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From helping MSPs increase their cybersecurity resilience to opening new doors for partnership and opportunities, there are a number of new and enhanced benefits coming soon to CompTIA members, according to MJ Shoer, chief community officer.

The initiatives are all part of a larger strategy from CompTIA to build a global community that allows the organization to get closer to members, foster increased collaboration between members, and provide the tools and resources necessary to help make tech businesses more successful.

“Our mission is to help you, every person in this room, the entire tech industry, and the world,” Shoer said during a keynote session at CompTIA’s Communities & Councils Forum in Chicago. “We’re very grateful for this opportunity. We want to build the workforce of the 21^st century—to make it easier for all of you to find qualified workers tomorrow and for a few years after tomorrow. We’re growing our global network of relevance and you are a critical part of that strategy.”

To that end, CompTIA detailed several new benefit and program enhancements to help achieve those goals. Here’s a look at several of them:

Free CompTIA ISAO Membership to all MSP Members

Cybersecurity is no longer optional for any solution provider or MSP—or any tech company—Shoer said. The risks and threats to their business and their customers are simply too great to ignore. To help, CompTIA is extending free membership in the CompTIA ISAO for all solution provider members. The goal is to get more solution providers investing in their own security resilience using the CompTIA ISAO’s threat intelligence feeds and other resources.

“We’re going to double down on all things security and Wayne Selk [CompTIA’s vice president of cybersecurity programs and executive director of the CompTIA ISAO] is going to help taking things to the new level,” Shoer said. “If current events in the world don’t drive home the need for security, nothing will.  MSPs who aren’t becoming security MSPs, won’t be MSPs in a matter of months and years. It’s the reality we live in.”

New Communities Structure Will Foster Collaboration

As part of its new CompTIA Community strategy, communities including the Advancing Tech Talent and Diversity Community, Canadian Business Technology Community Cybersecurity Community, Managed Services Community and Emerging Technology Community will merge under a North America community, joined by the existing UK, Benelux and ANZ regional communities. New committees under each community will allow members to still maintain a focus on cybersecurity, managed services, emerging technology, and other future topics as necessary. The new structure also allows for more collaboration across regions—for example increased communication between cybersecurity committees across North America, UK, Benelux and ANZ.

“We need to be able to quickly and agilely adapt to changes and follow whatever trends are happening in a specific region. An MSP in Melbourne, Australia, may stumble upon a game-changing service for them. There’s no reason why they can’t share that with MSPs in Birmingham, Alabama, or Birmingham, U.K.,” Shoer said.

Communities, Industry Advisory Councils Working Together

Look for increased collaboration between CompTIA’s communities and Industry Advisory Councils, said Shoer. Examples of that are already underway, such as allowing Industry Advisory Council members to attend community meetings at CompTIA CCF, and collaboration on projects such as the recent From Promise to Profit YouTube series with members of the Emerging Technology Community and several councils.

“We will help push our councils and communities together. There will be connective tissue so members of our communities can benefit from what’s going on in the Industry Advisory Councils, and vice versa,” Shoer said. “It’s all part of helping us get closer to you and how we can best help your business.”

Consider Hiring CompTIA Tech Career Academy Grads

CompTIA CCF served as a public opportunity for Shoer and former head of membership Nancy Hammervik to talk about the transition and what’s next for both. Hammervik thanked CompTIA members for all their efforts and recalled 11 years of fond memories while heading up the membership business.

“It’s been a gift. What’s closest to my heart is the members. It never got old. Every time we had a community meeting, in all corners of the world, we were building relationships and friendships across the world,” she said. “It never ceased to amaze me the energy, collaborations, and friendship our members would bring to a meeting.”

Now serving as CEO of the CompTIA Tech Career Academy, Hammervik called on tech vendors and MSPs to help her bring opportunities to those building IT skills through non-traditional means.

“I’m so excited about this opportunity and my connection with membership is I’m hoping that some of you can be instructors, or more importantly, be employers to our graduates. We’ve had more than 1,400 students, and we’ve placed more than 1,000 with jobs. I hope you will all consider being employers and any other way you want to be involved—as a mentor or coming into a class to speak. You’ll be amazed and you’ll see how much people appreciate what we’re doing at CompTIA.”

Related Blog: Together, We Are the CompTIA Community