Steven Ostrowski Posts

Consultation and creative problem solving are important keys to success in the marketplace for cloud-based solutions. That message was delivered Tuesday by top executives from three leading IT distributors who participated in a Power Panel Discussion at CompTIA ChannelCon 2013. The market for cloud solutions is big and getting bigger, the panelists agreed. Jason Bystrak, director of cloud services at Ingram Micro, cited data that shows 70 percent of new customers were driven to a purchase decisi ...

Ideas stolen from other industries helped grow the Geek Squad from a one-man operation with a bicycle, phone and $200 into an IT repair service behemoth with 25,000 employees and thousands of iconic black-and-white Geekmobiles, the company’s founder proudly admitted Tuesday. “Every problem you face in your business has been solved,” said Robert Stephens, Geek Squad founder and former CTO of Best Buy. Stephens delivered a keynote speech at CompTIA ChannelCon 2013, the premier ed ...

ChannelCon 2013 attendees were urged by CompTIA President and CEO Todd Thibodeaux to embrace the future and all the opportunities it will offer, but also ask themselves tough and thoughtful questions about their business. During his keynote speech Tuesday, Thibodeaux used clips from several Hollywood blockbuster movies – A Few Good Men, Jaws, Dead Poets Society and Rudy – to illustrate his challenges to the business owners and executives in attendance. Can you handle the truth about ...

Unrealistic expectations about what cloud computing can deliver often derail relationships between technology vendors and their channel partners, as well as between partners and their customers. The CompTIA Cloud / SaaS community debated how to overcome those obstacles during its meeting Monday at ChannelCon 2013, the premier education and training event for the IT channel. Attendees agreed that setting realistic expectations that are understood and agreed to by both parties – whether vend ...

New regulations and technologies are creating new challenges and concerns for companies delivering IT services and support. A panel of experts delivered this sobering message on the state of cybersecurity to attendees at Monday’s meeting of the CompTIA IT Services and Support community. The session took place on the opening day of CompTIA ChannelCon 2013, the premier education and partnering event for the IT channel. The panel noted that according to a recent survey, the number one issue k ...

On the surface, the jobs of sports agent and IT solution provider may appear to have little in common. But the two professions share many traits that lead to business success, according to noted agent, author and speaker Molly Fletcher.Fletcher, who heads up her own sports agency business, MWF Enterprises, LLC, delivered the keynote address Wednesday at CompTIA’s Annual Member Meeting in Chicago.Fletcher shared a series of anecdotes and stories from her career, from how she got her start in spor ...

The training industry has entered “the Age of Personal Learning,” in which individuals expect to take control of their own personal learning experiences and organizations will have to adjust to meet those expectations – this according to Doug Howard, chief executive officer and founder of TrainingIndustry.com, a market intelligence firm that studies the global training industry.“They want it now and if you don’t give it to them they will find it somewhere else,” Howard said.Howard delivered his ...

CompTIA’s IT Services and Support Community is investigating the feasibility of creating an industry-wide clearinghouse to validate and track technical certifications held by IT service technicians. Tuesday’s community meeting was part of CompTIA’s Annual Member Meeting.“The clearinghouse would allow potential clients and customers to validate a technician’s qualifications, including training, certifications and specialties, so the client can be sure that they are getting what they are paying fo ...

In a world where smart customers expect and demand more from their suppliers, a strong and vibrant services component is essential for long-term growth and success. IT services executives attending CompTIA’s Annual Member Meeting heard that message Tuesday during a meeting of the CompTIA IT Services and Support Community.“Service is ‘the’ business to be in for the next several decades,” said James Alexander, founder of Alexander Consulting and author of several books on successful service operat ...

CompTIA ChannelCon is the new name and identity of our premier annual event. The inaugural CompTIA ChannelCon is scheduled for July 29-31 at the Peabody Orlando Hotel in Orlando, FL. “Our premier event, known for many years as Breakaway, now has a name that truly reflects its scope,” said Kelly Ricker, senior vice president, events and education, CompTIA. “The quality of the meetings, partnership opportunities, hot topic sessions and channel-neutral training make ChannelCo ...