CompTIA Blog

Is yours a recession-based business, able to maintain profitability or survive longer-term economic downturns?  The topic was brought up by Karl Palachuk in his State of the Nation Address webinar earlier this week as he discussed some of the things solution providers can do to strengthen their organization. Without a firm handle on the IT business metrics and processes (such as cash flow and automated systems), it’s easy for MSPs and VARs to find themselves in financial trouble when the economi ...

SaaS technology is not only changing the way applications are designed, developed and delivered, it also can support an efficient and flexible model for application and data integration.  So how can solution providers work with online services to get the right mix of technology for their customers?  Dell Boomi and RightNow recently teamed up in such an example, as guest blogger, Ralph Hibbs of Dell, relates below.RightNow, the Bozeman, Mont.-based originator of the cloud-based customer experienc ...

No Hostage Taking – The U.S. federal debt ceiling debate is going to rear its ugly head again in the next few months, and whatever fragile economic recovery we have could be dashed with a matter of a few votes. If Congress and the President don't want to spend our tax dollars (and more), then don't authorize it. But if spending measures do get passed, then don't hold the country hostage over money already spent. Frank Talk – Here's hoping the Presidential camp ...

Have you blocked off April 10th-12th to attend one of the most interactive and collaborative events of 2012? That’s when CompTIA will host its next Annual Member Meeting (AMM), with hundreds of IT channel executives and a number of IT Hall of Fame members expected to join in the festivities. Several of these “titans of the technology industry" will be honored during an induction luncheon held April 11th during the Chicago event.AMM gives attendees the chance to take part in a number of education ...

Channel leaders aren’t born…they typically step forward after spending years learning the basics of the indirect business model and the people who make it work. With a deep appreciation of the industry, these individuals understand the issues and opportunities, as well as what’s needed to help solution providers hone their skills and business proficiencies. To be effective leaders, respect of their peers is essential. A high level of esteem is required to garner support of new ...

Takeaway of the week is it’s best to pack up 2011 in a box and leap forward into the coming year with your best job-hunting gameplan as employers shake off the holiday slowdown and start to put all those forecasts and predictions to the test. Final remnants of an almost-year-past include a virtual map of techies across the U.S., good or bad news out of China and boffo boasts for data wranglers and tech freelancers.   Considering an IT Job? See Where the Techies are Now The highest perce ...

For most, the year has either wrapped up or is just hours from completion. Whether the last 12 months were prosperous or challenging for your business, it’s time to close the books on 2011 and build on the things that went right. What lies ahead for your business in the next year? While the areas of opportunity for solution providers aren’t expected to change considerably, the focus will surely continue to shift in the coming months.The drivers that created project and service revenue for VARs a ...

Telling Congress What We Need: CompTIA’s DC Fly-InIn early November, I was part of a lobbying delegation charged with telling congressional staffers the story of small technology businesses.  CompTIA’s “DC Fly-In” took place on Capitol Hill in the various congressional office buildings.  I live in Maryland so I met with the staff of my state’s two U.S. senators, Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski, and my congressman, Chris Van Hollen. The effort was very worthwhile. Below is a picture of the delega ...

Takeaway of the week is for prospective IT job seekers to take each survey predicting alternate hiring boon and/or gloom for the coming year with a grain of salt. As mentioned before, another six to eight forecasts are likely right around the corner at this “end-of-year, let’s-predict-forward” time of year. Best one can do is pull the positives out of each prediction and build on the valued suggestions of those in the position to hire others.   Survey: 2012 IT Outlook Big on Projects, N ...

If you’ve earned the opportunity for a job interview, rejoice as you’ve cleared what is typically the biggest hurdle in the whole employment bugaboo - getting that ‘foot in the door.’ Now, it’s all up to how you present yourself in that uber-crucial meeting. No pressure. Just keep in mind the following interview tips presented by Jeremy McCarthy, CEO of VentureLoop, in a recent About.com post on interview prep for startup firms. McCarthy, a veteran of startups and venture capital firms befor ...

It seems like every couple of years the hot topic in the IT channel changes. Recently, the largest focus has been on the opportunities in cloud computing, with all eyes (and the industry attention) on enabling end-users with these services. There’s good reason for solution providers to adopt and emphasize this thriving technology delivery system: they are in a race for control of their business accounts, offering a portfolio that meets their clients’ needs before direct sales organiz ...

A look at the week of December 19 in public advocacy for the IT channel: This week, Fierce Health IT reports that health IT professionals are some of the most in-demand members of the workforce.  The Hill listed network protections as one of Congress’s top priorities for 2012.  Federal CIO Steven Van Roekel wants to break agencies’ habit of clinging to outdated technology. Demand for Health IT Professionals Continues To Rise — There is a significant demand for health ...

IT workers in mobility, network virtualization, infrastructure, security and programming are in high demand, according to Jason Hayman, market research manager at TEKsystems, a Hanover, Md.-based IT staffing solutions, human capital management and IT services company. TEKsystems’ major vertical markets include healthcare, government, financial services and communications. Hayman recently spoke with CompTIA about the IT areas seeing hiring growth. Q. What areas of IT are hiring? A. Mobility – ...

TechVoice, a grass roots partnership among CompTIA, TECNA and other interested organizations, continues to grow.  We now have ten organizations that are a part of the TechVoice community and we hope to add more in the New Year.In a sign of the importance of public policy to our TechVoice partners, recently, Donn Morrill, executive director of the New York Technology Council (NYTC), invited CompTIA staff to present to the executive board of the Council.  On December 12th, I traveled to New York C ...

Takeaway of the week is an increasing number of thumbs-up signs for IT job seekers as the calendars prepare to flip another year. While a successful job search often comes down to the right combination of experience, education and luck, it’s becoming more apparent that some roles - whether for technicians or those leading them - might have an upper hand over other roles in the new cloud-based tech world.For the Right Skills, the Tech Boom is RealAn increasing number of people in the know say tod ...