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CompTIA (January 1, 1982-present) | |
Company type | Non-profit |
Founded | January 1, 1982 |
Headquarters | 3500 Lacey Road Suite 100 Downers Grove, IL 60515, U.S. |
Number of locations | United States |
Area served | Global |
Products | TechAmerica (2014-present) |
Website | Official website ![]() |
The Computing Technology Industry Association, more commonly known as CompTIA, is an American non-profit trade association that issues professional certifications for the information technology (IT) industry. It is considered one of the IT industry's top trade associations. [1]
Based in Downers Grove, Illinois, CompTIA issues vendor-neutral professional certifications in over 120 countries. The organization releases industry studies to track industry trends and changes. Over 2.2 million people have earned CompTIA certifications since the association was established. [2]
CompTIA was created in 1982 as the Association of Better Computer Dealers (ABCD). [3] ABCD later changed its name to the Computing Technology Industry Association.[ citation needed ]
In 2010, CompTIA moved its headquarters into a new office space in a facility in Downers Grove, Illinois. [4]
The CompTIA portal moved to a hybrid version of the open-access model in April 2014 with exclusive content for dues-paying members. [5] [6] The move expanded the organization's reach to engage a broader, more diverse set of members, and within a year, CompTIA's membership grew from 2,050 members to more than 50,000 in 2015. [7] By the close of 2016, the organization boasted more than 100,000 members worldwide.[ citation needed ]
Skillsboost, CompTIA's online resource for schools, was launched in June 2015. It contained resources for students, parents and teachers to promote the importance of computer skills. [8] [9] CompTIA held its first annual ChannelCon Vendor Summit in 2015. The Vendor Summit is exclusive to people attending ChannelCon, the industry's premier conference for collaboration, education and networking. It addresses issues within the IT industry. [10]
In January 2017, CompTIA launched an IT professional association built on its acquisition of the Association of Information Technology Professionals. [11] [12]
CompTIA offers trustmarks to businesses to certify their security capabilities and credentials.
The CompTIA Security Trustmark+ is based on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and demonstrates compliance with key industry regulations such as PCI-DSS, SSAE-16, HIPAA, and others reliant on the NIST Framework. It is based on a third-party assessment of security policies, procedures and operations.
CompTIA offered additional trustmarks, a Managed Services Trustmark and Managed Print Trustmark, that were retired on Sept. 30, 2021. [13]
CompTIA administers its vendor-neutral certification exams through Pearson VUE testing centers. (Note: For A+ up through CASP+ one can renew or extend their certification by satisfying in these cases 20 to 75 CEUs a.k.a. "Continuing Education Units," over the three-year period.) [14]
CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) is the highest level certification in CompTIA's cybersecurity pathway after Security+, CySA+, and PenTest+. The CASP+ certification was accredited by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) on December 13, 2011. [16] The CASP+ exam will certify that the successful candidate has the technical knowledge and skills required to conceptualize, design, and engineer secure solutions across complex enterprise environments. In March 2013, the U.S. Department of Defense approved the certification as a baseline certification accepted for Information Assurance Technical Level III, IS Manager Level II and IA Systems Architect and Engineer Levels I and II. [34]
In January 2018, CompTIA released stackable certifications: [42]
CompTIA initially lobbied against the right to repair. [43] On February 21, 2020, CompTIA posted stated that as of February 3, 2020, "CompTIA permanently stepped back from all lobbying activity related to right to repair legislation." [44]
CompTIA established a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization called Creating IT Futures. [45]
Previously, CompTIA marketed its flagship A+, Network+, and Security+ certifications as being valid for a lifetime. In January 2011, CompTIA changed the status of these certifications so that they would expire every three years. Under this proposal, certified individuals would have to re-certify for the exams or pay a yearly maintenance fee for a CEU (Continuing Education Units) system. CompTIA modified the guidelines so that only certificates received after January 1, 2011, would need to be renewed every three years and would require documented continuing education hours. [46] The un-expirable certificates, issued before 2011, are officially called Good-for-Life, and getting a more updated (and expirable) certification does not replace the Good-for-Life one – the professional can have both. [47]
The SANS Institute is a private U.S. for-profit company founded in 1989 that specializes in information security, cybersecurity training, and selling certificates. Topics available for training include cyber and network defenses, penetration testing, incident response, digital forensics, and auditing. The information security courses are developed through a consensus process involving administrators, security managers, and information security professionals. The courses cover security fundamentals and technical aspects of information security. The institute has been recognized for its training programs and certification programs. Per 2021, SANS is the world’s largest cybersecurity research and training organization. SANS is an acronym for SysAdmin, Audit, Network, and Security.
An IT administrator, system administrator, sysadmin, or admin is a person who is responsible for the upkeep, configuration, and reliable operation of computer systems, especially multi-user computers, such as servers. The system administrator seeks to ensure that the uptime, performance, resources, and security of the computers they manage meet the needs of the users, without exceeding a set budget when doing so.
CISSP is an independent information security certification granted by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, also known as ISC2.
ISACA is an international professional association focused on IT governance. On its IRS filings, it is known as the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, although ISACA now goes by its acronym only. ISACA currently offers 8 certification programs, as well as other micro-certificates.
The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) is a nonprofit, non-advocacy membership association founded in 2000. It provides a forum for privacy professionals to share best practices, track trends, advance privacy management issues, standardize the designations for privacy professionals, and to provide education and guidance on career opportunities in the field of information privacy. The IAPP offers a full suite of educational and professional development services, including privacy training, certification programs, publications and annual conferences. It is headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
The Linux Professional Institute Certification (LPIC) Program is the core certification program offered by the Linux Professional Institute (LPI). LPI offers three different certification tracks: an introductory Essentials Track, the Linux Professional Track, and an Open Technology Track for professionals working with additional technologies such as DevOps and BSD.
Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit. Accreditation is a specific organization's process of certification. According to the U.S. National Council on Measurement in Education, a certification test is a credentialing test used to determine whether individuals are knowledgeable enough in a given occupational area to be labeled "competent to practice" in that area.
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The Electronics Technicians Association, International, Inc. is a US-based not-for-profit 501(c)(6) trade association founded in 1978. The association provides certifications in industries such as basic electronics, fiber optics and data cabling, renewable energy, information technology, photonics and precision optics, customer service, biomedical, avionics, wireless communications, radar, and smart home. ETA is also one of the 12 COLEMs for U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) testing. ETA works with technicians, educators, and military personnel. ETA also partners with companies such as Motorola Solutions to provide certification to their employees.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to information technology:
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The Institute for the Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP) is a non-profit institution for professional certification in the Computer engineering and Information technology industry. It was founded in 1973 by 8 professional computer societies to promote certification and professionalism in the industry, lower the cost of development and administration of certification for all of the societies and act as the central resource for job standards and performance criteria.
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(website has a visual chart of CEUs needed per various certifications)