Volley

Carolyn and Seth give a preview of CompTIA's upcoming research on customer experience (CX). This research looks specifically at the way that IT companies are evolving their CX practices, including new technology, new skills, or new mindsets. The CX research will be available on comptia.org in mid-June.

Carolyn and Seth talk about CompTIA's new research on artificial intelligence. The idea of AI has been around for a while, and most of computing is some form of mimicking human behavior, but there is still a recent shift in the type of decision-making computers are able to do. The new research, which consists of a broad survey and targeted interviews, examines how current AI is different from traditional software programming and what issues businesses should consider as they seek to integrate AI capabilities. AI research reports available 5/24 at comptia.org.

Carolyn and Seth take a look at where the overall tech industry is from a growth cycle perspective. On one hand, there are elements of maturity, such as the amount of integration into society and the scale of modern technology. On the other hand, there are elements of the tech industry that will never fully stabilize, since technology is more of a platform than most other industries. These factors dictate how much regulation might affect the industry and how much tech companies should be considering their role moving forward.

Carolyn and Seth welcome David Hyman, President of the Center for Technology and Workforce Solutions, to talk about the steps needed to best prepare candidates for the tech jobs of the future. David discusses how professional competencies like communication and teamwork should be thought of as foundational skills and how technical breadth is important for launching into a wide variety of tech careers. Center for Technology and Workforce Solutions site: www.ctwsolutions.org

Carolyn and Seth welcome Teresa Varela, CompTIA's Director of Workforce Development, to talk about the IT skills gap. Teresa shares her experience in talking with employers about the skills they are looking for and the actions they are taking to build those skills. CompTIA's A+ certification is a prime tool for employers building both a strong foundation of technical skills and also the employability skills that help technical workers be more integrated with the business. This episode is a complement to the CompTIA webinar "Insights from the Industry: Transforming Tech Talent with CompTIA A+"

Carolyn and Seth welcome Cristina Greysman, the chair of CompTIA's Advancing Women in Technology community, to discuss the problem of diversity and inclusion in the high-tech industry. On this podcast, they take a look at CompTIA's research to describe the lack of diversity and the fact that companies may be overestimating their efforts in this space. The conversation continues on CompTIA's Women TechCast, where the three discuss possible approaches that can help drive better diversity of thought for businesses. CompTIA's Diversity in the High-Tech Industry study: https://www.comptia.org/resources/technology-diversity-research Women TechCast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/comptia-women-techcast/id1341769443?mt=2

Carolyn and Seth take a look at CompTIA's latest research on the technology usage of small and mid-sized businesses. Technology is playing a huge role in these firms as they apply new models to business priorities with limited resources. The research covers the technology gaps that SMBs face, the desire to use emerging technology, and the usage of outside partners to accomplish technology strategy. CompTIA's Tech Buying Trends Among Small and Medium-size Businesses: https://www.comptia.org/resources/smb-technology-buying-trends

Carolyn and Seth review the highlights from CompTIA's latest research on Internet of Things, including adoption rates and skills that companies need for their projects. Then they take a brief look at a recent article from the New York Times covering the way that technology is dividing the workforce. CompTIA's 2019 Trends in Internet of Things: https://www.comptia.org/resources/2019-trends-in-internet-of-things "Tech is Splitting the U.S. Workforce in Two" from NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/business/economy/productivity-inequality-wages.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

Carolyn and Seth discuss the challenges with massive tech platforms, including unintended consequences, changes to the model, and the potential for lockin. Both consumers and businesses have more responsibility than ever to evaluate the platforms they are using and build exit strategies for when things go wrong. Farhad Manjoo on Twitter and journalism: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/23/opinion/covington-twitter.html Casey Johnston on Gmail storage limits: https://theoutline.com/post/6997/why-is-my-gmail-suddenly-full?zd=1&zi=dhzqdvrj Kashmir Hill on blocking Amazon: https://gizmodo.com/i-tried-to-block-amazon-from-my-life-it-was-impossible-1830565336 David Samuels on technology surveillance: https://www.wired.com/story/is-big-tech-merging-with-big-brother-kinda-looks-like-it/

Carolyn and Seth give a preview of CompTIA's 2019 IT Industry Outlook, looking at three of the trends that will be featured. Cloud computing, edge computing, and 5G will form the new economic infrastructure. IoT and AI will drive advances in ambient computing. Companies enabling the business of technology will grow their skills and change their models to sell and support emerging technology. The IT landscape continues to change, and there are growing opportunities and growing responsibilities for IT professionals.

Carolyn and Seth take a look back at the year in technology. As tech has become more ingrained in business and society, the big story is that there is no single event or innovation that stands on its own. From social media to emerging technology, the discussions happening in the IT industry are becoming broader and more concerned with wide-reaching consequences, and the industry will have to adjust its approach and its skills in order to deal with the implications of a digital revolution.   2018 CompTIA highlights: https://www.comptia.org/about-us/newsroom/blog/comptia-blog/2018/12/03/read-all-the-ways-comptia-advanced-the-business-of-technology-in-2018

Carolyn and Seth talk with Teresa Sears, CompTIA's senior director of product development, about the upcoming A+ certification. The A+ certification is design to build problem solvers for today's digital world, moving past traditional help desk activities to embrace a wide range of IT functions. The updated A+ will launch in January 2019, and Teresa describes some of the changes that IT pros can expect to see.

Carolyn and Seth review some work done by CompTIA's board of directors around successful vendors and MSPs. In building partner programs and working with clients, there are some new things to consider based on the changes in the IT industry. Vendors should think carefully about how they want to balance direct and indirect efforts, and MSPs must decide how they can fit into an end user's technology system.

Carolyn and Seth sit down with Nancy Hammervik, CompTIA's Executive Vice President of Membership. Nancy describes the 2019 strategies that came out of the recent membership planning meeting, where CompTIA's volunteer leaders set a course to improve the adoption of technology and the customer experience.

Carolyn and Seth take a look at the technology landscape through the lens of the upcoming holidays. We talk about one thing that scares us about the current tech scene, one thing that we're thankful for, and one thing that we have on our wish list.

Carolyn and Seth talk about CompTIA's latest research report, which focuses on how companies are forming teams focused on cybersecurity. Improving skills and defining metrics are two key parts of creating effective teams, which often mix internal and external resources depending on the size and technical capabilities of an organization. 2018 Trends in Cybersecurity report: https://www.comptia.org/resources/cybersecurity-trends-research Slideshare: https://www.slideshare.net/comptia/2018-trends-in-cybersecurity-building-effective-security-teams

Carolyn and Seth talk with Charles Eaton, Executive VP of Social Innovation for CompTIA and CEO of the Creating IT Futures Foundation. Charles talks about CompTIA's philanthropic efforts, including a partnership with the Tech Students Association, work with employers around non-traditional career paths, and the IT Ready program from Creating IT Futures that provides an on-ramp for adults seeking a new career in technology. Creating IT Futures: https://www.creatingitfutures.org/ Technology Student Association: http://tsaweb.org/ Charles's book, How to Launch Your Teen's Career in Technology: https://www.amazon.com/Launch-Your-Teens-Career-Technology/dp/1643168894/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1535374165&sr=8-10

Carolyn and Seth give a preview of CompTIA's upcoming research study on the state of the IT channel. Emerging technology and vertical specialization are driving new dynamics among traditional channel firms, and a wide range of companies providing technology enablement are creating a more diverse environment. The new study will be available on comptia.org the week of September 18. Previous research on SaaS firms: https://www.comptia.org/resources/why-software-as-a-service-benefits-advantages-of-saas-trends-report CompTIA podcast landing page: https://www.comptia.org/events/podcasts

Carolyn and Seth welcome their daughters Olivia and Kate to the podcast. As the girls head off to college, we have a discussion about technology usage and viewpoints.

Carolyn and Seth welcome their daughters Olivia and Kate to the podcast. As the girls head off to college, we have a discussion about technology usage and viewpoints.