The world of IT continues to evolve, and continuous learning plays a key role in making the necessary shifts forward. Certifications play a major role in telling employers you have the skills and the knowledge needed to get the job done. The good news is that certifications also translate to higher compensation too. Recently, CompTIA updated its A+ tech support certification to align with the changing nature of the hybrid workforce.
The new version of CompTIA A+ (220-1101 and 220-1102) is available worldwide. CompTIA A+ is trusted by employers around the world as validation of IT professionals’ ability to think on their feet and perform critical support tasks.
“As organizations’ reliance on technology has increased tech support professionals have taken on greater responsibilities requiring a broader and deeper set of skills,” said Thomas Reilly, chief product officer for CompTIA. “The proliferation of work from home and remote work requires tech support that is accessible, comprehensive in scope and delivered efficiently and effectively. The new CompTIA A+ exam emphasizes the technologies and skills that IT support professionals must have to support today’s hybrid workforce.”
The new CompTIA A+ certification exam:
- Reflects the increased reliance on software-as-a-service applications for remote work.
- Includes more focus on troubleshooting and remotely diagnosing and correcting common software, hardware or connectivity problems.
- Places greater emphasis on changing core technologies, from cloud infrastructure and IoT device security to data management and scripting.
- Expands coverage of major operating systems, their use cases and how to keep them running properly.
The new exam also recognizes the changing nature of the tech support job role, where many tasks are sent to specialized providers. CompTIA A+ certified personnel are better able to assess whether it is best to fix something on site, or to save time and money by sending proprietary technologies directly to vendors.
Individuals who achieve CompTIA A+ certification have demonstrated the skills to install and configure end-user devices and software; connect devices to networks; perform basic cybersecurity mitigations; troubleshoot common problems to diagnose and resolve issues; and demonstrate basic knowledge of scripting, the cloud, and virtualization.
Accompanying the release of the new exam is the availability of a comprehensive suite of learning and exam preparation resources including:
- CertMaster Learn for A+, an interactive online learning experience featuring videos, performance-based interactives and practice questions.
- CertMaster Labs for A+, hands-on 3D workbench simulations and virtual machine-based labs.
- CertMaster Practice for A+, an adaptive test prep tool that assesses knowledge and exam readiness.
- Complete details on CompTIA A+, including exam objectives, practice questions and exam study resources, are available at https://www.comptia.org/certifications/a.
