Channel partners, IT professionals and technology companies have gathered this week for CompTIA ChannelCon 2018 in Washington, D.C. The conference is perhaps best known for attracting small business VARs and MSPs. But the times are changing -- and CompTIA is evolving.
The association continues to broaden its messaging and positioning -- opening its arms to the entire IT industry, including emerging areas like robotics, artificial intelligence and plenty more. Business leadership -- and key initiatives like diversity and mentoring -- also remain core themes for the association and the conference.
CompTIA ChannelCon 2018: Day One News, Developments, Chatter
Check this blog multiple times daily for the latest news, analysis and updates directly from the conference. Among the key developments so far...
8. Edge Certification: APC by Schneider Electric has launched a new Edge Computing Certification for channel partners. The certification offers partners the potential for 17 percent discounts on APC products; configuration tools for IT rack solutions; and potential loyalty rewards.
7. Momentum: Agiloft, which develops agile business process software, says channel partner sales have grown 67 percent in the company's fiscal year 2018.
6. Momentum - Barracuda Networks: The company is reenforcing the momentum of Barracuda Essentials, an all-in-one email security, backup and archiving service. Bookings grew 232 percent through its MSP Business in Q1 2018 vs. Q1 2017. Moreover, Q1 email security product bookings grew 36 percent year-over-year and is over a $100 million annual run rate, the company said in a statement. The milestones provide clues about Barracuda’s performance since leaving public markets and shifting to Thoma Bravo’s private equity ownership in February 2018.
5. Penetration Testing: CompTIA's new penetration testing certification, known as PenTest+, has officially launched.
4. Cloud Security Suite: Bitdefender is reinforcing news about its recently launched cloud security suite for MSPs and MSSPs.
3. Member of the Year: CompTIA has named Inspired Business Innovations CEO Victor Johnston as its member of the year. Johnston's career path has included military service, government contracting and starting up his own tech business. Johnston has volunteered more than 2,000 hours of his time in the past six years -- supporting such CompTIA initiatives as Advancing Women in Technology, Advancing Diversity in Technology, Future Leaders and IT Security communities.
2. Keep Checking Back: Check this link for the latest CompTIA ChannelCon 2018 news, analysis and developments.
1. Got News to Share?: If your company is making moves at CompTIA ChannelCon 2018, feel free to email me the details. [email protected].
