Founded in 1982, the Computing Technology Industry Association or simply CompTIA is a leading non-profit trade association that offers professional certifications to specialists in various IT fields. Moreover, CompTIA is also known for its industry research to keep track of industry changes and trends, as well as professions that depend on information technology.
Today, CompTIA is an advocate of a massive ecosystem of 75 million technical and industry professionals involved in the design, management, implementation, and protection of the technologies that underpin the global economy. In addition to its headquarters in Illinois, USA, CompTIA also has offices in India, the United Kingdom, Japan, and South Africa.
Certification Program
In more detail, CompTIA is a vendor-neutral organization that also provides information on a wide range of areas related to the latest technology such as technical workforce education and certification, cybersecurity, workforce data, legislation, and policy, alongside new and emerging technologies.
In addition, CompTIA's deployed certification program, has already benefited more than 2.7 million technicians in areas such as cloud computing, networking, technical support, and cybersecurity.
Concerning the CompTIA program, it includes 4 main categories of designations, which will be discussed further in more detail.
Core Certificates. This group of certificates involves the key technical topics including networking, hardware, and operating systems among others. In other words, it’s a perfect way to obtain core competencies and launch a successful career in the IT sector. Here, you can opt for the next designations:
- IT Fundamentals+ certificate shows your preparedness for the digital workplace including software, hardware, cybersecurity, and networking core knowledge.
- A+ certificate shows your fundamental practical skills with various operating systems and devices.
- Network+ certificate shows your confident skills in designing, managing, troubleshooting, and configuring numerous wired as well as wireless devices.
- Security+ certificate shows your sufficient competencies for one of the fastest-growing areas, IT operations, and network security.
Infrastructure Pathway. This category is developed for IT professionals with strong skills in managing and supporting network and data center operations. In other words, it is a technical direction that is very sought-after in the actual digital world, as it is required for any business or company to function. So, you can continue your way of accreditation through the following qualifications:
- Linux+ certification shows your expertise in applying Linux that includes car, supercomputer, server, and smartphone management, as well as skills as regards cloud, cybersecurity, web and mobile administration.
- Server+ certificate shows your confident ability to work effectively in actual data centers, cloud environments, or server rooms.
- Cloud+ designation shows that the professional has excellent experience in the effective maintenance and optimization of cloud infrastructure services.
Cybersecurity Track. This qualification program was developed due to the high growth of cyber-attacks and the need to connect more and more devices. Therefore, it is a convenient opportunity to demonstrate your advanced skills related to security issues and incident management. All of this is available through the following designations:
- PenTest+ certification shows that a professional is capable of performing hands-on penetration testing to identify, document, exploit and remediate network vulnerabilities.
- CySA+ certificate demonstrates the ability to apply behavioral analytics to a variety of devices and networks to effectively combat cybersecurity threats.
- CASP+ designation demonstrates an advanced level of cybersecurity-related knowledge and skills, as well as an in-depth understanding of the latest trends and technologies in the field.
Additional Professional Designations. This category includes certificates that cover more specialized and narrower competencies in areas such as project management (Project+), cloud technology (Cloud Essentials+), and technical training (CTT+).