CompTIA Blog

In business, you must have your elevator pitch down.  Most of the time you get a max of 30 seconds to catch someone's attention.Got your pitch down?  Now can you take it to a video level? Let's put it to the test.  Attendees and sponsors at Breakaway, grab a video camera and pitch your company, new product, innovative solution or recently announced application in 3 minutes or less.  Do you have what it takes to differentiate yourself from the competition?Vendor sponsors, your submissions should ...

Let’s flash back to the 1980s, when channel resellers were receiving healthy margins selling OEM equipment to small and mid-sized businesses. Over time, those profit percentages were eroded by competitive forces and manufacturers looking to improve their bottom line. That was one factor that caused many resellers to evolve their business model, becoming VARs (value added resellers). In this adaptation of the IT channel, providers gradually discovered increased profitability not from the sale of ...

Note: This is the sixth of eight blog entries in which I examine managed services best practices identified in the CompTIA MSP Partners 2010 market research.We’ve all heard the expression “it takes money to take money” and tacitly nod our head in agreement; best in class MSPs don’t simply concur, they pull out their wallets and invest in building a world class services practice. Our 2010 research clearly shows that the most successful MSPs spend more of their top line revenue (as a percentage) o ...

After incorporation, many small businesses make a federal tax election know as a “subchapter S” election; these businesses are then typically referred to as an “S corporation”.  The benefit of an S corporation election is that the entity can “pass-through” corporate income, losses, deductions and credits to its shareholders. That is, the shareholders pay the applicable federal tax at their individual tax rates; the corporation itself does not pay a tax (except in some situations such as built-in ...

Members of the CompTIA EU IT Services and Support Forum gathered at the Computacenter facilities in Kerpen, Germany (near Cologne) this week for a face-to-face quarterly community meeting. Attendees came from near and far (including Azerbaijan!) to discuss the latest opportunities and challenges in the technology services industry, as well as elect members to executive council positions.As each member made their introduction, they were asked to share their reasons for attending the IT Services a ...

Hundreds of leaders in the IT channel are descending on San Antonio this August for our annual Breakaway event.  How do you capture one-on-one time with your key partners with so much going on?  Hear from Xerox and InFocus on how they support Creating Futures through its charity golf classic -- showing their support for the future IT workforce and optimizing their networking opportunities at Breakaway.  It's a win-win for all.View the video on how to jumpstart your networking at Breakaway.Ready ...

Most Solution Providers go into business because they love technology. The problem is, running a technology business is often more about managing the business than managing the technology. Human resources is a perfect illustration of this point. The average entrepreneurial solution provider doesn’t have a lot of experience in creating a job description; but you can’t get too far along in your business before you need to put one together. Once your staff is on board, they will likely have what se ...

There's true power in numbers, and the CompTIA Educational Foundation is looking to create some powerful philanthropy numbers.  Not just with fundraising as you may think, but with bringing the philathropic power players together. We're hosting a first-ever IT Philanthropy Summit with key technology foundation leaders to help set the future direction of philanthropy in the IT industry.  The peer-to-peer planning summit will be held August 12 during our annual Breakaway conference in San Antonio, ...

While Health Care Reform legislation was signed into law by President Obama earlier this year, its effect on small businesses is yet to be determined.  In fact, while the legislation has more pages than War and Peace, the regulations that will be drafted in the next few years which will define the details of the reform law will probably be in the neighborhood of 75,000 to 100,000 pages!  It is no wonder that the picture for small business remains murky when the regulatory paper blizz ...

It is no surprise that the weight of the recession caused headaches and elevated stress across the IT channel during the last 12 to 18 months. A recent survey of solution providers conducted with our partner ChannelForce reveals just how broad a blow the economic downturn struck. More than three-quarters of survey respondents reported that the recession impacted their businesses either significantly or moderately. Just 22 percent said they experienced no impact at all.But what’s most interesting ...

Note: This is the fifth of eight blog entries in which I examine managed services best practices identified in the CompTIA MSP Partners 2010 market research.I have met some very good negotiators in my day, but the very best I have encountered are children. Considering that they have almost nothing to bargain with and occupy a position of little power, kids have an innate ability to negotiate and ultimately get what they want. My teenagers are masters at working mom and dad (and if necessary, gra ...

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 ...