CompTIA Volley

Carolyn and Seth talk about the changes HR teams will need to make as their organizations pursue skills-based career development. Similar to technology investments, skills-based methodology investments have been growing in recent years, and companies will start asking about the returns on these investments. HR teams need to align systems and processes to a skills-based approach, not just for hirin...

Carolyn and Seth talk about the tech skills landscape as businesses head into another year of digital transformation. Although AI is casting questions around the quantity and quality of skills an organization will need in the future, the current state of skill demand remains very healthy. Hiring was somewhat choppy in 2024, but trend lines for most job roles were net positive. Companies are lookin...

Carolyn and Seth talk through the issues surrounding standardization or regulation of the MSP industry. Unlike many other professional service sector, ranging from electricians to accountants to lawyers, managed services providers have no formal structure in place to validate their ability to manage networks or secure data. There are many complicating factors, including the focus on the individual...

Carolyn and Seth share some news about the new entities of CompTIA Inc. and Global Technology Industry Association, then they dive into the challenges surrounding AI adoption. From CompTIA's IT Industry Outlook, companies are expected to encounter more hurdles in 2025 as they implement AI. These include cybersecurity, finding proper use cases, and the cost of infrastructure, but the most significa...

Carolyn and Seth take a look back at 2024's biggest tech stories. From the ongoing hype around AI to the Crowdstrike incident, technology professionals have dealt with growing complexity, which opens more opportunities for strategic work. On the channel side, the regulatory environment following the U.S. elections and the repercussions of M&A activity create new concerns for service providers,...

Carolyn and Seth continue their overview of CompTIA's IT Industry Outlook 2025 report by lookin at the big issues facing IT channel firms in the new year. Channel firms feel very positive about their prospects, driven largely by the expectation that they will reach new customer segments. This expansion will require more growth in areas that have been priorities in the past, such as marketing and i...

Carolyn and Seth give a preview of CompTIA's upcoming IT Industry Outlook report, focusing on the prospects for IT pros. Most IT pros are optimistic about the future of their career, driven by a high demand for technical skills, opportunities for flexibility, and the chance to build things that benefit business and society. However, the environment around IT work may be challenging in some ways, a...

Carolyn and Seth welcome Ryan Sutton, Executive Director of Technology for Robert Half, to discuss findings from Robert Half's 2025 Technology Salaries and Hiring Trends guide. The group discusses the importance of teamwork skills alongside technical skills, the variables that influence salary decisions, and the challenges involved with deciding employee location. Robert Half 2025 Technology Salar...

Carolyn and Seth welcome back Randy Gross, CompTIA's Chief Information Security Officer, for their annual holiday episode. The group talks about one thing in tech that is scary (the disruption AI may cause to entry-level jobs and small businesses), one thing they are thankful for (the appetite for technology that constantly drives innovation), and one thing on their wish list (for AI to improve in...

Carolyn and Seth welcome Brad Powell, cofounder of ThreatCaptain, to talk about the cybersecurity skills needed in the market. CompTIA's State of Cybersecurity 2025 report suggested that companies are struggling to fully understand the details of skill gaps, and many cybersecurity professionals need to build a blend of technical and business skills in order to help establish best practices and the...

Carolyn and Seth walk through the highlights of CompTIA's new State of Cybersecurity 2025 report. This annual study explores attitudes, strategies, and tactics around cybersecurity. This year's report uses the enterprise architecture model to lay out an organizational approach, starting with establishing priority at the business level, then moving through workflow considerations that include risk...

Carolyn and Seth talk with Suzanne Ricci, Chief Success Officer at Computer Coach, about the value of joining communities for IT professionals. In addition to her role at Computer Coach, Suzanne leads several meetups in the Tampa area as well as the online community Tech Success Network. Suzanne gives some ideas for finding a community for the first time, tips for the best ways to engage with an o...

Carolyn and Seth take a look at the biggest tech issues that will face government officials with the U.S. election coming up in November. Ai has dominated regulation discussion, but business owners should be sure to pay attention to the full range of regulations that require compliance. Antitrust is making more and more headlines, and there are major challenges in determining anti-competitive beha...

Carolyn and Seth take a listen to some audio captured during CompTIA's interview at RSA with Jason Bentley, director of security operations at UST HealthProof. Jason shared his perspective on the value of certifications in building and developing a technical team. Carolyn and Seth share their thoughts around the issues of certifications as one piece of the recruitment puzzle, the use of training/c...

Carolyn and Seth talk about CompTIA's recent data looking at technology trends across verticals. While many of the differences between industries are subtle, the motivations behind tech adoption and skill building can drive decisions. Across verticals, some of the common themes are balancing strategy and tactics with technology, a high level of interest in AI/automation, and building broad foundat...

Carolyn and Seth talk about the latest approaches companies are taking around developing the skills of their workforce. Over 60% of companies claim to be using a well-defined skills framework, but that may be more of an aspirational statement as they also report challenges around defining skills and building a consistent methodology. Adding to the challenge, any skills framework needs to account f...

Carolyn and Seth talk about CompTIA's recent data around pathways for technology professionals. First, they look at the three buckets of skills that are needed--technical knowledge, the ability to apply that knowledge to solve problems, and durable skills like communications and teamwork. As companies drop requirements around college degrees, candidates still need to find a way to build all three...

Carolyn and Seth celebrate eight years of podcasting together by exploring what business leadership might look like eight years into the future. CompTIA President and CEO Todd Thibodeaux joins this episode to discuss the evolving role of technology in business operations, the complexities of employee dynamics, and the impact of social responsibility and philanthropy on modern organizations.

Carolyn and Seth use some recent CompTIA research data to dig into the true meaning of digital transformation. The label doesn’t apply very well to individual projects, but the two discuss the importance of having a long-term strategy, the shift from tactical to strategic IT, and the critical skills needed to navigate this complex landscape.

Carolyn and Seth talk about CompTIA’s latest Workforce and Learning Trends research report with Hannah Johnson, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Marketing Development at CompTIA. The group talks about the shift towards a skills-based approach in hiring, the importance of digital literacy and fluency, and how the HR tech stack is growing more complex and AI-enabled. Workforce and Learning Tren...

Carolyn and Seth dive into the contrasting worlds of Enterprise and Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs). They explore the nuances of career paths, training opportunities, and purchasing behaviors across these distinct business environments. The differences between the two types of organizations highlight potential skill needs for both IT professionals, business leaders, and third party firms.

Carolyn and Seth talk with Haley Glover about CompTIA’s new research on the State of the Tech Workforce. Haley is the senior director of Upskill America, an initiative of the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program, and she discusses the spread of tech careers far beyond the tech industry, the opportunities and challenges involved with remote work, and the wide array of tech skills that emp...

Carolyn and Seth give their impressions on the hottest topic in technology—AI. Using new research on business viewpoints and adoption, the discussion touches on the changing definition of AI and the way that organizations are likely to implement AI as part of broader solutions. Then the two talk about the challenges companies face as they accelerate their adoption and the skill gaps that need to b...

Carolyn and Seth talk with Bob Coppedge from Simplex IT as they continue the discussion around CompTIA's State of the Channel research study. In this episode, the group talks about the need for channel firms to assess and improve their basic business acumen. While most of the focus in channel business development is placed on vendor/distributor relationships and technology portfolio management, th...

Carolyn and Seth review CompTIA's latest State of the Channel research. This annual study looks at the dynamic ecosystem of the IT channel, where the changes have repercussions for both technology firms and technology professionals. Looking at this year's study, the discussion touches on the way that tech complexity is driving optimism in the tech industry and the downstream effects of building bu...