General Business

CompTIA provides a number of resources for solution providers to learn new strategies, improve their business practices and gain IT channel intelligence.

Channel Training Courses

Channel training classes, presented by industry leaders, cover a practical, how-to approach to entering a new market or implementing a new strategy. All classes can be taken in-person, and many can be taken online. For a complete channel training class schedule, see our channel training calendar.

• [+] Quick Start Session to the Art of the Deal

  • Quick Start Session to the Art of the Deal

    What are the various techniques used in deal-making for an IT solution provider? What do you need to consider when pricing a deal, and what are best practices for organizing the proposal? And how do you monitor deal profitability? This session seeks answers to these questions by covering the information in the Quick Start Guide to the Art of the Deal, a copy of which attendees will receive at the conclusion of the session.

    Find Channel Training Sessions through our Course Locator

• [+] Quick Start Session to Cash Management Strategies

  • Quick Start Session to Cash Management Strategies

    What does cash flow look like for the average IT solution provider? How do you move your business from a short-term tactical cash flow process to a long-term strategic cash management model in order to grow your company? And what type of trend monitoring may help you better track your cash flow? This session seeks answers to these questions by covering the information in the Quick Start Guide to Cash Flow Management, a copy of which attendees will receive at the conclusion of the session.

    Find Channel Training Sessions through our Course Locator

• [+] Quick Start Session to Digital Signage

  • Quick Start Session to Digital Signage

    Where are the opportunities in digital signage? What are the important technologies? How do I create a service offering around it? Should I? What are some of the lessons learned by those who’ve built businesses around it? This session answers these types of questions by covering the information in the Quick Start Guide to Digital Signage, a copy of which attendees will receive at the conclusion of the session.

    Find Channel Training Sessions through our Course Locator

• [+] Quick Start Session to Entering a New Vertical Market

  • Quick Start Session to Entering a New Vertical Market

    What does it take to tackle a niche market? The first thing most people ask when considering whether to focus on vertical or niche markets is, of course, what are the benefits? In this session, learn 10 steps to help you build an effective plan to assist your organization in becoming a dominant provider of IT solutions for your chosen vertical market. You’ll hear best practices on selecting a target vertical market and creating a profile for clients in that market, as well as identifying key influencers in the market and creating a positioning statement. This is a must-attend session if you’re looking to expand your business into a new vertical and want to minimize obstacles to entry. Session attendees also receive the CompTIA Quick Start Guide to Entering a New Vertical Market.

    Find Channel Training Sessions through our Course Locator

• [+] Quick Start Session to Mobile Marketing

  • Quick Start Session to Mobile Marketing

    Mobile is changing b2b buyer behavior in many of the same ways it’s challenging consumer brands. Are you addressing mobile in your marketing initiatives? Do you think it doesn’t apply to your business model or are you unsure what – if anything – to do in the mobile space? How does mobile apply to the marketing of IT products and services? Do you need a mobile-friendly website? What about mobile SEO? This session seeks answers to these questions by covering the information in the CompTIA Quick Start Guide to Mobile Marketing, a copy of which participants receive at the conclusion of the session.

    Find Channel Training Sessions through our Course Locator

• [+] Quick Start Session to Operational Efficiency

  • Quick Start Session to Operational Efficiency

    Has your business experienced a decline in operating margins in the process of selling and supporting information technology products and services? What drives margins down for solution providers? How can solution providers improve margin performance? And what steps can be taken to increase operational efficiency and reduce margin “leaks?”? This session seeks answers to these questions by covering the information in the CompTIA Quick Start Guide to Operational Efficiency, a copy of which participants receive at the conclusion of the session.

    Find Channel Training Sessions through our Course Locator

• [+] Quick Start Session to Selling IT to Retailers

  • Quick Start Session to Selling IT to Retailers

    Could establishing a vertical practice build your business? Have you considered the retail space? What technologies are important to retailers? How can you leverage your existing expertise to help retailers meet their business objectives? This session answers these and other similar questions by covering the information in the CompTIA Quick Start Guide to Opportunities in the Retail Sector, a copy of which attendees will receive at the conclusion of the session.

    Find Channel Training Sessions through our Course Locator

• [+] Quick Start Session to Understanding the Profit & Loss Statement

  • Quick Start Session to Understanding the Profit & Loss Statement

    The Profit and Loss (P&L) Statement is your company’s performance report card. How can P&L data be used to identify areas of low performance? Can you use your P&L to identify strengths and weaknesses in your business to take actions that may move your business forward? What are some tips and best practices for reviewing a P&L? This session seeks answers to these questions by covering the information in the Quick Start Guide to Understanding the Profit & Loss Statement, a copy of which attendees will receive at the conclusion of the session.

    Find Channel Training Sessions through our Course Locator

Channel Training Guides

Channel training guides walk solution providers through entering a new market or implementing a new strategy. Self-study guides range from educational white papers to an in-depth 10-week guide to building a social strategy for MSPs.

Our basic training guides, whitepapers and roadmaps are available to download for free.
Our 10-Week Guide is available to CompTIA members only.

• [+] Quick Start Guide to the Art of the Deal

  • Quick Start Guide to the Art of the Deal

    As reliance on interconnected audiovisual (AV) technologies for everything from business collaboration to technical training has grown so has the convergence of AV and IT services. In addition to existing audio and visual work, as an AV integrator there are opportunities to push into IP-based video conferencing, telepresence, mobility and more. The challenge: You may lack the IT-oriented team members to push into those markets. The solution: Partnering up with the right IT service providers. This Quick Start Guide offers suggestions for choosing the right partners, including what to look for in a partnership and the key types of providers to engage and why.Putting together successful customer deals is both an art and a science. Understanding the balance between the art and science can make all the difference. Ultimately, your ability to generate a flow of deals that are financially beneficial to you and to your clients will determine where you go with your business. All other business skills are about supporting and managing the delivery of the deals your company makes. This guide provides IT solution providers with ten tips for successful deals, plus it offers insights on pricing, financial considerations, and organizing proposals.

    

• [+] Quick Start Guide to Cash Management Strategies

  • Quick Start Guide to Cash Management Strategies

    Cash is the life-blood of any company. Managing cash is one of the essentials of running a business. When managed well, no one will notice. When done poorly, everyone will notice, and problems with cash could grind a business to a halt. Many small businesses stay small simply because of the way they manage their cash. In order to grow, cash management must move from a short-term tactical process to a more strategic management process. This Quick Start Guide explores the cash management process specifically for IT solution providers, including tactical vs. strategic cash management, when to tap into credit, and examples of cash trend monitoring.

    

• [+] Quick Start Guide to Digital Signage

  • Quick Start Guide to Digital Signage

    From the largest roadside billboards trumpeting nearby retailers to the smallest price tag on a store shelf, digital signage has quickly become a technology we experience every day. As consumers we may be most familiar with its use in retail, but digital signage opportunities abound in industries as varied as healthcare, education, and public safety. This Quick Start Guide introduces the technologies and skills specific to digital signage and offers strategies for solution providers to leverage their existing competencies to establish and grow a digital signage product offering.

    

• [+] Quick Start Guide to Entering a New Vertical Market

  • Quick Start Guide to Entering a New Vertical Market

    What does it take to tackle a niche market? The first thing most people ask when considering whether to focus on vertical or niche markets is, of course, what are the benefits? This guide helps you learn how to build an effective plan to assist your organization in becoming a dominant provider of IT solutions for your chosen vertical market. You will learn best practices on selecting a target vertical market and creating a profile for clients in that market, as well as identifying key influencers in the market and creating a positioning statement.

    

• [+] Quick Start Guide to Mobile Marketing

  • Quick Start Guide to Mobile Marketing

    A few years ago many people likely scoffed at the idea of marketing on or with a mobile device. The pre-smartphone era featured slow download speeds – if you could access the Internet at all – and tiny screens. Now, you increasingly hear the expression “mobile-first” in reference to digital marketing initiatives, but what does it mean and how does it apply in the b2b services delivery market? This Quick Start Guide covers the fundamentals of mobile marketing and how to craft the right mobile marketing strategy for your organization.

    

• [+] Quick Start Guide to Operational Efficiency

  • Quick Start Guide to Operational Efficiency

    The business of being an IT solution provider has evolved significantly over the past 10 years. Unfortunately, one trend that continues is the steady decline of basic operating margins available in the process of selling and supporting technology products. In fact, research published by CompTIA shows that average margin levels for solution providers have declined by a factor of 4 in virtually every technology category. This guide provides insights into the most common “margin leaks” solution providers struggle with and how can those leaks be addressed. It also covers how to assess your business operation to determine whether you're experiencing margin leaks, and what strategic changes are needed in the coming years to remain financially viable.

    

• [+] Quick Start Guide to Selling IT to Retailers

  • Quick Start Guide to Selling IT to Retailers

    The U.S. retail sector commands attention on many fronts. Not only is it one of the largest industry sectors from a sales and employment perspective, it routinely serves as the pulse of the U.S. economy. Technological innovation has transformed many industries, but the effects on the retail sector have been especially pronounced. This Quick Start Guide explores digital signage, POS payment developments, mobile-commerce, social engagement, customer analytics, and a host of other technologies that make the retail sector an interesting space for IT firms. It offers guidance on how to position technology solutions in a way that addresses retailer business objectives and provides strategies for helping retailers justify their technology investments.

    

• [+] Quick Start Guide to Understanding the Profit & Loss Statement

  • Quick Start Guide to Understanding the Profit & Loss Statement

    The Profit and Loss (P&L) Statement is your company’s performance report card. It tells you how well you are doing. It shows your “bottom line,” telling you how much resource you consumed and how much revenue you produced during the reporting period along with the results achieved. Understanding how to read and manage your P&L is critical to the success and survival of a company. It is one thing to read a P&L to understand your performance. This guide goes beyond that by offering tips on using the P&L as a tool to identify where you are having performance problems and where you need to take corrective actions to fine-tune your business.

    

• [+] IT Services & Support Industry Roadmap

  • IT Services & Support Industry Roadmap

    Developed by the CompTIA IT Services & Support Community, this roadmap provides a snapshot of the current landscape of the IT services industry, where the industry is going and how to prepare for changes. Available for both the United States and Canada.

    

• [+] Small Business Owners Industry Roadmap

  • Small Business Owners Industry Roadmap

    Developed by the CompTIA Small Business Owners Community, this roadmap provides a snapshot of the current landscape of being a small business owner in IT, where the industry is going and how to prepare for changes.

    

• [+] UK Channel Industry Roadmap

  • UK Channel Industry Roadmap

    Developed by the CompTIA UK Channel Community, this roadmap provides a snapshot of the current IT industry landscape in the UK, expected changes and how to ready your business for these changes.

    

CompTIA Business Credentials for the IT Channel

CompTIA Trustmark credentials improve business practices resulting in competitive differentiation and customer confidence by identifying IT companies that consistently follow best practices for a specific area of expertise. CompTIA Trustmark holders are required to complete and adhere to an extensive control framework for a specific area of expertise.

• [+] CompTIA Business Trustmark™

  • CompTIA Business Trustmark™

    The CompTIA IT Business Trustmark is designed to validate an IT company’s ability to demonstrate sound business practices and provide quality service. The applicant can be engaged in any type of value-add IT service, so long as it is based in the United Kingdom. The credential validates that an IT company follows industry best practices related to service agreements, standard operating procedures, and systems and tools for delivering its services. IT Business Trustmark holders get access to a variety of marketing and sales tools to help them drive additional revenue and enhance their reputation in the industry. By implementing this programme’s controls in their organiszation, IT companies will help the overall IT channel community.

• [+] CompTIA Accredit UK Trustmark™

  • CompTIA Accredit UK Trustmark™

    The CompTIA Accredit UK Trustmark is a mark of quality for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry to show that a business holding the Trustmark will deliver ICT solutions to a high standard. The Accredit UK Standard was developed with an investment of approximately £2.8 million (~$4.5M) and aims to improve confidence in the ICT supply chain by measuring businesses against agreed criteria and by registering certified businesses with Accredit UK. This standard also provides guidelines for purchasers so that they can buy ICT solutions more effectively.

CompTIA Research & Market Intelligence

CompTIA research benchmarks business attitudes, purchase plans and technology preferences so solution providers can plan their selling strategy.

Research is available to CompTIA members only.

• [+] Research Study: 2nd Annual State of IT Channel Programs
  

  • 2nd Annual State of IT Channel Programs

    Published May 2013
    

    This report builds on previous CompTIA channel research in examining new and ongoing trends and developments in vendor partner programs and engagement mechanisms. The data was collected via an online survey of executives of 400 U.S. IT companies in February 2012. As a complement to the quantitative research, a series of in-depth interviews with IT channel executives at a cross-section of Fortune 500 technology vendors were conducted.

    

• [+] Research Study: IT Industry Business Confidence Index - Quarterly
  

  • IT Industry Business Confidence Index - Quarterly

    Published Jan. 2013
    

    Heading into 2013, the CompTIA IT Industry Business Confidence Index Q1 reading remains essentially flat, although a few signs of optimism point to slow and steady improvement. The forward-looking component of the index projects a gain of 2.3 points, which if realized, puts the index at its highest point in two years. These results for Q1 are included in the report titled: IT Industry Outlook 2013.

    

• [+] Research Study: Trends in the UK IT Industry
  

  • Trends in the UK IT Industry

    Published Nov. 2012
    

    As business becomes more global, it is important to understand the subtle differences in technology adoption and operational procedure from country to country. CompTIA’s Trends in the UK IT Industry offers an in-depth look at end user habits and channel firm practices in a country that produces £95 billion in IT revenue and has a very strong Internet economy.

    

• [+] Research Study: Big Data Insights and Opportunities
  

  • Big Data Insights and Opportunities

    Published Sep. 2012
    

    The volume of worldwide data now doubles approximately every two years. Lower storage costs, more powerful processing and new data analytics tools have given companies better ways to make sense of this ever-growing deluge of data. At the same time, companies continue to wrestle with data silos and other data-related challenges. This CompTIA study focuses on the key issues associated with the big data trend.

    

• [+] Research Study: IT Industry Outlook 2013
  

  • IT Industry Outlook 2013

    Published Jan. 2013
    

    CompTIA's Annual IT Industry Outlook provides a detailed look at IT industry growth rates, as well as key macro, technology and channel trends. This report incorporates data from CompTIA's IT Industry Business Confidence index and other topical research studies.

    

• [+] Research Study: State of IT Channel Partner Programs

  • State of IT Channel Partner Programs

    Published May 2012
    

    IT vendors and their channel partners engage in a multifaceted business relationship that requires constant tinkering, give and take on both sides, and clear communications. When the partner programs that sit at the core of these rela­tionships work well, both vendors and channel companies typically have a good shot at hitting revenue and profitability goals. When programs don’t work well, both sides can suffer. This CompTIA research study explores a range of issues from both the perspective of vendors and channel partners to assess how the channel is evolving.

    

• [+] Research Study: State of the IT Skills Gap

  • State of the IT Skills Gap

    Published Feb. 2012
    

    A skilled workforce is the lifeblood of the U.S. economy. For a number of reasons, gaps can emerge between the sup­ply and demand for certain types of skills. This CompTIA study explores the current and future outlook for IT skills, as well as the factors that contribute to skills gaps.

    

• [+] Research Study: Retail Sector Technology Adoption Trends

  • Retail Sector Technology Adoption Trends

    Published June 2012
    

    The U.S. retail sector commands attention on many fronts. Not only is it one of the largest industry sectors from a sales and employment perspective, it routinely serves as the pulse of the U.S. economy. Technological innovation has transformed many industries, but the effects on the retail sector have been especially pronounced. Digital signage, POS payment developments, mobile-commerce, social engagement, customer analytics and a host of other tech­nologies make the retail sector an interesting space for IT firms. CompTIA's study explores a range of these issues.

    

• [+] White Paper: The Digital Revolution - How IT Skills Drive Business Strategy
  

  • The Digital Revolution - How IT Skills Drive Business Strategy

    Published Jan. 2013
    

    The IT industry has matured to the point of being a critical component for business—not only as a supporting tool but also as a strategic driver of corporate initiatives. To take advantage of the new opportunities afforded by technology, companies must build the skills necessary to understand and utilize that technology. This whitepaper examines the trends taking place that have led to a digital tipping point for businesses and the steps that businesses must consider in order to compete in today's high tech environment.