VARs Want More Baby-sitting from CompTIA Roadmap

Early users of CompTIA’s Reseller Transformation Roadmap Beta version, released in August, have said the process leaves to much of the shepherding and policing of progress to the VARs themselves.

The roadmap, a Web-based program and guide to help resellers first assess the state of their business, such as what areas are profitable or unprofitable and what areas are ignored or overindulged, then to guide VARs through workgroups and worksheets to develop business practices that moves them to the more profitable areas, launched a beta version in August.

About 15 VARs are currently working on the roadmap, and another 15 have taken the assessment, according to CompTIA.

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Early criticism tells CompTIA officials the program is too easy to ignore.

Robert G. Parsons, president of Automated Office Solutions, in Evansville, Ill., said the day-to-day often trumps the transformation.

“It might be more useful if someone were kicking me in the butt,” Parsons said. “I have daily battles to fight and they’re going to take precedence. I’d love to work on my business, but I need to go fix this machine. Something to remind more forcefully when I return would be a help.”

CompTIA is developing more tracking of participants’ progress and reminders, alerts and coaching and phone calls to keep VARs on track, said William Vanderbilt, CompTIA’s vice president of education and training.

“Basically, they said they need more babysitting it is going to work,” said William Vanderbilt, CompTIA’s vice president of education and training.

“They’ve found the roadmap makes it too easy to avoid the work involved and they get sidetracked by their businesses.”