, and I remember him commenting that “CompTIA was doing some interesting things ...

In my recent visits to Washington, D.C., I've noticed a not-so-subtle lack of appreciation for the role IT solution providers play in the IT industry and the U.S. economy in general. Manufacturing jobs are all the rage now. If a company isn't making a tangible product, producing patents or IP, they aren't getting noticed by lawmakers and federal agencies. Much of the structure of the Department of Commerce and the Small Business Administration was built around the manufacturing base. Look at t ...

At our Annual Member Meeting (AMM) this April in Chicago, we want you, our members, to walk away with solid advice on how to grow your business and find new market opportunities.  Through our community meetings and market research presentations, we know you’ll find some answers.  But the icing on the cake will be the keynote address by Daniel Burrus, CEO of Burrus Research.Don't miss keynoter Daniel Burrus at AMM.Burrus is one of the world's leading technology forecasters, corporate strategi ...

The channel is evolving to meet economic challenges and rapid changes in technology, but are women being squeezed out of the industry? According to the latest research, that would seem to be the case.  CompTIA is taking some steps to reverse the trend and appointed two influential professionals to chair the council that will put it into action. Other newsworthy IT channel issues involve the switch to notebooks for business use, with the movement away from desktop PCs, and an announcement that sh ...

The Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will hold hearings next week on the spending practices under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for Broadband deployment. Witnesses have not been announced, but we expect representatives from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to be present, as well as recipients of the broadband deployment grants.This hearing may set the tone for the public policy discussion legislators will have in the coming months on issues ...

Cybersecurity continues to be an important issue on Capitol Hill.  Last week, Senate Majority Leader Reid introduced the Cyber Security and American Cyber Competitiveness Act of 2011.  Among the goals of the bill are to “safeguard critical infrastructure, including the electric grid, military assets, the financial sector and telecommunications networks. It urges incentives for the private sector to assess the risk of cyber terrorism and take action to prevent it and promote investments in the Am ...