Diversity is a topic that most people associate strictly with HR practices, such as hiring and promotion. Smart companies have figured out that having a racially, ethnically and gender diverse workforce, that values multiple perspectives, has distinct advantages in an increasingly global marketplace. What many companies are just starting to understand is the tremendous impact a diverse technology environment and team can have on their company’s success.

Think about it. In 1989, the year many of today’s newly minted college graduates looking for work were born and many business owners were just getting started in their professional careers, most companies that used personal computers had only a few. Many were still using dumb terminals attached to a single minicomputer or mainframe. Telephones were hardwired, and voicemail was a novelty.

Flash forward to today. Almost every business computer, smartphone and tablet is connected to both a private network as well as the public Internet. VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) phone systems now share the network with data and require careful bandwidth management and network integration to ensure quality.

The terminals and/or couple of PCs running DOS have become a mix of multi-processor workstations and servers, running Windows, MAC OS and Linux. Applications likely include a mixture of legacy, standalone, client-server and cloud-based apps. These applications are often integrated with the phone system, video surveillance, physical security systems, medical or other specialty equipment, and of course, all the typical office peripherals like printers, as well as the company’s website!

Simple brochure websites are no longer enough. Customers, employees, partners and vendors are increasingly expecting interactive Internet and intranet access to information. They want to be able to do things like check their account, submit orders, schedule appointments, pay bills and collaborate on documents and projects 24/7/365. Social media is the latest “must have” technology a company “needs” to support.

So, as a business owner, how do I go about meeting today’s diverse technology challenges?  The first step in this process is to recognize the incredible diversity of technologies required to compete in an increasingly digitally driven global market. Next is the inevitable realization it takes a highly diverse set of skills to design, implement, program, support and provide training for all these technologies.

Even corporations with large in-house IT staffs look to outside vendors for assistance managing their technology infrastructure. Small to medium-size companies with limited IT resources face an even greater challenge.

To meet this challenge, businesses must add “technical diversity” to their list of qualities they hire for. They must also find and recruit qualified third-party technology partners, who can provide a pool of skilled technology professionals to augment their internal staff. These organizations become virtual team members or act as a virtual IT department.

The same explosive growth in Internet technology that has added to our tech diversity challenges also provides access to the tools needed to solve them. Tools like LinkedIn.com allow us to find candidates who have both the required skills and professional connections to other individuals, groups and organizations, which can provide additional skills and resources.

Finding the right third-party technology partner(s) requires you first create a matrix of the skills you need to support your business and technology plans (yes, you need a plan). Once you know the skills you need, identify all of the skills you don’t have as part of your in-house team.

Remember, many of these skills you need your vendor to have come with certifications. When “right-sourcing” IT resources, make sure the vendor(s) you choose to work with have team members who are certified in the technologies your organization is using.

Work with vendor partners that can provide you with the option mentioned earlier, of being your virtual IT department. This type of managed services can reduce your TCO (total cost of ownership) for technology, while providing improved service levels and increasing your IT ROI (return on investment).

In summary, meeting today’s diverse technology challenges requires business owners to put together an in-house and virtual team of tech-savvy and highly capable individuals, with a skill set that is as diverse as the technology they will be working with and supporting.

		John Westra is a strategic business and IT consultant at NuWave Technology Partners. Westra has been engaged in delivering strategic business and IT planning and consulting services to private and public organizations for 20+ years. He is a regular contributor to multiple business and technology publications and blogs.