CompTIA Blog

Can your business be truly successful if revenue remains steady — or even suffers a slight decline? Can your company be in top form when you haven’t hired a new employee in years? Achievement is best judged by those whose blood, sweat and tears went into building the organization, plus of course the stakeholders who’ve helped support the operation along the way. As any business owner knows, revenue declines coupled with cost reduction might actually lead to profit, so if client ...

Robert (Bob) Faletra, an active and influential member of the IT channel and 25-year advocate for the industry will be inducted during CompTIA’s Annual Member Meeting into the 2014 class of the IT Hall of Fame. Faletra influenced and supported our industry through a variety of publishing and executive management roles with the former CMP media group. Considered one of the top experts in the indirect technology field, he has advised solution providers, vendors and distribution professionals ...

Young and energetic Christopher Brito wasn’t interested in school when he was a student — just ask his family, he says — but 12 months at a Washington, D.C., career academy changed both his mentality and his career path.

When Heng-Chuen Mok was a child, his father would bring home technology and together they would tinker. This love of technology led Mok to a bachelor’s degree in information systems and a career in IT. Today, he’s a security architect at the National Bank of Australia and a CompTIA subject matter expert. His focus: delivering security solutions to core banking transformation programs, which involves various aspects of security to meet the business requirements and needs of his institution.

This is Women’s History Month — a time to recognize the often overlooked vision, courage and accomplishments of our nation’s women. To kick it off, did you know that a famous Hollywood actress of the 1930s and ‘40s, Hedy Lamarr, was also a pioneer for women and technology? She co-invented spread-spectrum broadcast communications technologies. There are many wonderful examples —from Hedy Lamarr to Meg Whitman — of women leading the way in technol ...

We have noted many discussions over the last few years concerning the need for tax reform. Almost everyone is in agreement that tax reform is needed, as annual additions and edits to the tax code have left us with overly complex and burdensome compliance requirements for individuals and businesses alike. However, once the conversation gets past the general agreement that reform is needed, we come face-to-face with the complexities of crafting real tax reform that can be passed by Congress. Ways ...

On the Caribbean isle of St. Lucia, the IT infrastructure is strengthening. In the capital city of Castries, Linus Charles and partner Kerie Dantes are determined to take advantage of this tech revolution. CompTIA certifications are helping them do it.

This week, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1123, “the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act.” The text included a last-minute addition that limited the right to unlock a cell phone to the individual purchaser. This was in contrast to a previous version of the bill that CompTIA supported, one that did not have a distinction between the individual purchaser and businesses that wish to engage in what is referred to as bulk cell phone unlocking for resale purpos ...

This Black History Month, CompTIA notes the contributions of Aaron Woods, director of U.S. solutions providers, relationship and partners at Xerox and the first African-American member of the CompTIA Board of Directors. Woods is an ardent supporter of TechVoice – CompTIA’s public advocacy grass roots network – and the IT industry. “Being the first of anything usually brings with it some concerns as to how you will be viewed by others,” Woods said. “As it ...

This week, CompTIA will urge the prompt enactment of H.R. 2992, “the Business Activity Tax Simplification Act of 2013,” legislation that modifies the way states can collect taxes from out-of-state businesses. CompTIA submitted its testimony for the hearing by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law. Also known as BATSA, the legislation sets up a “physical presence nexus standard” for businesses: In order for a state to tax busi ...

In the IT channel, the term reseller may still be alive and well, but it has undergone significant transformations in the past five years. While many providers still count on PC and other infrequent hardware sales to top off their coffers, many industry experts believe the bulk of new channel revenue now comes from the cyber world. When mobility solutions are factored into the mix, it’s hard to see how companies that rely heavily on the traditional reseller model will remain competitive. T ...

While communications is not a new topic for most companies, new trends in technology and changes in workforce dynamics are forcing many businesses to re-examine their strategies. Thirty-one percent of end-user firms cite communications as a high priority, and they are clearly driving demand here since 36 percent of channel firms believe their clients place a high priority on communications. Cloud computing and mobility are giving companies new options and possibilities for communications infras ...

Day two of the 2014 D.C. Fly-In kicked off at the Cannon House Office Building with speakers who delved into data breach, broadband spectrum and cybersecurity. These included Senator Mark Pryor (D-Ark.); FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel; Adam Sedgewick, senior information technology policy advisor at the National Institute of Standards Technology; and Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.). Pryor discussed cybersecurity and data breach issues currently being considered within their committees, including th ...

In the managed service space of the IT channel, there’s been a touch of health-care fever. With the U.S. government’s electronic medical records (EMR) and electronic health records (EHR) initiatives and directives in place, doctors’ offices and medical facilities have looked like goldmines for value-added resellers and managed service providers. Health care was said to be primed, willing and ready for the IT channel to upgrade and support their thriving practices. Like the fort ...

During the TechVoice D.C. Fly-In yesterday, David Dimmett of Project Lead The Way presented this eye-opening statistic: Nine out of every 10 high schools in the country don’t offer computer science. With that in mind, a panel debated how the IT industry can help drive STEM success in the U.S. Project Lead the Way prepares students for the global economy. With five programs of study for kindergarten through high school, the company trains teachers. Grades K-5 participate in the la ...