Mobile devices a growing target for criminals

Many IT departments face significant problems with smartphones and other mobile devices, as well as mobile apps that expose sensitive data

The best way to protect business information on smartphones from cybercriminals is to leave that information off smartphones, one mobile security expert said Thursday.

Mobile security is still evolving, and smartphones are vulnerable to hackers and to social engineering schemes, said Andrew Hoog, chief investigative officer at viaForensics, a security vendor. Cybercriminals are starting to target smartphones, Hoog said at a cybersecurity summit in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA)

Mobile devices combine personal information and corporate information.
ViaForensics recently completed a review of 100 popular mobile applications. Eighty-three percent of those apps either warranted a security warning from the company or failed the company's basic security tests, meaning they stored sensitive data insecurely, he said. The company gave warnings to apps that store app data in an unencrypted form. Ten percent of the apps tested stored passwords in plain text, and 25 percent of the financial apps failed the company's tests.

CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician certificate exam

CompTIA Introduces Healthcare IT Technician Certificate

New credential focuses on tech skills and healthcare knowledge; more than 80 community colleges now offering instruction on HIT careers

Downers Grove, Ill., July 25, 2011 – A new professional credential aimed at information technology (IT) professionals who install, manage and troubleshoot electronic health records systems for the nation’s healthcare providers is now available from CompTIA, the non-profit trade association for the IT industry.

The CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician certificate is a vendor- and technology-neutral credential that validates the operational, regulatory and security knowledge necessary to provide hardware and software support in medical environments where electronic health record (EHR) systems are used.

“The federal government estimates that upwards of 50,000 new healthcare IT professionals are needed in the next few years to service the thousands of healthcare practices expected to implement EHR systems,” said Terry Erdle, executive vice president, skills certification, CompTIA.

“These new employment opportunities will be hybrid jobs requiring a mix of healthcare knowledge and high-tech expertise,” Erdle continued. “The CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician credential covers both categories and will identify professionals with the knowledge and skills required to support the implementation and maintenance of healthcare IT systems, including EHRs, in a broad range of clinical settings.”

The CompTIA Healthcare IT certificate closely maps to two job roles for skilled health IT specialists identified by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT as being critical in helping healthcare providers transition to EHRs. These job roles are implementation support specialists and technical and software support staff.

CompTIA recommends that individuals interested in the healthcare IT certificate also hold CompTIA A+ certification, which validates foundation-level knowledge and skills for PC support, installation, preventative maintenance, networking, security and troubleshooting.

The CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician certificate exam covers the following areas:

• Regulatory requirements 
• Organizational behavior 
• IT operations 
• Medical business operations 
• Security

Complete exam objectives are available on the CompTIA certification web site. Exam vouchers are available in North America through the CompTIA Marketplace. The exam is available at Pearson VUE and Prometric testing centers.

Training for the CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician certificate exam will be available shortly from TrainingPlanet.com

Training Programs on Healthcare IT and Unified Communications

Downers Grove, Ill., Aug. 22, 2011 – Training programs designed to help information technology (IT) companies broaden their business skills and knowledge in the emerging areas of healthcare IT and unified communications are available in the coming weeks from CompTIA, the non-profit association for the IT industry.

CompTIA announced today that live training sessions will be offered in Los Angeles and Chicago, including at the upcoming Channel Partners Conference & Expo and Tech Data Channel Link conference. 

On Aug. 24 during the Channel Partners Conference & Expo CompTIA will offer a unified communications training workshop led by Joe Schurman, founder and chief executive officer of Evangelyze Communications. 

The session will explore the scope of unified communications, including the technology’s benefits in employee productivity and workgroup collaboration, as well as how it can enhance and integrate business processes. Participants will examine key components in the sales process, such as identifying end-user “pain points”; develop solutions to address such pain points; discuss the benefits and challenges of unified communications solutions; and identify the best market and segment opportunities.

The one-day unified communications training program will also be offered on Oct. 28 at CompTIA headquarters in Downers Grove, Ill., in suburban Chicago.

CompTIA will offer a “Quick Start” session on healthcare IT during Tech Data’s Channel Link event in Los Angeles. The healthcare IT session is scheduled for Sept. 15 and 16 and will be led by Patrick Wilson, chief executive officer of Vital Signs Technology.

Wilson will discuss the business case for developing a healthcare IT practice, as well as the best practices and steps required to make it a profitable effort. Session attendees will receive the CompTIA Healthcare IT Quick Start Guide.

Wilson will lead a one-day fast-track course on healthcare IT at CompTIA headquarters in suburban Chicago on Sept. 30. The course is designed to help technology solution providers identify the tools and knowledge needed to run a successful healthcare IT practice.

The training programs on unified communications and healthcare IT are part of CompTIA’s commitment to provide educational resources and tools to help IT companies grow and prosper. CompTIA will spend more than $4 million in 2011 on education, training, events and research projects.

All CompTIA members have full access to the complete portfolio of CompTIA educational offerings through the CompTIA Member Resource Center. Non-members can visit CompTIA Education to download free offerings, find CompTIA workshop dates and learn more about the benefits of membership.

Channel education and training is among a number of CompTIA initiatives CompTIA in the areas of healthcare IT and unified communications.

For individual IT workers and their employers, CompTIA offers the following professional credentials:

• CompTIA Convergence Technologies Professional (CTP+) certification, a professional credential that validates knowledge and skills to sell and service components of data, voice and multimedia convergence technologies.

• CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician certificate, which covers the knowledge and skills required to implement, deploy and support healthcare IT systems in various clinical settings.

Training Planet will be offering these training programs shortly.

CompTIA Enlists in National Campaign to Employ U.S. Veterans

New Troops to Tech Careers initiative offers IT training, certification and job placement services
 
Downers Grove, Ill., Aug. 23, 2011 – CompTIA, the non-profit association for the information technology (IT) industry, today introduced a new initiative aimed at bringing United States military veterans into the nation’s IT workforce.

CompTIA’s Troops to Tech Careers program will help veterans make the transition from the armed forces to the civilian workforce – specifically in IT jobs. CompTIA is working on pilot programs in 23 cities across the country, including Austin, Texas; Chicago; Detroit; Jacksonville, Fla.; Nashville, Tenn.; and in Southern California.

“The service and sacrifice that these men and women have given to our nation makes it incumbent on all of us to ease their transition to civilian life by making employment opportunities available to them,” said Todd Thibodeaux, president and chief executive officer, CompTIA.
 
“At a time when other industries are shedding jobs, the IT sector continues to offer an abundance of career opportunities,” Thibodeaux continued. “Current estimates place the number of open IT jobs around the country at more than 450,000. With the proper training and certification, our veterans offer a ready-made solution for employers looking to fill these openings.”

CompTIA unveiled the new initiative at the Illinois Warrior Summit and Fourth Annual Welcome Home Celebration, taking place today at Chicago’s Soldier Field. The annual event, which last year attracted nearly 4,000 people, assists veterans and service members with obtaining information about benefits, employment, education, housing and legal services.

“New Horizons is proud to have this opportunity to support the men and women who have worked tirelessly to protect and serve our country,” said Shelley Morris, group vice president, products and programs, New Horizons. “We look forward to providing them with the training they need to continue to excel as civilians.”

CompTIA’s new program launches at a time of renewed focus on the needs of military personnel transitioning back to civilian life. Between 2011 and 2016, more than one million service members are expected to return from Iraq and Afghanistan and seek training, education and employment. That’s in addition to the one million veterans currently unemployed.

Earlier this month President Obama outlined a series of government initiatives aimed at employing America’s veterans, including employer tax credits for hiring veterans; building a “career-ready military” that maximizes the career-readiness of all service members; and delivering enhanced job search services to veterans through the One Stop Career Centers. The President also challenged the private sector to hire or train 100,000 unemployed veterans or their spouses by 2013.

The CompTIA Troops to Tech Careers program will work through the public workforce system to ensure that any returning veteran with the aptitude and interest in a technical IT career will receive the training, credentialing and job placement assistance needed to join the IT workforce

After an initial assessment, veterans will be directed to training options appropriate for their interests and skill sets. Veterans will also be prepared to take the exams to earn CompTIA IT skills certifications.

CompTIA certifications are the recognized industry standards for a broad range of technology skills, including PC fundamentals and repair, networking, security, servers, Linux, project management, printing and document imaging, RFID and convergence technologies. With more than 1.5 million certifications awarded worldwide, CompTIA is the largest provider of vendor-neutral certifications for IT professionals. In addition to acceptance in the private sector, the U.S. Department of Defense recognizes CompTIA certifications in its technical and management tracks for information assurance technicians and managers under DoD Directive 8570.1M. CompTIA certifications are also part of the State Department Skills Incentive Program.

The final step involves helping veterans streamline their search for IT career opportunities by using the CompTIA Job Board and other employment resources available through the One Stop Centers, training providers and career websites such as CareerBuilder, Dice, Monster and others.

Specifically targeting the military veteran market to retrain them for the civilian IT workforce is not new for CompTIA, which has been offering training scholarships and certification vouchers to qualifying veterans through its philanthropic foundation since 1998. 
 
“Veterans may not always leave the military with the resources they need to make a smooth transition to a technical civilian job,” said Charles Eaton, executive director of the Creating IT Futures Foundation. “What they do have is work discipline and receptiveness to training that the military is so known for instilling. IT needs veterans, so this is a perfect win-win.”

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