The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a non-profit trade association, was created in 1982 as the Association of Better Computer Dealers (ABCD). ABCD later changed its name to the Computing Technology Industry Association to reflect the association’s evolving role in the computer industry and in the U.S. business landscape at large. The 1990s was a period of growth as the association broadened the scope of its activities to address the needs of the expanding computer industry. Its initiatives increased to include networking, UNIX, imaging, mobile computing, and multimedia arenas. In an effort to monitor and take positions on public policy issues, the association added a full-time Director of Public Policy. In 2010, CompTIA added a new executive director for a newly named “Creating IT Futures” Foundation, its philanthropic arm that focuses on training and certifying low-income students and adults in IT, as well as returning veterans—and helping connect them with potential employers.
CompTIA is a provider of professional certifications for the information technology (IT) industry which are vendor-neutral.