Dan Liutikas Posts

Those who enjoy baseball know that the game is as much about information and strategy as it is about skill. The most arcane player statistics are assembled and used to help managers make crucial decisions throughout a game. Picture a right handed starting pitcher facing a right handed batter in the eighth inning, with two runners on base and one out. Both managers will analyze the situation and consult a myriad of statistics before sending instructions to their team that could make the differenc ...

Author Robert C. Gallagher once quipped “change is inevitable-except from a vending machine.” In the IT industry, change is something we hear about every day.  It seems that the latest trend or fad is always just around the corner, ready to revolutionize our industry and turn traditional businesses upside down.For those of us who have been in the IT industry for a significant length of time, we have learned how to weather this constant barrage of change. For every noteworthy innovation or indust ...

Is your technology business the best kept secret in town?  You have great staff, faithful customers, operations second to none, but what’s keeping it from growing?  Quite simply — leads. You know many businesses are an ideal fit to utilize your products and services, but how do you find them?  Without good leads, your sales team will be less effective and your company’s revenue will likely remain flat. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Lead generation is not a black art and does not need to be ...

It seems like every time you turn around, a new device or technology is capturing the attention of the business world (as well consumers). Unfortunately, each seems to bring with it a new IT security threat requiring additional diligence on the part of users, and expertise from channel partners. Take Apple’s iPad as a prime example. Before it had even launched, concerns were circulating about its weak Wi-Fi encryption, lack of device wipe features, and susceptibility to malware through the iTune ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Last week I blogged about our Focus on HealthIT and received a number of responses from you about how you can get more involved with CompTIA and share your input in CompTIA initiatives.It's easy!  Go to www.comptia.org and check out the membership tab.  You will find information about our various IT communities, the current focus of each community, upcoming meetings, events, etc.  Choose the one that interests you most and contact the community manager listed for that community.  It's that easy. ...

The opportunities for VARs in the HealthIT segment are plentiful and growing.  There is an influx of resources from the federal stimulus package and an intensified focus on building solid infrastructure to support healthcare reform.  These trends represent tremendous opportunities for you if you know how to capitalize on them.In the coming months, we will be writing a series of articles and creating resources, toolkits, research and educational materials to help you better understand the healthc ...

There is no shortage of blogs, especially within the IT industry.  This blog will be different.  As your trade association, we work hard to identify the issues that are most important to you and to deliver working solutions to your problems.  CompTIA Blog is where you can share your issues and find our solutions.You may be asking yourself "How is this blog unlike those hosted by for-profit channel solution providers?" As a not-for-profit trade association, we invest millions of dollars every yea ...