Trade, Tariffs and Key International Legislation

What’s happening on an international level is very impactful to those in the technology industry, according to Nicole Bivens Collinson, President of International Trade, Government Relations and Federal Affairs at Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. Bivens Collinson shared her thoughts during the Capitol Hill Speakers Series, part of the CompTIA DC Fly-In that took place in Washington

With more than 30 years of experience in government, public affairs and lobbying, Bivens Collinson provided DC Fly-In attendees a realistic snapshot view of what’s happening right now with regards to trade, how to mitigate tariffs and specific pieces of legislation the industry should keep its eye on.
The Trade War

Bivens Collinson began by addressing the hard stance the U.S. is now taking on some of our trading partners – particularly China – after withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) two years ago. She emphasized that fact that constitutionally, governance of tariffs rests with Congress.

“Congress is the one who negotiates raises and lowers tariffs. Over the years, Congress has given some of that power to the President in certain situations when specific issues are perceived as unfair to the U.S.” she said.

The timing of President Trump’s State of the Union address (held on the evening before her remarks) proved very timely to this discussion. During the address the President asked Congress for support on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and tariff powers. Bivens Collinson emphasized the importance of these free trade agreements coming down the pipe as they will affect the technology industry with regard to how data is treated, cross border data flows and more.
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Infrastructure and 5G at CompTIA DC Fly-In

When FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr took the stage at CompTIA’s DC Fly-in, Capitol Hill Speakers Series, to talk about 5G and the future of the cellular network, he started with the past.

Ten years ago, splitting the check at dinner was a needlessly complicated exchange of bills, coins, and IOUs. A night out meant planning transportation options in advance. A decade ago, our nation’s wireless infrastructure couldn’t support apps like Venmo, Lyft, Uber and Airbnb that we rely on every day.

On the 3G wireless network of the late 1990s, loading a web page or a video could take minutes. It was only with 4G in 2008, the updated mobile network, that so many of the apps we rely on today became possible.

The shift from 3G to 4G set the foundation for apps and devices that changed the way we interact with each other and with technology. The shift from 4G to 5G will be even more pronounced. Talking about 5G and its potential, Carr highlighted several key themes.

5G Will Enable New, Emerging Technologies

The 5G network’s increased speed and capacity will enable the development and spread of technologies such as autonomous vehicles, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and more. These emerging technologies must process and transmit massive quantities of data in real time, something only possible with 5G. Experts forecast that the growth in emerging technologies will create thousands of new job opportunities and fundamentally transform almost every industry.
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Strong Impression at Your Tech Internship

Congratulations! After countless hours spent polishing your resume and submitting applications, you’ve landed an awesome tech internship. You may be thinking the hard work is over, but it’s only the beginning. While there’s no guarantee that an internship will lead to a job offer right off the bat, it can help you get there if you come in with an open mind, willingness to learn and an understanding of what you bring to the table. We spoke with two seasoned tech professionals to get their top tips on how to make a good impression at your internship.

Flexibility Is Not Overrated

There’s a reason why flexibility is considered a top quality in interns and employees. Unlike school, work doesn’t come with a course outline. The same holds true for an internship, especially one at a tech company. “A lot of internships, apprentice programs and early college grad programs I’ve seen are built with a very vague set of expectations,” says Rachel Rogers, director of Small Business Solution Engineering for the Central Region at Salesforce. “When you work in a workplace, and especially in a very fast moving industry like tech, you have to be a little bit flexible in knowing that they’re going to write a pretty broad syllabus for you, and it’s up to you to fill in the blanks.”

While that may sound scary for some, view this as an opportunity to flex the skills that make you unique and show why they hired you. Start your internship knowing your strengths and figuring out how to leverage them to solve a problem for the business–even if the problem isn’t necessarily in your wheelhouse. “An internship is giving you a trial run of a potential full-time job in the future, so you want to show yourself as a high value candidate who isn’t going to be inflexible when problems arise or when things are not as promised,” says Becki Ellis, principal career strategist at Bex Consultants.
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Will this IT certification increase my salary

Skills pay the bills! Ask anybody in any profession, and they will tell you the same. But one thing’s for sure: certifications confirm your worth. Having in-demand certifications shows employers that you have the skills they’re looking for.
7. What’s more important – learning a skill on the job or getting a new IT certification?

If you are already working in your desired career field, sometimes learning the skills related to a new technology you work on daily will have more impact than simply getting another certification.

An example of this is Cisco ISE or Amazon AWS. Learning these technologies thoroughly will have a major impact not just on your resume, but also on your bank account. I’ll repeat: skills pay the bills, but certifications confirm your worth.

Likewise, if you’re spending some of your free time on continuing education, put it on your resume! Start by listing the most important (i.e. relevant to the job you’re applying for) items first. Include both certifications and online courses, if significant. The example below shows how to list certifications.
Certifications

Digital Learning Educator Certificate, Online Training Education Company – 2018
Reading Specialist Certification, Macon County Education System – 2018
Administrator I Endorsement Certification, University of Wilmington – 2018
Certificate in Teaching Secondary English, North Carolina Department of Education – 2008
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CompTIA IT Pro: If an IT pro wants to work in a DevSecOps environment

Project management, both agile and waterfall, are important. Developers will need to know the operating systems they are developing in, so they’ll need to understand Windows and Linux. The idea is that for DevSecOps, you need to get deep into the guts of operating systems and understand them well. You can specialize in one area, but you’ll also need to understand databases, relational databases and object-oriented databases. In programming, you want to know several languages—Java, C++ and a .NET language, like C# or JavaScript. Someone with that mix of skills can fit into a DevSecOps environment.

Device support is the area where companies would like to see the most improvement, since new IoT devices often have different power requirements and firmware processes. While the specifics may be unique to each device, there is a base layer of knowledge needed that can be gained through CompTIA A+. From here, IT pros can further specialize in IoT, including understanding the details that come from different vendors.
IoT and Cloud Computing

Especially as IoT systems go beyond the walls of a business, cloud computing will be used to help deal with the data and crunch numbers on the back end. IoT in general will tax the existing resources for many organizations, and they will want to extend their current cloud strategies to help kickstart IoT initiatives. CompTIA Cloud+ takes IT pros beyond the server room to help them understand how to manage cloud systems.
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Insider Knowledge: Moving the Tech

Welcome to a new series called Insider Knowledge, where we showcase people who are doing cool or amazing or interesting things in IT and the tech industry. More than a profile, we want to know the nuts and bolts of a particular career path so that readers like you can see there’s more than one way to find a dream job in tech.

Once businesses could count on good techs responding to a job posting. But with more options available and fewer techs out there looking, this isn’t always the case.

“The number one problem we have is knowing where the talent is,” Rockoff said.

Visiting tech meetup groups in NYC, where people are there as a part of a community exploring their personal interests, is one place where Rockoff has had great success even though such events are not specifically job-oriented.

“They’re not naturally going into it thinking they’re going to be on a job interview and that’s not their intention,” Rockoff said. “I’ve found the best places are the ones where people are not necessarily directly looking at [finding a job] as their direct focus. They’re looking at it with a secondary or tertiary focus.”

Hensley has been successful with similar strategies in Lexington. Hensley and his techs can frequently be found at “geek night” events at the local tech incubator building and they keep in close touch with the tech companies on the third floor of the building in which Hensley/Elam is headquartered. They visit and speak at local college events as well. A commitment to being a visible part of the local tech community, and building professional relationships and even friendships with engaged, enthusiastic local techs, can lead to a perfect match when a need arises. And as Hensley said, in today’s tech job market, the time to start looking for a new employee isn’t when the old one vacates the position.
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The Biggest Threats Could Be Within the Same Four Walls

After analyzing the organization and identifying critical areas to take immediate actions, find out how well employees are informed and committed to upholding the company’s data security policies. While news headlines frequently blame malware for a data breach, research has shown that nearly 60 percent of the time, it is a malicious or simply careless actor inside the company whose actions led to the breach.

Therefore, review onboarding procedures to ensure employees are trained both when they start and frequently during employment on best practices for secure data management. Sharing the results of the cybersecurity audit can also educate and motivate employees to identify and report potential internal breaches.

“I think they liked to see that I was already thinking about the projects they were going to be working on.” Be curious about the job you’re interviewing for and bring those questions to the table.

“I think one of the mistakes people make is that they don’t show enough interest in the position and they don’t have questions to ask,” he said.

Another way to be your best in an interview is to show your interest and experience in this field.

“Try to answer the interview questions with a relevant story, even if it’s from an enthusiast hobby or your certification training,” Grening said.

Finally, review and communicate the penalties for purposeful misuse of company data. When an employee separates from the company, whether it’s by their choice or not, conduct an exit interview that reviews penalties. Change passwords or other security permissions immediately so that person is no longer privileged with physical or electronic access to the business operations after departing.

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IT Certifications to Explore Specialties

CompTIA Network+

Proves your knowledge about managing enterprise networks, solving networking issues, troubleshooting network devices and keeping tabs on network security.

Jobs related to CompTIA Network+: Network Support Specialist, Network Administrator, Systems Administrator, Systems Analyst, Network Engineer

Download the CompTIA Network+ exam objectives to see what’s covered.
CompTIA Security+

Great for tech support and computer networking professionals who want to get into cybersecurity. This certification proves you know how to secure networks, keep digital data confidential and ward off hackers.

Jobs related to CompTIA Security+: Cybersecurity Specialist, Security Administrator

Download the CompTIA Security+ exam objectives to see what’s covered.
CompTIA A+

Your ticket to help desk and technical support jobs. CompTIA A+ shows you know how to troubleshoot common tech problems in corporate environments.

Jobs related to CompTIA A+: Help Desk Technician, Technical Support Specialist

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Community Identifies Top Technology

Great things happen when people get together — and that’s why CompTIA has launched an open, vendor-neutral community focused on the needs of the Benelux region, encompassing Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The goal of this new community is to help businesses thrive in a time of unprecedented change.

The group of volunteers from the Benelux industry recently met in Amsterdam to discuss their top technology challenges. Around the world, those of us in IT share many of the same challenges — but these are not necessarily the same in order of priority for each region.

Security is probably the No. 1 priority everywhere, but it is even more important in the Benelux region where IoT and AI are advancing. Human resources to meet the needs of the expanding role of high tech in Benelux is also at the top of the list. And, these challenges all depend on the IT professionals in the channel-partner community being agile enough to keep up with changing times, emerging technology and new demands from end users.

The CompTIA workshop in Amsterdam also suggested seven ways an international association can bring resources to help the Benelux community address these four main challenges. While we are working on our individual business development, there are common challenges that can make our individual journeys easier.
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The Building Blocks of Cybersecurity

But how do you get into cybersecurity with no experience? If you have limited experience in IT and aren't quite ready to start with CompTIA Security+, then you’ll want to start earlier on the pathway.

CompTIA A+ validates the skills employers look for in new and aspiring IT support professionals. In addition to covering today's core technologies in operating systems, cloud, data management and more, the new CompTIA A+ Core Series covers baseline security skills at the end point device level, including malware detection and removal, privacy concerns, physical security and device hardening.

Where CompTIA A+ considers connectivity from the perspective of the user and their device, CompTIA Network+ focuses on the connections from (and between) the core systems to the endpoint devices. It validates the essential knowledge and skills needed to design, configure, manage and troubleshoot wired and wireless networks. To best support and ultimately secure the systems that exchange information on your network, you must first understand how the network functions.

CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Network+ follow a progression consistent with the KSAs an IT professional exhibits as they move from an early career technical support role with 9 to 12 months of general IT experience to one with 1 to 2 years of general IT experience, and with a significant part of that specific to network support and administration.

CompTIA Network+ is also an important and strongly recommended prerequisite to CompTIA Security+. Before you can secure a network, you must understand how it functions. In other words, you shouldn’t skip algebra to start with calculus. Otherwise, you are learning security skills and applying them to a network you don’t understand.
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Cybersecurity Done Right: Is Compliance

Over the past year, I’ve met IT pros, their managers and executive leaders around the world. I’ve met with execs from Dell, Softbank, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, NTT Japan, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Japan’s Ministry of Defense, Lockheed Martin, Tesco, the State of New Jersey, Target and other organizations. I’ve had the good fortune to talk with technicians and CISOs from many of these organizations, as well.

IoT and big data go hand in hand to offer organizations valuable insights. A great example is with shipping and logistics. Organizations are always looking for different ways to be more efficient with deliveries, specifically in saving time and money. You may wonder how drivers all over the world find their way to millions of destinations every day. Well, big data is the shotgun rider!

Shipping organizations collect, analyze and use big data to forecast future demand. Then, they can work together with IoT by putting sensors on trucks to learn more about gas mileage, speed and delivery routes.

Big Data Jobs in IoT:
Big Data Engineer
Engineering Data Specialist
Data Integrations Engineer

As I’ve spoken with various people, I’ve seen some organizations that are poised for success. They have the proper maturity of operations and a unique approach that make them good examples. I’ve seen others that, frankly, have a longer path to follow before they can say that they’re on good cybersecurity footing.

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Distributed technology models challenge existing structures

Distributed ledger technologies (DLT) such as blockchain introduce a new architectural approach using distributed networks and cryptography. The question remains whether this technology is strong enough to disrupt established models. However, the real opportunity could lie in developing economies where traditional models aren’t cemented. 2019 may see increased activity in this area but there may also be a backlash to the original hype around DLT.

Dr. James Stanger
Chief Technology Evangelist — CompTIA

Security+, Network+, MCSE, LPI Linux, Symantec STA

Dr. James Stanger is the chief technology evangelist at CompTIA. His wide range of expertise includes certification and certification design, using social media in business, e-learning creation, security, Linux and open source, and web development. An award-winning author, Stanger has written titles for O’Reilly Media, McGraw-Hill, Prentice-Hall, IBM, Wiley and Elsevier. He has also acted as a security consultant for various entities, including the Association for Corporate Council, Brigham Young University and Security (purchased by McAfee).

Overall, it’s a matter of when, not if, blockchain reaches critical mass in the market, executives said. During this maturation phase, it’s important for solution providers to learn the subject matter and start conversations with customers in order to establish themselves at thought leaders now, according to Annette Taber, CompTIA’s vice president of industry outreach.

“Blockchain will change the way we do business—and what we expect from business,” Taber said. “The CompTIA Blockchain Advisory Council is tasked with raising awareness of this important technology and providing solution providers with the information and tools necessary to prepare their businesses for blockchain. They may not start selling blockchain today, or tomorrow, but it’s going to be a part of their future.”
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What Is an IT Training Specialist?

An IT training specialist may teach at a private or nonprofit college, university or technical school. The courses and topics covered can vary widely, from software development (i.e., coding) to basic network administration to more advanced information technology systems.

In addition to technical knowledge, instructors are often expected to prepare their students for the modern workplace, teaching them soft skills including how to collaborate with non-technical colleagues and how to communicate with the non-tech-savvy public.
An IT training specialist may also be expected to do the following:
Maintain classroom order and discipline so that every student can learn
Encourage and support students in their learning so no one gets left behind
Identify special needs of students and, in such cases, refer them to additional resources (e.g., mental health or academic counseling)
Attain and maintain industry certifications in the topics being taught
Travel to training locations as needed

An IT training specialist may need to be up to speed on A/V equipment for the classroom as well as web-based tools that allow for online distance instruction.

There are many parts of the role that vary based on the job and the employer. IT training specialists may work as an independent contractor for numerous clients or be salaried by one learning institution or organization as part of a department of instructors. They may deliver prepared curricula or be expected to generate their own lesson plans based on their own knowledge and expertise. IT pros who work for the government or large corporations are often expected to keep up their IT certifications, so instructors may be brought in to conduct training to help them prepare.
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Benefits and Challenges of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is a unique part of the emerging tech landscape, with years of science fiction shaping our expectations of AI capabilities. Today, the reality is that AI is much more of an enabling technology than an end user product. Understanding how to use AI requires understanding the data requirements, the programming model, and the nature of the outputs.

These elements, which are described further in Emerging Business Opportunities in AI, CompTIA’s latest research exploring the adoption of emerging technology, add more complexity to an already complicated IT environment. For solution providers wondering how to best serve their clients, deciding on the right business model and level of investment can be a challenge.

One way to approach the situation is to consider the pros and cons of AI. Even though most companies have not yet begun an adoption journey, there are opinions about what benefits the new technology will bring and what challenges will be encountered. Looking at the top three from each list reveals what’s important to companies today.

One of the most helpful features of BYTE is that the message, resources and purpose can apply across many ages and levels of tech skill and talent. BYTE resources are readily available for download, and include toolkits about how to become a mentor, resources for partnering with nonprofits and community organizations, and parent guides for supporting their child’s STEM education.

Ptak credits events like TSA and involved members in helping BYTE take off. “I have a passion for helping the younger generation know that there are lot of areas to go into. Most think that you have to code or build computers, but there are plenty of other career paths in tech.”

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Tops for Today’s Technologists

When you think of IT skills, you might think of cybersecurity, cloud or computer networking. But in this Technologist Talk Radio podcast, sponsored by Creating IT Futures, CompTIA CEO Todd Thibodeaux highlights teamwork as the most important skill for today’s IT pro.

Host Bob Dirkes asks Todd about how IT pros can develop skills like teamwork that will help them advance their careers and become the leaders of tomorrow.

BOB: What’s the most important skill set for a technologist in today’s digitally driven business world? Working with the cloud, cybersecurity savvy, managing artificial intelligence?

None of the above.

Teamwork skills top them all. We’ll hear from a technologist who manages teams around the country, across oceans and spanning four generations on this episode of Technologist Talk Radio, a podcast from CompTIA’s tech workforce charity, Creating IT Futures.

Hello, I’m Bob Dirkes. Welcome to Technologist Talk Radio, where we share stories about how technologists found, shaped and develop their careers and now help others do the same.

In this edition, we’ll visit again with Todd Thibodeaux, chief executive of CompTIA, the world’s foremost association for information technology professionals.
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CompTIA A+ IT certifications

CompTIA A+ is one of the better-known IT certifications out there. Robert Half listed it among the most valuable IT certifications and said it can jumpstart your IT career by giving you critical foundational skills like troubleshooting, providing technical support and working with hardware.

Robert Half also stated that CompTIA A+ is especially helpful to those wanting to gain basic knowledge of the following IT disciplines:
Mobile devices
Networking
Security
Operational procedures
Various operating systems

Every IT pro has to start somewhere. For those ready to get into IT, earning CompTIA A+ will pay off in spades.

Other valuable IT certifications, as mentioned by Robert Half:
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)
Inability to pay higher salaries. The private sector has traditionally recognized the need to pay competitive salaries based on supply and demand. Government, on the other hand, has been stuck in time and in most instances adheres to rather inflexible pay scales that are more focused on treating everyone similarly as opposed to addressing the reality of market forces. Highly-trained technology staff can command much higher salaries in the private sector thus making it quite difficult to recruit and maintain a stable tech workforce.
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CompTIA Security+: Getting the Basics

Taking the cybersecurity basics seriously is one of the easiest ways to mitigate risk, and having a team of IT pros who’ve earned CompTIA Security+ is the most surefire way to get the work done. Part of this entry-level cybersecurity certification is being able to recognize the myriad doors that get left open on a business’s network and applications and know how to close them off.

Organizations treating the cybersecurity basics as a non-negotiable foundation to their network presence is the first step in both secure computing and smart tech investment. And having a staff of top-notch cybersecurity pros is key to making sure an organization doesn’t let the basics slide.

CompTIA Security+-certified tech pros understand the right steps to take to secure networks and applications and make sure that the correct protocols are in place so that they stay secure. Without a solid foundation in the cybersecurity basics, an enterprise is setting itself up like a house of cards, ready to tumble at the first poke from a cybercriminal. But with certified staff building out and securing networks and applications at every step, cybercriminals looking for an easy mark don’t stand a chance.

This sold foundation is the basis for safer computing all around, and it’s a better, more informed point from which to determine what more sophisticated cybersecurity solutions could be necessary.
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Toward Transparency Help Your Tech Staff

One of the best things you can do as a manager is help people verbalize ways they add value to an organization. Use the Future Leaders IDP to show people how to spin their accomplishments into something another boss will recognize as a good quality—then remember that you’re the boss and should be allowing employees to lean into those innate skills.

You can also use the IDP as a springboard for effective discussions between employees and their supervisors or teams. This is not a performance appraisal. The conversation should be open and honest with undivided attention from both parties.

A good IDP should be a living, breathing document, a checkpoint or conversation starter that gets re-evaluated every six months. The IDP starts with the individual but it will take management commitment to help drive action.

How can one person review 90,000 security alerts in one day? They can’t – unless they have help. The cybersecurity analyst solved the dilemma by reconfiguring the SIEM to produce fewer alerts.

For example, adding in simple checks to verify the destination computer and its reliability rating can reduce 50% of false positives. Why? If the APT is attacking a hardened, secure system immune to the specific attack, the alert can be downgraded or removed.
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Everything You Need to Know About CompTIA

The new CompTIA PenTest+ exam is through CompTIA, which has the best online training courses for certification in a variety of security fields. CompTIA also certifies the leading IT professionals with the skills they need most to be successful in information technology.

As I mentioned before, the exam code for CompTIA PenTest+ is going to be PT0-001. That’s the exam code you’re going to need if you’re looking to take this exam.

If we go to Indeed right now, you type in PenTest+, you’re going to find 56 jobs. Now, it’s a brand new exam, so a lot of recruiters and companies may not know about it yet, but if you look the Security+, there’s over 500,000 jobs, almost 600,000 jobs in America right now, so it will pick up steam.

Generation Z employees are resourceful, practical and competitive. They want the space and trust to do their work independently, relying on themselves or small groups to get a job done. Be careful, however, not to mistake an eagerness for autonomous work for anti-collaborative tendencies. Gen Zers are still new to the workforce and those who are encouraged to find mentorships with more experienced colleagues will be future foundational employees for your company.

Generation Z may be new but don’t make the mistake to think they are naïve. As they steadily flow into the workforce over the next decade, disruptions to the status quo and improvements for more efficient and integrated practices can be expected. To see positive impact for your own company, the best course of action is to embrace, encourage and energize the talent pool, at every age and stage of their career.
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