CompTIA Blog

Healthcare IT (HIT) ostensibly is moving from a vertical market to a business segment of its own. As medical practices of all sizes strive to automate their processes, digitize their records and streamline their overall operations, solution providers have a tremendous opportunity that can transform their business as well. This is not simply a “flash in the pan” occurrence, but a market changing transformation if solution providers follow the right steps.  We're developing a se ...

I have had the opportunity to speak with many leading, solution providers, security vendors and more over the coming months and one thing is clear—there is a definite need for training programs across the channel. Not just any training program will do; programs that are focused on developing and nurturing better partners are truly needed, including those that cover multiple facets of a company’s business. It only makes sense that the best channel partners are running their business with optimal ...

Cloud and SaaS computing are all the rage these days, with a steady stream of articles, forums and vendors discussing the pros and cons of this thriving software application delivery model. The basics are pretty well understood, but there are many questions around true business opportunities and challenges for solution providers and vendors. Cloud computing is more than accessing a program through the internet; it requires a different support structure than the typical software application. Deve ...

This past Saturday, my wife discovered that our town was having a recycling event, where the items accepted, at no cost, included all manner of electronic equipment, bikes, cell phones, scrap metal, and books, and eyeglasses.She saw this as a fantastic opportunity to rid ourselves of a 20 year old nonfunctioning CRT TV that easily topped 100 lbs.  In a storm of late spring cleaning, we found another 3 large bags of various cabling and equipment that no longer worked.  We loaded it all in the car ...

A major challenge for small businesses continues to be lack of access to capital.  While there are signs of improvement, especially as compared to 2008 and 2009, access to capital continues to be a hindrance to growth and innovation.   While TARP bailed out a number of larger financial institutions, it did little to spur small business lending. Credit lines remained stagnant for small businesses.  CompTIA has raised this issue on Capitol Hill and there is growing concern – but little consensus – ...

A serious discussion about the value and sequencing of a college education is long overdue.As the class of 2010 graduates into the deepest economic downturn since the Great Depression, the prospects for employment are bleaker than in anytime I can remember. For high school graduates under 25 and not in college, the average unemployment rate is 22.8%, according to recent data.The solution, we are told, is to send more of these high school graduates to college, where, having spent in many cases we ...

Strata is now available within Creating Futures.  To help disadvantaged and disabled individuals open up a career in IT, GTS Learning Inc. donated 1,000 CompTIA Strata eBooks to the CompTIA Educational Foundation’s Creating Futures program. Creating Futures will provide Strata training and certificates at no costs for military veterans, individuals with disabilities, minorities, women, at-risk youth and dislocated workers. CompTIA Strata exams are not certifications, but a confirmation of an ind ...

Remember Green IT? Though the recent economic plunge has certainly had an impact on the growth of eco-friendly technology, the more recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and rising energy prices (again) have once again proven that the environment and our limited resources are never too far away from the front page (no, I don’t actually read actual newspapers but it is still a good metaphor). Though it would be nice to think that people care about Green IT just because they care about our world ...

Our new member forums, such as the IT Security Community, are generating some great discussions. In the most recent web meeting/conference call, the group of industry thought leaders (IT vendors, solution providers and tech security experts), moved the needle on some major topics. By joining a CompTIA community, members can engage with others with similar business needs, tacking projects that will advance the industry. The IT Security Community is focusing its efforts on a few key initiatives, i ...

Several days ago, an acquaintance of mine had to go to the ER.  To rule out the possibility of a larger problem, the doctor suggested they get a CAT scan.  Right away, even before the procedure, registration had come back with the bill, which was a large mortgage payment for 95% of the country.  That cost will likely be negotiated down through the insurance carrier, but will still likely be in the 4 figures.The procedure ruled out a serious problem, which was a major relief to all involved.  In ...

“Green shoots” may be sprouting in the economy as evidenced by an uptick in GDP, but unemployment looks to be stuck at near 10% for some time to come.  Economists cite many reasons for this “lagging indicator”, but too many CompTIA member companies know all too well why job creation is hard to come by. When you are a small or medium sized business, obtaining credit remains challenging, and therefore expansion and hiring is a scary proposition. Congress and the White House already have passed leg ...

It’s much more than a new name for an old technologyI chuckle every time I listen to a debate centered on cloud computing and SaaS being just new terms for an older application delivery system. People will go on for hours discussing the topic, and dismiss the real issue: The revolution is here, whether you like it or not, and solution providers and vendors need to understand how to make it work for their sales models.Many of you will remember the earlier versions of SaaS, either application serv ...

In recent years, I’ve noticed a trend – academic institutions increasingly adopting and adapting the best that the training industry has to offer. And that’s indeed a big change. No one would argue that educators retain the imperative to truly educate: to open students’ minds to new information, ideas and concepts, and (some would say most importantly) how to think – deductively AND creatively. Years ago (not that many!), I was in a position to make a donation of a comprehensive training curric ...

Note: This is the fourth of eight blog entries in which I examine managed services best practices identified in the CompTIA MSP Partners 2010 market research.In business school, we were informed of the challenges facing companies that are driven by great engineering. These organizations often had a laser-like focus on building great products with a mistaken belief that a great product sells itself. A quick look through the technology industry’s scrap yard would reveal some of these products: Son ...

I come from a family of entrepreneurs and have been personally involved in a number of entrepreneurial ventures over the years. The things I have come to know about entrepreneurs is that we wear many hats, we rarely have adequate expertise in all of these areas of responsibility, and we are always short on resources (i.e. money!) to bring in the required expertise.In envisioning the CompTIA Member Resource Center, I saw it as an opportunity to create something that went beyond a few random templ ...