MJ Shoer is the Chief Community Officer at CompTIA. After studying for a degree in computer science, he worked in sales for startup software and hardware companies.
He taught himself everything he needed to know about technology and became an IT director. He went on to found his own successful Managed Service Provider (MSP) business, which he sold to a competitor. After doing some consulting, he got his first role at CompTIA.
An Interview With MJ Shoer
Who are CompTIA and What do They Do?
CompTIA are essentially a non-profit association, says MJ. He adds: “We’re a trade association, so our role is to represent the industry and help it be the best it can be. Our strategic mission is to unlock the potential of every individual and organisation in this amazing industry.”
CompTIA offerings include certification and training; they’re the premiere vendor-neutral certifying authority in the technology space. The community team MJ looks after has 1,000 members globally.
Plus, each member organisation’s employees can access the range of benefits on offer. There are local groups, online and offline meetups and bigger events, as well as research, mentor opportunities and an educational offer for American middle-schoolers.
What is ChannelCon?
ChannelCon is an international event hosted by CompTIA. They take place in America and in Europe. MJ says it’s unique because of how they operate in the industry: “Everyone is welcome to come together. Exhibitors all get a booth of the same size, and a ticket is free to members.
“And we want people to come with a goal of helping their peers. ChannelCon is about thought leadership and education. There’s no sponsorship or selling. But everyone loves it and networks with peers and vendors from around the world.”
Why MSPs Should get Involved with Their Local CompTIA Group
The organisation started out as a UK community (with yours truly as its first chair!) Designed for business owners in the IT space, the original group offered support, networking and collaboration opportunities, with events open to all.
So while CompTIA is now global, it’s still built on a local model. MJ adds: “Each region has an Executive Council, with individuals representing all the types of members. They drive the agenda based on what’s important in their region.
“Regions meet twice a year. And we have speakers, workshops, updates and networking opportunities. It means we can address unique challenges in each area and support each other better.”
What Is The Information Sharing and Analysis Organisation (ISAO)?
The concept of Information Sharing and Analysis is an American one, admits MJ, but with a strong global relevance. Born from a US initiative, it means that the CompTIA Information and Sharing Analysis Organisation (ISAO) are able to focus specifically on a community with shared interest – IT and tech.
“The programme brings together a massive volume of raw threat intelligence that is going around between governments and private organisations. Sharing that allows us to work to combat those cyber threats. We can provide real-time, actionable information when there is an impact, to recover from it as quickly as possible.
“Our analysts filter all the information they receive, pull out the critical pieces and simplify it. Then they can tag it as ‘informational’, ‘important’ or ‘urgent.’ It means MSPs can make a quick decision on the potential impact of a threat. And the analysts provide advice on how to protect against it.”
The Relationship Between MSPs and Vendors
MJ says that the relationship is getting better all the time, but says they have been adversarial in the past. Because each believed the other was trying to take advantage of them.
“But now, I think we are in a period of evolution where they really are starting to become true partnerships. Each sees that they are directly vested in one another’s success.
“There is more and more understanding of what each partner’s business model is, and a respect for that, and a willingness to work together for the relationship to be a win-win because it makes no sense that it was ever adversarial. Vendors are trying to do the right things.”
The CompTIA Spark Initiative
This is a nonprofit foundation where CompTIA give some philanthropic donations to worthy charities that touch the tech space. MJ says it’s around $150,000, and the regions pick the charitable organisations.
“So we give away money in all of our local regions around the world. And we have a middle school curriculum that is a great idea. Approximately 100 schools have implemented it and they feed back that it’s great for the kids and the educational system.
“Our aim is to expand internationally and offer it to schools globally. But we need to make sure it fits their educational model. However, we DO know that we’re making a difference by giving kids these skills, especially girls. They see that a tech career is fun and important.”
How to Connect With MJ Shoer
- CompTIA: Certifications and training
- CompTIA: Community and membership
- Connect with MJ on LinkedIn
- Email MJ
- Follow CompTIA on LinkedIn
- Like CompTIA on Facebook
- Follow CompTIA on X
How to Connect With Me
- Subscribe to TubbTalk RSS feed
- Subscribe, rate and review TubbTalk on iTunes
- Subscribe and rate TubbTalk on Spotify
- Follow TubbTalk on iHeartRadio
- Follow @tubblog on Twitter
Mentioned in This Interview
- CompTIA course: A+ certification
- CompTIA Network+ certification
- CompTIA Information Sharing and Analysis Organisation (ISAO)
- PSA-RMM platform SuperOps and the SuperSummit events
- CompTIA CEO Todd Thibodeaux
- Nancy Hammervik
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
- National Cyber Security Centre
- Tracy Pound of Maximity
- CompTIA course: Managing the Technology Channel
- TubbTalk episode 62 with Tracy Pound on Advancing Women in IT
- Women in Tech ebook
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Richard Tubb is one of the best-known experts within the global IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) community. He launched and sold his own MSP business before creating a leading MSP media and consultancy practice. Richard helps IT business owner’s take back control by freeing up their time and building a business that can run without them. He’s the author of the book “The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide” and writer of the award-winning blog www.tubblog.co.uk
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