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CompTIA Communities Open ChannelCon 2018

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Discussions on workplace diversity in the technology industry, the new security landscape and measuring customer satisfaction highlighted the opening day of CompTIA ChannelCon 2018 here Tuesday.

CompTIA is the voice of the world's information technology industry. (PRNewsFoto/CompTIA)

The annual conference, hosted by CompTIA, the leading trade association for the industry, opened with working sessions by seven CompTIA member communities. These groups are charged with helping individuals and businesses thrive; contributing to industry growth; and promoting collaboration among industry leaders.

At the CompTIA Advancing Diversity in Technology Community meeting attendees focused on creating programs and tools to deliver the message that having a diverse workforce can strengthen a business.

"We can bring value to businesses by giving them access to new people in the tech space," said Nathan Archer, chairman of the community and director of business development for A & H Technology Group, New York, N.Y.

Making greater use of social media and connecting  with other groups focused on embracing diversity in the workplace are among the tactics the community plans to employ.

Security dominated the discussion at the meeting of the CompTIA Managed Services Community. Speakers noted that while most organizations acknowledge the importance of security, a significant number of them have yet to upgrade their defenses. That may require a change in the customer-technology provider conversation, according to Robert Boles, founder and president, BLOKWORX, Inc., San Francisco.

"Security is not a product," Boles said. "Security is really a culture. It's a constant, ongoing learning process."

The CompTIA Technology Lifecycle Services Community examined the importance of regularly collecting and evaluating customer satisfaction feedback.

"You need metrics on customer support satisfaction," advised James Foxall, president and CEO, Tigerpaw, Bellevue, Neb. "If you're doing it by gut feel, I guarantee your gut is wrong."

Two other communities celebrated recent award winners.

Three young leaders who are excelling in their roles with IT channel organizations were honored as ChannelChangers for 2018 by the CompTIA Future Leaders Community. This year's honorees are Jessie Devine, QuoteWerks; Mackenzie Heddy, The ASCII Group; and Hannah Lloyd, Inbay.

At the CompTIA Advancing Women in Technology (AWIT) Community session, three women singled out for their commitment, leadership and mentorship in the industry and a recent high school graduate were recognizes as the recipients of the inaugural CompTIA AWIT Spotlight Awards.

The 2018 CompTIA AWIT Spotlight award winners are Roberta J. Fox, the FOX GROUP; Kathryn Rose, wiseHer.com; and Sheryne Glicksman, Inside the Solution. Also, Sarah E. Johnson of Philadelphia received the inaugural CompTIA/Channel Pro Cecilia Galvin Scholarship, named in memory of journalist Cecilia Galvin, a passionate supporter of women in technology.

For the latest conference news visit the ChannelCon 2018 Virtual Press Office at http://channelcon.vporoom.com/. Highlights will also be available on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChannelCon18.

CompTIA ChannelCon 2018 continues through Thursday, August 2.

About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $4.8 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the more than 35 million industry and tech professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the world's economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for advancing the tech industry and its workforce. Visit www.comptia.org to learn more.

Contact:

Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA
sostrowski@comptia.org­
630-678-8468

 

SOURCE CompTIA