CompTIA has formed a group called the CompTIA Telecom Advisory Council to focus on the growing convergence of telecom and IT, providing “strategic insight and vendor-neutral guidance on the evolving and expanding relationships between agents who resell telecom services and IT firms that focus on data needs.”

“These two channels, once separate and distinct, have come closer together out of business necessity and customer demand,” says Jeff Ponts, executive vice president, DataTel Solutions, Inc., and co-chair of the CompTIA Telecom Advisory Council. “The convergence of voice and data, the emergence of cloud computing and the explosion of mobile technology are some of the factors bringing these two groups together.”

CompTIA lists the following issues among those the council intends to explore:

• Strategies for setting sales and revenue goals and commitments
• Establishing and protecting account ownership, rules for interfacing with customers
• The need for formal contracts and communications
• Project management rules
• Adoption of new technologies, business models and vertical markets
• Operational process efficiencies

“We intend to identify the factors that lead to success and to guide the development of education and training regimens, research, credentials and other resources for the industry so that business partners can succeed and their customers can benefit,” says Scott Levy, vice president, enterprise development, AOTMP and co-chair of the CompTIA council.
Mike Saxby, president, Communications Management Services, will serve as vice chair of the group. Here are the other members of the council:

• Laura Bernstein, president, CRA Telecom, Inc.
• Shawn Cordner, chief executive officer, In2itive Marketing
• Larry Foster, president and general manager, PINNACLE
• Hilary Gadda, director, telepartner channels, Telepacific Communications
• Ian Kleninger, chief executive officer, Avant Communications
• Jack Knocke, owner, The VAR Advisor
• Michael Paynter, chief executive officer, Tier3 Technologies
• Greg Plum, vice president, channel development, Start Meeting
• Bill Potter, chief executive officer, Message Broadcast
• Peter Radizeski, telecom consultant, Rad-Info, Inc.
• Meggin Sawyer, vice president, enterprise division sales, ADTRAN
• Bryan Schroder, principal, Cynergy Services
• Richard Williams, executive director, channels, Verizon

The council will hold its first formal meeting at the CompTIA Annual Member Meeting March 12-13, 2013 in Chicago.