CompTIA offers free tool to assess IT security needs

Sometimes finding out about a cybersecurity vulnerability is like seeing a mouse in the kitchen. Before it happens, both businesses and home computer users tend to assume that their IT security is entirely shipshape. If you haven’t seen any problems, then why would you assume that problems exist, right? You only start asking questions after you …

What to expect when you’re expecting … Windows 10

In an article penned for Certification Magazine last month, I spent some time speculating about the next version of Microsoft Windows, the beta release of which was due out Sept. 30. In that article, I pieced together all of the rumors and speculation to try to form a coherent picture of what this …

CompTIA Security+ SYO-301 Study Resources

Next in my series of CompTIA study guides is Security+ SYO-301. This is a pretty solid entry-level certification for IT professionals looking to get their feet wet in security. Along with a few other certs, this is a great entry on anyone’s resume. As with the other …

Dear CertMag: Why don’t U.S. firms pay IT pros what they’re worth?

 Dear CertMag  is a weekly feature that addresses common questions about certification and related IT issues. Have a question? Send an e-mail to editor (at) certmag (dot) com.

Dear CertMag: I keep reading about the shortage of tech workers, but what I actually see is a shortage of cheap tech workers. American companies don’t want …

Performance Testing Council pursues mandate to improve exams

There’s a running debate in certification circles as to whether it’s more effective to test certification candidates using traditional multiple-choice exams or performance-based tests that simulate (or duplicate) real world IT conundrums. Multiple choice tests are convenient, inexpensive and straightforward. Many have argued, however, that such tests don’t accurately or fully assess whether a …

The Internet of Things wants to connect you to the future

The term Internet of Things, or IoT, was coined in 1999 by Kevin Ashton. Ashton, a British technologist who co-founded the RFID-pioneering (radio frequency identification) …