CompTIA Blog

This sponsored blog entry was submitted by Chris Gonsalves of ChannelNomics. We’re all familiar with the trajectory technology innovations are supposed to take as they move toward mass adoption, that smooth bell curve that may or may not include Geoffrey Moore’s famous “chasm” in the early stages to technology adoption. While the Innovation Adoption Lifecycle curve created by sociologist Everett Rogers in the early 1960s is seared in the minds of technology sellers to thi ...

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 ...

Business process automation (BPA) may be a second-tier IT topic behind trends like cloud computing, mobility and Big Data, but that may be set to change, as this comprehensive discipline combines those popular trends to produce tangible business value. CompTIA’s study on the state of business process automation sheds some light on practices and outlook for this area. Automation begins with technology-enabled business processes. While large firms (500 or more employees) are the most likely ...

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 ...

There is no national standard for how a company must notify its customers in the wake of a data breach. Instead, companies must navigate a complex web of 47 different, often conflicting, state data breach notification laws in the aftermath of a breach.  It can be nearly impossible for companies to determine which state laws apply when a breach occurs. Small businesses suffer from an immense financial compliance burden trying to comply with all these laws, and the tangled web of laws also d ...

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 ...

Our second 2014 D.C. Fly-In panel this afternoon delved into how federal tax provisions – including tax reform efforts – can help new, small, nimble tech companies grow, hire more qualified workers, and provide new and innovative products and services. We learned how “the Startup Innovation Credit Act” and other tax provisions directed to small startup companies can create better opportunities for starting and growing tech businesses in the U.S. Panelists Rick Morgan, pol ...

This afternoon, we kicked off our much anticipated 2014 D.C. Fly-In, organized by TechVoice, the partnership of CompTIA and the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA), with an important panel on patent reform. Vishal Amin, majority senior counsel, House Judiciary Committee, discussed how the costs associated with abusive patent litigation are a considerable burden for small- and medium-sized IT businesses trying to get on their feet and compete within a $3.2 trillion global industry. Durin ...

During CompTIA’s Colloquium conference in Washington, D.C., today, executives from over 30 leading IT training companies heard from some of the largest tech companies on how they’re training their own staffs. How are they setting an example for their partners? How are they inspiring their employees to continually learn and improve their skills? CompTIA Executive VP Terry Erdle led off the conference and gave a quick rundown on the core education trends: Personalization. User control ...

In the wake of high-profile data breaches at Target and Neiman Marcus, among others, Congress held three hearings on data security and data breaches last week. The first, held by the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, dealt with specific financial sector issues related to data breaches, but the Senate Judiciary Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee hearings looked at data security and data breaches from a number of different angles. Following the hearings, there is ...

In the middle of a bitterly cold winter, Chinese tech giant Lenovo has become very hot news. In a single week, the company best known for its solid line of laptops spent $5.3 billion acquiring two new product lines. The first move was made on January 23, when Lenovo purchased IBM’s x86-based server business for $2.3 billion. Six days later, Lenovo extended its reach in the other direction, picking up Google’s Motorola Mobility unit for $2.91 billion. The deals drew attention from all ...