Industry Analyst Panel Highlights Opening Day at Breakaway 2010

SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Excellence in business execution and customer care are key differentiators that separate struggling technology solution provider businesses from thriving businesses, attendees at CompTIA Breakaway 2010 were advised.

“Sales execution determines financial health. That’s the difference between winning and losing.”

Day one of Breakaway 2010, the premier event for information technology (IT) companies in North America, was highlighted by a panel discussion of leading IT industry analysts offering an outlook for 2011. Breakaway continues through Thursday, Aug. 12.

The analyst panel noted that at a time when some IT solution provider businesses are struggling, others are thriving. The difference: business execution.

“Can you generate your own leads, and can you execute sales?” said Ryan Morris, principal consultant, Morris Management Partners. “Sales execution determines financial health. That’s the difference between winning and losing.”

Three key areas of growth for the balance of 2010 and into 2011 were identified by the panel: mobile technology solutions, social media for business and cloud computing.

“That’s where the growth is going to be in 2011,” said Darren Bibby, program director, IDC Software Channels Research, International Data Corporation

New CompTIA research shows that 60 percent of end user customers surveyed plan to increase their investment in cloud computing by more than 5 percent in the coming year. When they do invest in cloud computing, 54 percent intend to do so through a third party provider, such as an IT solution provider.

“The channel doesn’t become less important in the cloud, it becomes fundamentally critical to successful deployment,” Morris said.

Also on day one at Breakaway 2010, golfers took to the links at the new TPC San Antonio course for the 2010 Creating Futures Charity Golf Classic. More than $100,000 was raised for the CompTIA Educational Foundation’s Creating Futures program, which provides training and certification opportunities to populations who have historically been under-represented in the information technology workforce, including U.S. veterans, individuals with disabilities, women, minorities, at-risk youth and dislocated workers.

The CompTIA IT Services Summit on Monday attracted an audience of more than 150 technology service providers.

Tuesday’s Breakaway 2010 agenda includes keynote speakers Daniel H. Pink, author of several provocative, bestselling books about the changing world of work; Ian Pennell, senior vice president, Small Business Technology Group, Cisco; and Todd Thibodeaux, president and chief executive officer, CompTIA.

Also starting Tuesday is a comprehensive three-day program on opportunities in the fast-growing market for healthcare IT products and services. The program includes an educational track on how to build a healthy healthcare IT business, including a ten-week go-to-market plan and an assessment tool to evaluate a healthcare provider’s current IT environment.

The Breakaway Technology Vendor Fair also opens Tuesday.

Platinum Level sponsors of Breakaway 2010 include Autotask, Cisco Systems Inc., ConnectWise Ingram Micro, Intronis Inc., itControl Solutions Inc., McAfee, Motorola, SYNNEX Corporation and Xerox.

The Gold Level sponsor of Breakaway 2010 is Kaseya.

Silver Level sponsors include Doyenz, Inc., eGestalt Technologies Inc., Intel, N-able Technologies, OnForce, Worldwide TechServices and Yfactor.

For more information, visit http://www.comptia.org/breakaway/default.aspx.

About CompTIA

CompTIA is the voice of the world’s information technology (IT) industry. Its members are the companies at the forefront of innovation; and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their investments in technology. CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through its educational programs, market research, networking events, professional certifications, and public policy advocacy. For more information, visit www.comptia.org or follow CompTIA on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/comptia.