CompTIA Blog

A look at the week of November 22, 2010, in public advocacy for the IT channelThis week, the SBA is cracking down on contractors pretending to be small firms in order to qualify for government deals.  The federal government adopted a new policy requiring agencies to default to cloud-based IT solutions when possible.   Politicians and industry leaders predict favorable tech legislation in 2011.SBA Takes Closer Look At Federal Contractors — The Small Business Administration is stepping up its effo ...

Despite all the attention placed on the importance of health care records and patient confidentiality, U.S. hospitals say data breaches are a fairly common and expensive experience, according to a new report by the Ponemon Institute. The study, sponsored by ID Experts, released last week finds that data breaches are exacting a heavy toll on health care providers. Sixty percent had more than two security breaches in the last year, and the average security breach costs $2 million in direct and in ...

The good people of the Channel-Lands are growing tired of the calendar packed with vendor and industry channel events. The last thing many VARs want to do is climb on another plane to go to Las Vegas or Orlando for another confab. And that’s partly why Comdex returned this week as a virtual trade show. It’s one of the many big things happening in the Channel-Lands this week.Comdex Returns Virtually; RetroDex Debuts LiveBack from the dead, virtually, this week was Comdex. Everything Channel reviv ...

Just when I thought every conceivable use for an iPhone had been devised, along comes another app to prove me wrong. I recently stumbled upon the ‘Fake Conversation’ app which lets me setup a bogus call along with a phony ringtone, display and voice feedback just to complete the deception! I’m not sure what bothers me more; that the demand for a sham call program is so great or that a software developer actually sat down and built it. From fake beer goggles to a mirror program that uses the fron ...

A look at the week of November 15, 2010, in public advocacy for the IT channel This week, a leading Senate Democrat vowed to repeal the controversial 1099 reporting requirement.  The Obama Administration is preparing an active and sweeping approach to Internet privacy policy, including the creation of a new watchdog to oversee operations.  Although Congress is now back in session, passage of a cybersecurity bill remains unlikely.Senator Vows to Repeal 1099 Filing Rule From Healthcare Law — Sen. ...

Last night at an event at the Seattle Music Experience, I met a couple of seasoned IT professionals – one a former head of security for a major (albeit defunct) bank. When I say they are “seasoned”, I mean their experience is matched by the number of gray hairs on their head. They had worked for major corporations, held numerous technical and professional certifications, and both are out of work and back in school.Continual education is one of underpinnings of the technology industry. Vendors re ...

From time to time, CompTIA's Public Policy team invites elected officials who are leaders on IT issues to contribute to our blog. Congressman Cliff Stearns is a thought leader on privacy, data breach and other emerging technology issues.Stearns was elected in 1988 to the U.S. House of Representatives, his only elected office. Stearns is the Republican Leader on the Communications, Technology and the Internet Subcommittee (formerly the Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee). He is acti ...

Cloud computing is the much overhyped term reflecting businesses migrating their consumption of applications and IT infrastructure to services remotely delivered over the Internet. There’s no question that “the cloud” is transforming the way businesses use and pay for IT, as well as how vendors develop and sell technology. But where does the channel fit into that equation?A new survey by IBM and MicroScope of solution providers in the British Isles asks that very question: What impact will the c ...

The dust is beginning to settle following the national mid-term elections on November 2nd.  The results are known: Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives picking up 61 seats.  Democrats retained control of the Senate, although their majority margin decreased by 6 seats.  At this writing, the GOP now controls 29 gubernatorial offices across the country having picked up at least six seats.  At least 19 state legislatures switched to Republican majorities.& ...

Just when you thought the good times were back again, Cisco comes out with an earnings report and forecast that don’t exactly instill confidence in the tech world. That’s just one of the big stories in the Channel-Lands this week, and thankfully not all the headlines are grim.Cisco Earnings Shake Tech ConfidenceCisco Systems has long stood as bellweather of the tech market’s health, so it came as no surprise when Wall Street analysts were spooked by the networking company’s soft quarterly earnin ...

From Valley Forge to Normandy to Vietnam to Afghanistan, brave men and women, from all walks of life, have left the comforts of the familiar, leaving family and friends, to defend our way of life and the freedoms many take for granted.  Today, Veteran’s Day, let’s give thanks to all our veterans.CompTIA has a specific program to help military personnel and their spouses get the training they need to launch an IT career.  The big bonus – it’s free.  It’s our simple way of saying thank you to thos ...

As you probably know, beginning in 2011, qualifying heath care providers will become entitled to payments of as high as $44,000 over a five-year period as an incentive to implement meaningful use of electronic health records.   Since the Republican takeover of the House last week, some have expressed concern about whether HIT funding is in jeopardy.   We believe these concerns are unfounded and that funding will begin in 2011 for the adoption of meaningful use of electronic h ...

Training and education are very similar to politics: pay attention to what’s happening close to home and you’ll do well in your career. Travel to remote event locations can require a significant investment of your company’s time and money; even more so when several employees are along for the trip. If it’s difficult (or impossible) for you to get away for the quality training you need and the industry networking opportunities you desire, check out events that are a short drive or flight away.In ...

Analytics: In its purist form, it is by definition “the science of analysis.” Google uses analytics to dominate the online information market and it’s also the cornerstone of IBM’s “Building a Smarter Planet” campaign. General Electric used analytics through Six Sigma to produce annual benefits of more than $2.5 billion worldwide. But is it something we should all use?It’s hard to deny the value of the information received from analyzing process metrics. If I told you, after two months of commut ...

Todd Thibodeaux, CompTIA CEO and president, and David Valdez, senior director of public advocacy, earlier this week weighed in on the future of online privacy, recommending steps Congress and the Federal Trade Commission can take to keep us safer online.  In posts on The Hill’s Congress Blog and TMCnet.com, Todd and David noted that Congress’s challenge, moving forward, will be to protect consumers while encouraging new innovations online.Some of their recommendations include: Providing the FTC ...