

Technology evolves quickly, which means it can be increasingly difficult for IT professionals to keep pace and have up-to-date knowledge. Trying to stay on top of certifications and keeping in the loop of the latest innovations can be a full-time job, and that is when dedicated IT talent isn't handling the increasing workload of today's typical tech employee.
For IT Principals, this challenge can be crippling, as talent may be resentful if tech executives look to outside sources to meet demand. A recent CIO article examined the ways that technology leaders can build the "future-state IT leadership team" and found that 96 percent of senior IT professionals believe development of your own internal talent is crucial, but 30 percent said they were not proficient at actually tracking their employees' skill level.
This all leads into the IT skills gap that has been hampering businesses in numerous sectors. Rachel Russell, an IT staffing expert, told the news source that all companies should create a skills analysis of their IT team to find the strengths, weakness and opportunities of every employee. By doing this, IT leaders can make a better game plan for the future.
"Can companies do it on their own? Absolutely. Does it take a lot of time to plan and do it right? Absolutely," said Eric Garrison, director of learning at Benchmark Learning. He added that the benefit of using a third-party company is that the skills gaps, once identified, are tied directly back to educational assets that will allow employees to close the gap quickly.
By partnering with an IT solution provider that uses VAR Staffing to find the top-notch talent on the market, any VAR or MSP can help businesses close their own IT skills gap.