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By Jim Staats
| February 24, 2012
Takeaway of the week is that timing is everything so it can’t be a coincidence that a report shows tech firms ramping up in Ireland with St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner. Talk about a pot ‘o gold for job candidates in recently hard-luck Emerald Isle? But with good, must come bad and that shows up in one not-so-good bit o’ news for tech workers in the face of the automation wave. But, back to the good news: it remains all four-leaf clovers for data scientists and healthcare IT candidates ...
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By Janet Pinkerton
| February 22, 2012
Over one weekend in early February, InformationWeek reported that Anonymous and other hacktivists struck the CIA, the U.S. Census Bureau, Interpol and Mexico, as well as law enforcement websites in Alabama and Texas. Known and reported hacks and breaches are just the tip of the cybersecurity iceberg and have the potential to cause widespread damage. But, as a recent CompTIA video points out, computer-generated havoc is not inevitable if IT workers prepare themselves to detect and defend against ...
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By Jim Staats
| February 21, 2012
To say Alan Crawford thinks a lot about IT security is an understatement. The veteran systems engineer doesn’t need cybersecurity spelled out in his job description to keep it at the forefront of his mind. “I have been evangelistic about the need for stronger security measures for almost as long as I’ve been involved with computers,” said Crawford, 57.
“Everything I do in IT is influenced by my concerns about security.”
Crawford said he’s found his latest weapon for the cause. As an early bet ...
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By Jim Staats
| February 20, 2012
Not far from the lapping ocean waves along the shores of Peru, a technical revolution is taking place. Cyttek, a relatively new training presence in the capital city of Lima, is having phenomenal success with an IT program built on the core competencies of CompTIA certifications that could forever alter the South American country’s economic outlook. Students are trained to earn the fundamental certifications of CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Server+ and CompTIA Project+ before moving to ...
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By Jim Staats
| February 17, 2012
Takeaway of the week is a whole new set of avenues from which good news on the IT job front flow - if one has the right qualifications. Got Linux skills? Your skills are wanted big-time. Got a U.K. residence? Your IT skills are wanted, too. Got a college IT degree? OK, just a little more seasoning on the soft skills and other areas and you’re good to go. IT Jobs on the Rise in the U.K. A study based on January job openings in the U.K. signals a healthy bump in the need for IT staffers. The study ...
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By Jim Staats
| February 10, 2012
Takeaway of the week is another batch of signs pointing to upticks in IT job growth as the fledgling 2012 data trickles in. More IT jobs added overall; mobile apps and such mean more job creation this year; more focus on data storage, networking and mobile apps means more IT spending this year. So, yeah, IT jobs are out there to be had. IT Jobs Out of the Gate Strong in 2012
All sectors of the IT industry showed job growth in the first month of this year, with telecom leading the pack, accordin ...
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By Jim Staats
| February 03, 2012
Takeaway of the week is it’s good to be in IT. Granted, that may not be a shared view from the vantage point of some current job-seekers in the sector, but overall indications from the latest batch of surveys, studies and published scribblings show the tech job market to be bubbling, whether it be Silicon Valley titans, burgeoning startups, healthcare providers jumping on the tech bandwagon or countless others. Study: The Cloud Good for IT Job Creation
For those who say cloud computing and it ...
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By Jim Staats
| January 27, 2012
Takeaway of the week is another round of survey-a-go-go. No sooner do you read one firm’s survey or report of the positive news of rising job openings, salaries and bonuses amid the tech-sector, then you come across a report which debunks that bright, shiny news with reports of massive job cuts late last year. Guess it comes down to “What report have you read lately?”
Survey: Big Pay Bumps for Tech Pros
Good news for the prospective IT pro or ladder-climber: workers in technology fiel ...
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By Tim Herbert
| January 25, 2012
The ever-quotable baseball great, Yogi Berra, once quipped “the future ain’t what it use to be.” After several years of weak economic fundamentals and market volatility, getting excited about the future is arguably more difficult than it used to be. Many signs point to modest improvement in 2012, but it likely won’t be drastically different from the previous year. For those with the right product mix and business model, that’s probably not such a bad thing.Heading into Q1, CompTIA’s IT Industry ...
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By Elizabeth Hyman
| January 24, 2012
2012 promises to be an interesting year in Washington, D.C., with the upcoming presidential election dominating the political scene. Members of Congress will be anxious to wrap up the session so they can get home to campaign for reelection. This means that the calendar will be compressed and legislative achievements will be limited.
That said, hot issues will kick up (such as the online piracy debate), and we see some opportunities to push ahead with CompTIA priorities. Moreover, Washington ...
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