CompTIA Blog

Takeaway of the week is that a fresh batch of reminders only strengthens the idea that 2012 really is a cornucopia of good tidings for the IT job-seekers. The U.K., for example, is bursting at the seams with plum IT roles, if you have the right skills and experience. Another ‘Hot Jobs’ list isn’t just sprinkled with technology roles, it’s downright dominated by ‘em. And, if that isn’t enough, more evidence comes forth that executives are actually investing in their technology departments as a me ...

On my way into work a few weeks ago, mindlessly listening to talk radio, I heard one of the most exciting pieces of news I’ve heard in a long time.  The Girl Scouts of America had added three new badges to its program: computer expert, digital movie maker and website designer.  I actually found myself cheering out loud and high fiving the steering wheel!As a woman who has spent nearly my entire career in high tech industry, I am acutely aware of the gender gap.  From executive meetings to client ...

On my way into work a few weeks ago, mindlessly listening to talk radio, I heard one of the most exciting pieces of news I’ve heard in a long time. The Girl Scouts of America had added three new badges to its program: computer expert, digital movie maker and website designer. I actually found myself cheering out loud and high fiving the steering wheel! As a woman who has spent nearly my entire career in high tech industry, I am acutely aware of the gender gap. From executive meetings to clien ...

In America, we often like to quote that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Unfortunately, the effectiveness of prevention is hard for a government agency or a nonprofit organization to measure and prove. (It’s near impossible to count bad things that fail to happen due to a smart intervention.)So, instead, our society tends to fund expense mechanisms that react to problems once they do happen.Year Up is one of several workforce development organizations pointing to the new report ...

A look at the week of February 28 in public advocacy for the IT channel:  This week, the National Security Agency and the White House disagree about the agency’s role in cybersecurity.  A new study finds that the lack of uniform regulation in the cloud computing market is hurting its development.  Senator John McCain (R-AZ) plans to introduce a rival cyber bill.White House, NSA Weigh Cybersecurity, Personal Privacy — The National Security Agency has pushed repeatedly over the past year to expand ...

CDW, a leading provider of technology products and services for the business, government and education sectors in North America, actively recruits members of the military to capitalize on the transferable skills military can bring to the civilian workplace. In this CompTIA podcast, CDW Senior Director of Talent Acquisition Melissa McMahon discusses the IT job opportunities and support programs available at CDW for veterans and members of the military who are transitioning into civilian careers. ...

Life on a reserve among one of the aboriginal First Nations groups in Alberta, Canada, doesn’t always mesh well with modern times, but a successful, new training program is changing that - with help from CompTIA.Brought together in May 2011, just over a dozen students - all members of the Louis Bull Tribe - began an inaugural PC support training program provided by SAIT Polytechnic with the simple goal of better employment options.Using the fundamentals-soaked CompTIA A+ certification as a train ...

Life on a reserve among one of the aboriginal First Nations groups in Alberta, Canada, doesn’t always mesh well with modern times, but a successful, new training program is changing that - with help from CompTIA. Brought together in May 2011, just over a dozen students - all members of the Louis Bull Tribe - began an inaugural PC support training program provided by SAIT Polytechnic with the simple goal of better employment options. Using the fundamentals-soaked CompTIA A+ certification as a tra ...

Getting security clearance—to gain confidential, secret or top secret levels of information access—can be an arduous process, but here are tips from ClearanceJobs.com.

What a wild 10 years it’s been in the IT channel. Earlier this week I attended one of the Level Platforms’ Road Shows in Columbus, Ohio, and, while listening to a number of MSP presentations and vendor presentations, I had a flashback to my first discussion on managed services. It was almost a decade ago when I sat down with Level’s CEO Peter Sandiford for a Business Solutions magazine interview at a Gartner ChannelVision event. Over the next two hours, he laid out the client and provider need f ...

Takeaway of the week is that timing is everything so it can’t be a coincidence that a report shows tech firms ramping up in Ireland with St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner. Talk about a pot ‘o gold for job candidates in recently hard-luck Emerald Isle? But with good, must come bad and that shows up in one not-so-good bit o’ news for tech workers in the face of the automation wave. But, back to the good news: it remains all four-leaf clovers for data scientists and ...

Takeaway of the week is that timing is everything so it can’t be a coincidence that a report shows tech firms ramping up in Ireland with St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner. Talk about a pot ‘o gold for job candidates in recently hard-luck Emerald Isle? But with good, must come bad and that shows up in one not-so-good bit o’ news for tech workers in the face of the automation wave. But, back to the good news: it remains all four-leaf clovers for data scientists and healthcare IT candidates ...

The new, vendor-neutral CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) exam plays an important role for senior IT professionals seeking to advance their cybersecurity careers and demonstrate their technical and strategic security skills.

Over one weekend in early February, InformationWeek reported that Anonymous and other hacktivists struck the CIA, the U.S. Census Bureau, Interpol and Mexico, as well as law enforcement websites in Alabama and Texas. Known and reported hacks and breaches are just the tip of the cybersecurity iceberg and have the potential to cause widespread damage. But, as a recent CompTIA video points out, computer-generated havoc is not inevitable if IT workers prepare themselves to detect and defend against ...

To say Alan Crawford thinks a lot about IT security is an understatement.The veteran systems engineer doesn’t need cybersecurity spelled out in his job description to keep it at the forefront of his mind.“I have been evangelistic about the need for stronger security measures for almost as long as I’ve been involved with computers,” said Crawford, 57. “Everything I do in IT is influenced by my concerns about security.”Crawford said he’s found his latest weapon for the cause.As an early beta teste ...