What's Going On at CompTIA Now?

In March on this blog, I asked, "What's Going On at CompTIA?" I ended by saying, "I'm hoping some of the heroes who serve on the board will reply to this and tell me just how wrong I am."

To his credit, CompTIA Chief Community Officer M.J. Shoer did take the time to reach out to me and we discussed my concerns at length. He pointed out that the results of one of CompTIA's recent surveys found that 85 percent of its members refer to themselves as an "MSP."

To which I asked, "How many of them are lying?"

It wasn't an idle question. I think many of you will agree that there are many former resellers now calling themselves "MSP" without doing anything to transform their business. In fact, they may currently represent the majority of companies calling themselves "MSP." This gives rise to federal agencies and major news outlets warning people to steer clear of anyone calling themselves an "MSP." Not good.

All Heck Breaks Loose
Several years ago, I privately commented to a friend that CompTIA's training and certification business was so successful that it would have to be sold off as a for-profit entity someday.

I didn't foresee that last month's sale of CompTIA's brand and services to Thoma Bravo would result in the creation of an enormous endowment that would fund the operation of the member association side of the organization basically forever. That could be a great outcome, or it could not.

Nor did I foresee that such a sale would raise such a furor. I suspect the ruckus was driven by the quality of the initial announcements, which left plenty of room for speculation and imagination.

What's Next?
There have already been several articles asking who should be the next leader of the new (as yet not renamed) association formerly known as CompTIA. I won't wander into that fray, but I do have some thoughts on what is needed more than who.

First, shedding CompTIA is a good thing for a premier channel association. Our channel is not simply about "computers" anymore and we are quickly morphing from being an "industry" to being a profession -- at least, those who really invested in truly becoming MSPs are. The renamed resellers are just squalling.

In his explanation of the announcement, Shoer pointed out that what is left will be the "trade association" of the computer industry. This is where we diverge. The truly professional service providers I know in this industry are not concerned with "trade." They're concerned with providing excellent services in return for a reasonable fee. What is left of the association formerly known as CompTIA still seems fixated on the products that our professionals integrate into the solutions they provide to customers.

It's like saying that the medical industry consists of doctors who sell pharmaceuticals and prosthetics. They certainly use those items in their practices, but they're not the point. The services are.

Right now, MSP "organizations" are springing up like weeds all over social media, and the fact that our community members are banding together bodes well for everyone. But armed with this wonderful endowment, what was CompTIA should now become the premier professional association for IT practitioners who want to partner together on projects, learn from each other, and grow a powerful profession from our channel.

The new leader of that organization should be someone who knows IT services, perhaps someone who has already built one or more IT service practices successfully in the past. Someone who appreciates the challenges MSPs face, having faced them him or herself.

For my part, I hope it is someone who truly understands and appreciates the sacred heart of partnering. The best success strategy for IT service providers going forward will be to specialize, to focus on one thing they do really well and partner for the rest. We've seen it work in medicine. It will work for our profession, as well.

Witness the Success of Women in Tech
For insight into where the association formerly known as CompTIA should go, we need only to look at the dozens of large organizations that serve the needs of women in technology. Some have tens of thousands of members. Even the smaller ones enjoy the love and loyalty of their members for the value they convey.

I have spent considerable time and effort encouraging the leaders of many of the Women in Technology groups to band together to increase their overall membership numbers so they can speak with an even louder voice. I must report that I have been, so far, quite unsuccessful. My impression, though there is no testosterone involved, is that leadership competitiveness in young organizations has prevented that amalgamation from occurring as yet. I strongly believe that ultimately it will.

Whoever is leading the charge to identify new leadership and create new structure for the newly independent organization should consult with these brilliant leaders and involve them in the selection process. Our profession needs as much leadership as it can find to take it through the intensive growth motions we must perform, like increased education, accreditation, professional licensing and more.

It could end up that the acquisition endowed more than just a fund. It could endow a thriving new profession.

Posted by Howard M. Cohen on December 19, 2024