CompTIA, a not for profit trade association, has worked with its members, from across the information and communications technology sector, to develop a valued industry standard tailored to meet the needs of small to medium sized IT businesses.

CompTIA Director of Channel Strategy, Vaughan Shayler, explained: “Through working closely with UK IT companies, it became evident that the industry would benefit from the introduction of an industry wide standard designed to help IT companies assess and improve their business processes and, ultimately, to boost their bottom line.” 

“Accredit UK – which has since merged with CompTIA - took the initiative; working with SMEs to develop a trusted standard that meets sector specific needs, delivers tangible business benefits and, not least, demonstrates that individual IT businesses are assessed by their peers and customers to be truly ‘best in class’.”            

Today, there are more than 85 CompTIA Accredit UK Trustmark+ certified companies in the UK; with a further 30 IT companies working towards certification. The process, which can take up to six months to complete, includes an independent ‘on-site’ assessment; with the assessor recommending whether or not the business processes are both ‘fit for purpose’ and meet the exacting standards that the IT sector has set for itself.

In Wales, certified IT companies include M7 Managed Services Ltd; Cooply Solutions Ltd; Team Metalogic Ltd; Accelero Digital; Astrix Integrated Systems; Fairhill Online; Bell IT Solutions Ltd and Web Adept. A further 10 in Wales have applied to join this elite group of solution providers and are currently going through the assessment process to gain the CompTIA Accredit UK Trustmark+ accolade that will help them to stand out from the crowd.

IT companies located within the Convergence area of Wales are able to take advantage of the EU funding that is available through Software Alliance Wales which is a Swansea University led multi-million pound project supported by the European Social Fund through the Welsh Government.

The subsidy, worth up to £2,000 per company, aims to encourage increasing numbers of IT companies to achieve the CompTIA Accredit UK Trustmark+ and, as a direct result, help the growing technology sector to compete more effectively in the fast growing and continuously changing global marketplace.

Dr. Neal Harman, Head of Teaching at Swansea University’s Department of Computer Science and Director of the Software Alliance Wales project, said: “Software Alliance Wales aims to help tech companies attract, retain and up-skill the many IT professionals required to fill the widely-recognised skills gap in Wales and the rest of the UK.

“And, through a range of targeted initiatives - including the trusted Trustmark+ standard for IT companies - to help the growing IT sector in Wales create high value, high skilled jobs that generate wealth and drive future economic growth.”  

The benefits achieved by certified IT companies are testimony to the effectiveness of the Trustmark+ standard as a business improvement tool.

CompTIA President and Chief Executive Officer, Todd Thibodeaux concluded: “CompTIA will continue to work with its partners and members to ensure that the respected Trustmark+ standard continues to be rolled out across the UK and, eventually, introduced to the IT companies located in the USA and further afield.” 

For more information visit: www.softwarealliancewales.com or http://www.comptia.org/global/en-GB/businesscredentials/accredituk.aspx