Field Nation Joins CompTIA A+® Certification Advisory Committee

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- CompTIA, the leading provider of vendor-neutral skills certifications for information technology (IT) professionals, announced today that Field Nation, a provider of independent field service technicians to the computer service industry, has joined the CompTIA A+^® Certification Advisory Committee.

Field Nation is represented on the committee by its founder and chief executive officer, Mynul Khan.

“Field Nation’s mission is to aggressively and fundamentally change the way IT services are delivered to the field,” Khan said. “CompTIA’s efforts to raise the standards in the computer industry are essential to all of our success. We look forward to bringing the insight of thousands of IT buyers and service providers to CompTIA.”

“As a provider of outsourced IT technicians, Field Nation is in a position to learn which skills and knowledge areas are most in demand by companies requiring IT technicians,” said Terry Erdle, executive vice president, skills certification, CompTIA. “Their insights, along with input from other advisory committee members, will help shape the content of future A+ certification exams.”

Other organizations represented on the CompTIA A+ Certification Advisory Committee are ASI System Integration Inc., Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Ricoh Americas Corporation, Sharp Electronics of Canada and the United States Air Force.

CompTIA A+ is an internationally-recognized and ISO/ANSI accredited certification that validates competence in computer installation, preventative maintenance, networking, security, troubleshooting and other areas. More than 865,000 IT professionals around the world are CompTIA A+ certified.

As with all CompTIA certifications, CompTIA A+ is regularly updated to reflect the technical skills that are most in demand in the marketplace. The next significant revision of the exam is scheduled for 2012.

A 2011 CompTIA study on the roles and responsibilities of IT technicians found that the majority support desktop and laptop PCs, operating systems, hardware and software configuration, end-user related applications, servers and other network-related hardware. Over the next two years, though, IT technicians will have increasing responsibilities to support tablets, communications technologies, wireless phones, smartphones and servers and network-related hardware, especially in cloud computing and virtualization environments.

The survey also revealed that of the nearly 500 CompTIA A+ certified IT managers and technicians surveyed, approximately nine in ten require or recommend CompTIA A+ for current or new tech support staff, including PC technicians, field support technicians, help desk technicians, customer service technicians and network support technicians.

Organizations said the benefits of using CompTIA A+ certified technicians include more efficient troubleshooting; greater productivity; more insightful problem solving; and an improved ability to understand new or complex technologies.

About CompTIA

CompTIA is the voice of the world’s information technology (IT) industry. As a non-profit trade association advancing the global interests of IT professionals and companies, CompTIA is the recognized authority for IT education and credentials and the primary advocate for IT businesses and workers. Through its foundation, CompTIA also enables disadvantaged populations to gain the skills they need for employment in the IT industry. CompTIA’s vision of the IT landscape is shaped by more than 25 years of global perspective and more than 2,000 members and 1,000 business partners. For more information, visit www.comptia.org or follow CompTIA on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/comptia.

About Field Nation

Field Nation is the largest online IT Service Marketplace platform with a nationwide footprint of over 20,000 technicians. These field technicians come with very diverse skill sets, certifications and expertise. Field Nation’s unique “Service Engine” gives companies of all sizes immediate access to an immense pool of qualified resources. This access allows for not only extremely fast service delivery events, it also helps to insure a level of quality and control once thought to be impossible. For more information, visit http://www.fieldnation.com/.