Established in 1982 under the name, Association of Better Computer Dealers, the Computing Technology Industry Association, CompTIA, is a non-profit trading association that issues professional certifications for the IT industry. The organization is based in Illinois and issues certifications to IT professionals in 120 different countries.

CompTIA certifications are considered an ideal starting point for a career in the IT industry. This is due in part because of the organization's reputation, but also because it tells an employer unambiguously what skills and knowledge the employee holds. The mere fact that an individual has undergone certification tells an employer that the candidate is serious about a career in IT, and not just in the market for a well-paying job.

Which Certification is Best for Whom?

Certifications for Beginners

CompTIA offers 14 different certifications in different subjects and at different levels and there are any number of different career paths. The CompTIA A+ certification is the most basic. It is aimed at people with between six and 12 months of experience in IT, and prepares them for roles as a field service technician, IT support tech, or tech support specialist. Other entry-level certifications for people with less than a year of IT experience include Cloud Essentials, CTT+, and IT Fundamentals.

Intermediate Level Certifications

These courses are aimed at people with up to two years of IT experience. The CompTIA CDIA+ covers digital imaging and managing enterprise content. A certified specialist would be suitable for jobs managing electronic records, in ECM admin or consulting, or as a solution sales specialist. The Cloud+, implementing, maintaining and utilizing cloud technologies, is aimed at people with two to three years in storage, networking, or data center administration.

Point suitably qualified candidates in this direction if you have a business need for cloud engineers, project managers or other positions for people with their heads in the clouds. Other intermediate certifications include Linux+, Mobility+, Network+ and Project+.

Advanced Certifications

These courses are aimed at individuals with at least two years in the field of information technology. The CSA+ certification assumes a background of three to four years of hands-on computer security experience. The course covers the prevention, detection, and combat against security threats. Certificate holders would expect to be prepared for roles as analysts in security, vulnerability, cybersecurity, threat intelligence, security operations center (SOC), or security engineer.

The CASP certification assumes ten years in IT administration, of which five of which would involve hands-on experience in technical security. This heavyweight qualification prepares employees for roles in cybersecurity, such as risk managers, risk analysts, security architects, information security analysts, and IT specialists INFOSEC.

Qualitative Considerations

It's not all about time served in the IT industry. One way of finding out which certification is right for an employee is to get them to take the CompTIA online quiz to determine their IT personality and find out which certification is right for them. The questions dig deep:

• Do they like to manage staff?
• Perform the same tasks every day?
• Do they like to work on big projects and/or help people solve problems?

Candidates are asked about their level of computing experience, what operating system(s) they are familiar with, and even a few crafty technical questions. At the end of the quiz, the individual is told which CompTIA certification is the best fit for their personality. The quiz is fun to do and is slightly more scientific than a Magic 8-Ball, but it does help focus the mind. How the person feels about the result kicked out at the end is informative in itself.

Putting it All Together

CompTIA certification benefits both you and your employees. You get trained, committed people who are qualified to meet your important business needs. One of the biggest IT growth areas in the 21st century is cybersecurity. Cyberspace is a dangerous place, black hats are getting bigger and blacker, and the stakes are getting higher. Hacking is becoming easier and hackers are getting greedier. Companies have to battle constantly to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of their IT systems. This is reflected clearly in the number of CompTIA certifications related to computer security. Other growth areas evident from the CompTIA catalogue are the cloud environment, networks, and mobile technology.

Certification is good for your employees, too. It looks good on the resume, offers them a chance to develop, grow, and expand their professional interests, and affords a measure of job security. It's also brilliant for morale that you take an interest in developing their careers. If you are interested in streamlining your business and improving productivity through helping your employees gain more CompTIA training and certifications, contact Infotec for more information on training your work force and igniting success.

For more information about Infotec or any of our programs click here: http://www.infotectraining.com/ or https://ops.infotecpro.com/course_schedule/course_schedule.cfm.