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You might have seen in the press lately that CompTIA is coming to Australia. You might even have heard that the CompTIA ANZ Channel Community has been officially launched! No doubt, there are also many people who have heard the name, but in conjunction with some form of certification or Trustmark. So who, or what, exactly is CompTIA?
CompTIA is the largest independent IT Certifications Company in the world. They are also the largest non-profit IT Channel Trade Association in the world. Globally, they have made it their mission to (1) Educate the IT industry, (2) Certify the IT Workforce, (3) Advocate on behalf of the industry, and (4) give back through philanthropy.
CompTIA is divided in two businesses:
- Certifications– They are the largest non-vendor IT Certifications company in the world (for things like Networking, Security, Server, Cloud, etc), and the second largest IT certifications company in the world after Microsoft. Each year, they certify approximately 160,000 people and issue hundreds of Trustmarks to channel organisations.
- Membership – As a non-profit trade association, they have a membership program aimed primarily at the IT channel. One of the primary member benefits is their member “Communities”. These act as a forum for partners, vendors and distributors to meet in a neutral environment to network, exchange ideas, and learn from industry thought leaders. Other member benefits include channel education, industry research, industry events, public advocacy efforts, and cost savings on certifications and affiliate products and services.
Certification sales generates about $40M/year, but because they are a non-profit organisation, they largely use that money to fund their membership program, with benefits being provided either for no cost or for a nominal fee.
CompTIA has 8 Communities in the US, one in the UK, one in Canada, and have just launched a community here in ANZ. These communities are based on an open and collaborative philosophy. Each community has its own set of goals and initiatives and a leadership team capable of delivering its goals. The communities offer a forum for industry-specific networking opportunities and the chance to better understand your field and its direction.
The Communities are free and open to all IT Resellers, Solution Providers, Distributors and Vendors. You can become a member of the ANZ Channel Community by clicking here.
Channel Dynamics has been appointed to help CompTIA establish the ANZ Channel Community in Australia. We have enlisted the help of a group of industry “Champions” to get the first event off the ground, however the aim is to have an elected Executive Council, with an elected Chair and Vice-Chair who would be responsible for driving the direction of the Community in the future.
The first ANZ CompTIA Community meeting is being held this August in Sydney with speakers discussing “Business Transformations & Alternate Pathways to Market”. This promises to be both highly informative and a fantastic industry networking event!
Registration is free to all IT Resellers, Solution Providers, Distributors and Vendors.
Click Here to register to attend.
