CompTIA Blog

Welcome to the first installment of the “Channel-Lands,” a weekly review of the top news stories, trends and events in the channel. Each week, I’ll comb through the leading channel and technology publication websites for the big and significant stories you may have missed while servicing your customers and building profitable businesses. I welcome your suggestions for stories and issues that should be included in “Channel-Lands.”Google Can’t Catch the WaveSeveral channel pubs noted the demise of ...

The Breakaway announcements just keep coming – all new tools and applications to help the IT channel increase business and launch into new markets.  Check out our latest round-up of Breakaway news:The Enterprise Mobility Solutions division of Motorola Inc. (Booth #504) added to its mobile computing portfolio with the ES400 global Enterprise Digital Assistant (EDA). The ES400’s integrated voice and data capabilities empower mobile professionals with the information and interaction they need to tr ...

The Breakaway announcements just keep coming – all new tools and applications to help the IT channel increase business and launch into new markets.  Check out our latest round-up of Breakaway news:The Enterprise Mobility Solutions division of Motorola Inc. (Booth #504) added to its mobile computing portfolio with the ES400 global Enterprise Digital Assistant (EDA). The ES400’s integrated voice and data capabilities empower mobile professionals with the information and interaction they need to tr ...

Every couple of years a new focus seems to envelop the channel, with managed services and cloud computing getting a majority of the buzz until earlier in 2010. Healthcare IT is all the rage in the industry and, like the two previously mentioned topics, there’s a real business opportunity behind it.  When President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in February of 2009, it set the wheels in motion. Approximately $17 billion was set aside as incentive payments to en ...

Each August during Breakaway, the CompTIA Educational Foundation presents its Creating Futures Awards to IT and philanthropic leaders. These leaders have gone above and beyond to support Creating Futures which provides free IT training and certification opportunities to populations who have historically been under-represented in the IT workforce, including U.S. military veterans, individuals with disabilities, women, minorities, at-risk youth and dislocated workers. This year, we’re honoring: Ri ...

Looks like creativity and IT go hand in hand.  We asked you to submit your three-minute videos for our PitchIT contest for Breakaway, showcasing the best new products and businesses in the IT channel.  Your videos were creative and entertaining, but most importantly, you showed us that you can sell IT. Our top eight finalists based on vote count (note, we took away votes received repeatedly from the same IP address as we talked about in our voting scandal post) are…drum roll, please:Coolest New ...

At last the mighty task is done;Resplendent in the western sunThe Bridge looms mountain high;Its titan piers grip ocean floor,Its great steel arms link shore with shore,Its towers pierce the sky. These words were penned in 1937 upon completion of the Golden Gate Bridge by chief engineer Joseph Straus. The poem captures both the vision and grandeur of this modern marvel; considered one of the finest civil engineering achievements of the 20th century. What is most remarkable about the bridge is th ...

Our Breakaway show floor is teaming with special offers and new product launches for the IT channel.  Check out our latest daily round-up of who and what to see next week in San Antonio.This year the current U.S. capital gains tax rate is due to expire on 12/31/2010. Most observers in the merger and acquisition industry are estimating that business owners will have to forfeit an additional 5-10 percent of their business equity if a sale of their business does not complete by the end of the year. ...

While you’re making your agenda for Breakaway in San Antonio next week, we know you plan to network with the leaders and innovators in the IT channel.  But beyond the learning going on in the conference sessions, this year our show floor is bigger than ever with a host of new pavilions and vendors to help you build your business. Each day, we’ll do a quick round-up for what to check out on the show floor. For instance, within our new Managed Print Services Pavilion, you’ll find more than a dozen ...

While you’re making your agenda for Breakaway in San Antonio next week, we know you plan to network with the leaders and innovators in the IT channel.  But beyond the learning going on in the conference sessions, this year our show floor is bigger than ever with a host of new pavilions and vendors to help you build your business. Each day, we’ll do a quick round-up for what to check out on the show floor. For instance, within our new Managed Print Services Pavilion, you’ll find more than a dozen ...

From CompTIA CEO, Todd Thibodeaux If it's early August it must be time for Breakaway.  Hard to believe it's my third already!  We have some really terrific stuff planned for all the attendees and exhibitors.  We're really looking forward to seeing everyone there.  This year's event is quite possibly the most ambitious channel event ever put on.  The range of exhibits, attendees, sessions, events within events and summits will provide something for everyone.  And a ...

Part One of an Occasional SeriesWe recently tweaked a few people by announcing the need for some certification holders in the federal government to maintain a current certification level, essentially updating their skills every three years.The reaction in a few circles was immediate, swift and passionate—CompTIA had reneged on its “certified for life” promise, this was some sales jive for getting people to take more exams, and in other places the reaction was even more extreme—it was the sure si ...

This past week there was a lot of coverage of cybersecurity measures and their effect on government agencies as well as the private sector. Recent estimates valued the material impact of cybercrime on top U.S. organizations at $171 million dollars annually.  Meanwhile, various federal departments and agencies are starting to mobilize their efforts on cybersecurity.  In addition to cybersecurity threats, health IT is an important issue that has been gaining the attention of inside the b ...

Policymakers and the military are continuing their focus on cybersecurity, with the military stepping up hiring, nations acknowledging the threat of cybersecurity and HHS working to strengthen security around online medical records.  Meanwhile, DowJones VentureSource has announced an upswing in VC investments.  The stories below highlight key policy news from the week of July 19.Military Stepping Up Cybersecurity Hiring – The Air Force has granted hiring officials special authority to use a stre ...

If you haven’t checked out the jammed-packed agenda for next week’s annual Breakaway conference, you’ll find a wealth of sessions, presentations, workshops and community meetings on the docket. Breakaway is one of the events I look forward to each year since there’s always something new starting or coming out of the confab. This year is no exception, and there’s one particular initiative that has my attention: The CompTIA Ambassador program.In the words of Annette Taber, the association’s vice p ...