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Important Information Concerning Your CompTIA Certification

Dear CompTIA Certified Professional,

As a follow-up to our announcement in January, CompTIA is updating its certification policy for CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ and CompTIA Security+ certifications. Starting Jan. 1, 2011, individuals will need to complete continuing education to maintain certification. Since you're already certified - your certification status will not be affected by the changes.

The new policy will only apply to candidates who:

* Certify on or after Jan. 1, 2011
* Certified prior to Jan. 1, 2011 and choose to enroll in the continuing education program

So why did CompTIA change the policy?

Changing the policy brings CompTIA certifications in line with the practices of other major providers of certifications for IT professionals, such as Cisco, Microsoft, Project Management Institute (PMI) and Linux Professionals Institute (LPI).

Additionally, CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ and CompTIA Security+ are accredited by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a standard-setting institution which approves the procedures used by personnel certification bodies. ISO requires that CompTIA provides candidates a way to renew the currency of their certification on a regular basis. In CompTIA's case, that renewal will occur every three years from the date the certification is earned.

Why should I enroll in continuing education?

In any field it's important to keep your skills up-to-date and with the ever-changing IT environment, that holds especially true for IT professionals. Maintaining an updated certification shows your employer that your skills and knowledge are current. And CompTIA has designed the continuing education program to give you several options to keep your certification up to date without testing.

We know this change brings lots of questions. Please visit www.comptia.org/renewal for a detailed list of FAQs. If you're certified to meet DoD 8570.1 requirements, please visit www.comptia.org/DoDrenewal for information specific to DoD personnel.

Thank you again for participating in CompTIA's certification programs.

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