Managed.IT - issue 52

BULLETIN Digital badging program launched for CompTIA certification holders Technology industry association CompTIA has launched a digital badging program for CompTIA- certified IT professionals. Developed in partnership with Credly, the programme enables CompTIA-certified professionals to use their badge and its associated skill tags to search for jobs by job title, location, employer and salary range. If someone finds a job that interests them, they can apply for the position with just a few clicks. CompTIA CIO Randy Gross said: “By providing a secure, digital representation of CompTIA certifications, our certified IT professionals can more easily manage, share and verify their credentials within their networks, across their social platforms and on resumés. For employers, digital badging makes it easy to find and verify people with the specific skills they are looking for.” www.comptia.org Technology buyers want to spread cost of mobile computing Over three quarters (78%) of UK technology buyers would be interested in a subscription- based solution to equip mobile workforces with notebooks, tablets and handheld devices, claims Panasonic. Research by Opinion Matters on behalf of Panasonic Toughbook shows that most buyers expect to replace employees’ mobile devices every two to three years and would be interested in an ‘as a service’ approach for mobile hardware. Perceived benefits include more up-to-date technology (54%), better management of costs (49%) and more available budget for accessories (34%). In 2018, Panasonic launched a Toughbook-as-a- Service (TaaS) solution based on interest-free, monthly payments. Poor mobile coverage within offices bad for business Just 17% of businesses have access to ‘full bar’ mobile coverage within their buildings, threatening productivity, revenue and staff and customer satisfaction, claims Vilicom in a new report. The Building Connections report, released to promote the company’s new Building Connections service, reveals that 26% of businesses have had complaints from staff about the quality of the mobile coverage on their premises. Almost one quarter (23%) have also received complaints from customers/ clients. Building Connections provides a complete end- to-end service to help businesses and property owners improve indoor mobile coverage, from initial design to ongoing support and upgrades when necessary. www.vilicom.com Uncompetitive mobile market costs SMEs £1 billion UK SMEs are spending £1 billion more than they need to on mobile telephony, claims bill analysis and mobile price comparison service Billmonitor. According to its new report, An investigation into the B2B mobile provider ‘Wild West’ , just one in ten SMEs gets a fair deal, with the price differential between the cheapest and most expensive provider for an average SME customer being as much as 16.3%. Billmonitor founder Dr Stelios Koundouros said: “It is staggering that in a market so critical for businesses, there isn’t oversight to prevent SMEs falling victim to what is becoming its own ‘Wild West’. We call on the CMA to investigate the business telecoms market, to take over the job Ofcom seems to show little interest in doing, despite Billmonitor’s three year-long pleas, and to ensure SMEs of all sizes get a fair deal when procuring a mobile provider.” www.billmonitor.com £ We buy your unused printer toner 0800 433 2440 [email protected] www.cashfortoner.co.uk 3 Easy Steps to Sell your Toner in just 3 Days Tell us what you have Check the details on your toner (name of manufacturer, product no. & validity date) Follow the easy steps to complete our online form We Quote We’ll quote a price we can pay, by email – usually within hours If you’re happy with it, you just click to confirm and provide some collection & payment details We Collect & Pay Pack your toner, ready for our free collection We will pay you within 24 hours of receiving the goods 1. 2. 3. AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE B2B MOBILE PROVIDER ‘WILD WEST’ www.vilicom.com REPORT November2018 Building Connections: Indoor Mobile Coverage Study The Panasonic TOUGHPAD FZ-M1 Passport is a mobile ID and access control solution based on Panasonic’s 7-inch rugged tablet. Suitable for border control, law and order, travel, entertainment and hospitality applications, the Passport solution integrates technology for checking personal data and IDs. Options include a 2D bar code reader, a smart card reader, RFID for contactless cards and a Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) for 2-line and, in the future, 3-line passport reading. business.panasonic.co.uk/ Randy Gross