People ask me about where they can get training and certification pretty regularly. There are lots of vendor classes and certificiations, but not many for the broader industry. This caught my eye as one more tool in the training arsenal.

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., March 22, 2007 – The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), the world’s leading provider of vendor-neutral certifications for technology professionals, announced today that student and instructor study guides under the CompTIA Press imprint are now available for its new CompTIA Convergence+™ certification.

CompTIA Convergence+: CompTIA Press Student Edition helps to prepare candidates for the CompTIA Convergence+ exam, scheduled for availability on March 30. The study guide covers such topics as the public switched telephone network, voice/data/video traffic, systems management, and network security. It also includes a map of certification exam objectives and a convergence industry acronyms list.

CompTIA Convergence+: CompTIA Instructor Edition is designed for trainers delivering curriculum which maps to CompTIA Convergence+. This CompTIA Authorized Quality Curriculum-approved study guide covers all exam topics and concepts instructors need to know to conduct a three-day training class. Additional features include classroom/lab setup tips; instructor notes; key terms and concepts; and pointers on how to conduct hands-on classroom activities. The appendix includes a certification exam objectives map and a convergence industry acronyms list.

“IT professionals must expand their skills beyond data-only or voice-only capabilities and equip themselves with a multiplicity of skills to support and maintain the new methods of communicating made possible by convergence technology solutions,” said John Venator, president and chief executive officer, CompTIA. “CompTIA Convergence+ is a credential developed by the industry to establish a workforce capable of helping customers maximize the benefits and opportunities made possible by the delivery of data, voice and multimedia communications over the same network.”

Research by CompTIA and other industry sources indicates that organizations of all sizes and across numerous industries are aggressively implementing or investigating deployment of voice-over-IP and other convergence technologies. Nearly one-third of the more than 350 small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) surveyed last fall by CompTIA said they intend to buy new phone systems or make significant new investment in their current phone systems in the next 12 months. Similarly, research firm Yankee Group projects the voice-over-IP market for small and medium-sized businesses will dramatically expand from $200 million in 2006 to $1.3 billion in 2009.

CompTIA Convergence+ is a credential that validates an information technology (IT) professional’s knowledge and skill in the area of communications technologies where data, voice, video, and broadcast multimedia technologies are combined in a single IP-based delivery system. The vendor-neutral certification recognizes a technician's ability to design, implement and manage both data and voice networking; and covers areas such as telephony, network engineering, applications, hardware, architecture, management, and security. The exam is intended for individuals with 18-24 months of experience in data networking, voice-over-IP and other related convergence technologies.

The student and instructor study guides are available in the United States and Canada only. To order the study guides, visit the CompTIA Online Store at https://store.comptia.org/.

About CompTIA
In 2007, CompTIA is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Just as the information technology (IT) industry it serves has grown, CompTIA has also enjoyed remarkable growth over the past 25 years. The organization was founded by representatives of five micro-computer dealerships working together to find better ways to do business. Today, CompTIA has more than 22,000 member companies in over 100 countries around the world; and serves as the voice of the world’s $1 trillion-plus IT industry. CompTIA is committed to advancing the long-term success and growth of the IT industry by helping organizations maximize the benefits they receive from their investments in technology; and by helping individuals to obtain the skills and credentials they need for productive careers in IT. For more information, please visit: www.comptia.org

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