Your Top Association News to Use this Week — February 22, 2012

Training Courseware Available for Advanced Security Certification   New Small Business Government Contracting Legislation Introduced   Jump into Virtualization with our Quick Start Webinar   Professional Services Database Launched   Connect with the IT Channel on ChannelEyes Connect with us:

Training Courseware Available for Advanced Security Certification Courseware is now available for our new mastery-level credential for advanced security skills. The CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) certification is designed for information assurance professionals in technical leadership roles in an IT enterprise environment.  The CASP certification is the first in a new series of master-level credentials that CompTIA is developing this year.  CompTIA currently has four series of IT certifications: basic, specialty, professional and mastery. Training materials for CASP are available through the CompTIA Marketplace.     New Small Business Government Contracting Legislation Introduced Three bills, introduced in the House, aim to increase and strengthen small business participation in government contracting – a goal CompTIA has always supported. We have reviewed this legislation and believe that a number of provisions would help to direct more government contracting dollars to small businesses. We need your input! Read more.     Jump into Virtualization with our Quick Start Webinar Virtualization has become a critical component of many corporate IT strategies and is a foundational technology in cloud computing. However, CompTIA research finds that although firms are moving rapidly into the cloud, there is less adoption and familiarity with virtualization. Understanding this underlying element of the cloud will help you better understand how to address issues such as cost structure and security. Join us for a CompTIA Quick Start webinar on February 29th with CompTIA Director of Technology Analysis Seth Robinson to learn how virtualization works, its benefits, potential issues with implementing a virtual environment, and how to get started.     Professional Services Database Launched Need help in finding professional services expertise that best fits your particular business needs? Our IT Business Growth Professionals (ITBGP) Community launched a database and search tool for solution providers, vendors and distributors. The ITBGP Community represents a broad range of skill sets, including sales and marketing, finance, mergers and acquisition, business strategy, social media and more that can help your company become more successful. To find your business growth professional, log in to the CompTIA Member Resource Center.     Connect with the IT Channel on ChannelEyes ChannelEyes, a free and secure social network for the IT channel, debuts this month. It’s like Facebook, but instead of friends, you can connect to a filtered group of vendor and association feeds on your wall. It’s a single place to get a snapshot of new channel information every day. You’ll cut through the noise and clutter because you control who you follow, filter the relevant information and build social conversations around it. Join today and remember to sign up for the CompTIA news feeds.   UPCOMING EVENTS Quick Start to Virtualization February 29 at 1:00 p.m. (CT) Free CompTIA webinar   Quick Start to Entering a New Vertical Market March 7 at 1:00 p.m. (CT) Free CompTIA webinar   More IT Channel Events   MEMBER CONNECTIONS Press Release Distribution For just $200 you can publish your press release in the CompTIA SmartBrief and reach more than 140,000 subscribers in the IT industry. Afterward you'll receive a detailed report containing company names and titles of readers who clicked on your release. Find out more   © 2012 CompTIA Properties, LLC, under license to CompTIA Member Services, LLC. All Rights Reserved. CompTIA Worldwide Headquarters I CompTIA, Inc. 3500 Lacey Road, Suite 100 Downers Grove, IL 60515-5439, U.S.A. To read previous issues of CompTIA Connect, click here.