What Can IT Associations Find Under an Association Umbrella?

You’ve already met IT associations of various types and with different focuses. Now, one step beyond, meet the umbrella organization that wants to federate those associations and promote professional standards to bring them all to a comparable level. That’s the stated mission of the International Professional Practice Partnership (IP3).

Where Does the IP3 Umbrella Organization Come From?

IP3 was founded by a number of existing IT associations: ACS (Australian Computer Society), BCS (British Computer Society), CIPS (Canadian Information Processing Society), IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Computer Society, and IFIP (International Federation for Information Processing). IFIP in particular is recognized by the United Nations, and positions itself as multinational and apolitical, representing IT organizations from 56 regions or countries, with a combined membership of over 500,000.

What’s in it for an IT Association?

Associations are offered the chance: to contribute to unifying the IT profession globally; to enhance member mobility by aligning with a global standard; and to offer its members an entrance into a global community of IT professionals. In other words, harmonization and integration are the two goals being pursued.

What’s in it for a Reseller or IT Solutions Provider?

Any business advantage is likely to be linked to the size of the reseller’s enterprise. Large resellers, VARs or solutions providers working at an international level may see advantage in being able to tap into resources internationally, and even in having their say in events at that level. Smaller resellers may prefer to focus on the activities and advantages of their current national IT association, including any group purchasing advantages and local events, as applicable. 

How much can IT associations positively influence other bodies or government agencies? Which initiatives have been beneficial to you and your business? Give us your experience in the section below for Comments.  

And to follow-through on the ideas introduced in this short post, be sure to download your free copy of the quick reference guide to the Top 9 IT Trade Associations for Small Business VARs, Integrators, IT Solution Providers, MSPs, System Builders, Computer Repair Businesses, and Computer Consulting Firms. 

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