SIX LEADING ORGANIZATIONS IN CONVERGENCE MARKET JOIN COMPTIA CERTIFICATION INITIATIVEOakbrook Terrace, Ill., August 2, 2005 - Six organizations at the forefront of the convergent technologies market are contributing their expertise to efforts by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) to develop a foundation-level convergence certification, the association announced today.
Organizations working with CompTIA to develop the convergence certification include:
. Avaya, a leading global provider of business communications applications, services and systems;
. Catalyst Telecom, a value-added distributor of convergence communications solutions including data, voice and video;
. Collin County Community College District in Texas, which serves more than 40,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 100 degree and certificate programs;
. Intel Corporation, the world's largest chip maker and a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products;
. Marcraft International Corp., a leading producer of technical textbooks, hardware, software and courseware for over 30 years; and
. Thomson Course Technology, the worldwide leader in computing education.
"The organizations announced today as participants in the convergence certification initiative represent a broad spectrum of this growing industry, from market leading product manufacturers and distributors to education, training and courseware providers," said Alan Borck, chairman of the CompTIA Convergence Group's Advisory Council and a member of the association's board of directors. "They will provide valuable guidance as we craft a certification that establishes a baseline standard for an IT professional's ability to install and support converged data, voice and video communications solutions."
Additional organizations are expected to join the certification development effort in the coming months.
A vendor-neutral certification that provides a standard method of measuring competencies will deliver benefits to the entire industry. In some instances, the benefits will be come in the form of lower costs for activities such as training, recruiting and hiring. A certification that validates technical skills and on-the-job experience also has the potential to help grow the convergence market and accelerate the adoption curve for new communications technologies.
CompTIA certification programs are the recognized industry standards for a broad range of IT skills and serve as validation of technical expertise. More than one million IT professionals around the world hold CompTIA certifications.
About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a global trade association representing the business interests of the information technology (IT) industry. For more than 23 years CompTIA has provided research, networking and partnering opportunities to its 20,000-plus members in 102 countries. The association is involved in developing standards and best practices, and influencing the political, economic and educational arenas that impact IT worldwide. More information is available at www.comptia.org.
