TL;DR
Modern learning organizations face a critical technical capability gap: They need specialized IT expertise (learning platform architects, data engineers, AI/ML specialists, integration developers, and analytics experts) to build sophisticated learning ecosystems, but they cannot maintain this expertise at peak capacity year-round. Brandon Hall Group™ research reveals 68% of award-winning organizations deploy blended learning requiring complex technical architectures, yet only 19% have implemented AI-powered learning and just 11% use VR-based training.
The technical talent scarcity is acute. IT staff augmentation offers a strategic solution, enabling L&D teams to access specialized technical talent on demand (platform specialists, data scientists, AI developers, and emerging tech experts) while maintaining flexibility and cost efficiency. By blending external IT expertise with internal learning teams, organizations can accelerate digital transformation, scale technical delivery during high-demand phases, and experiment with emerging technologies without long-term IT commitments. Success is measured through agility, technical efficiency, and demonstrable learning impact on business outcomes, not cost savings alone.
The Learning Technology Talent Crisis
Learning and development teams invest heavily in technology across every category: learning experience platforms, virtual classrooms, analytics dashboards, AI-powered personalization, immersive simulations, and integrated learning ecosystems. Yet Brandon Hall Group™ research reveals a sobering gap: 68% of award-winning organizations deploy sophisticated blended learning architectures, but most lack the specialized IT talent to build, integrate, and optimize these technical systems.
Organizations pursue digital learning transformation without the technical capabilities required to execute. Learning leaders understand what modern learners need (personalized pathways, seamless multi-platform experiences, predictive analytics, AI-powered recommendations) but lack the platform architects, data engineers, and integration specialists to build these capabilities. The bottom line: Billions invested in learning technology platforms that underdeliver because organizations lack the IT expertise to implement them effectively.
Step 1: Define Your Technical Baseline
Creating learning technology solutions that drive results requires absolute clarity about technical capabilities you currently possess versus what your transformation demands.
Technical capabilities refer to the specialized IT expertise required to build, integrate, and optimize learning ecosystems. The essential first step involves documenting current IT capabilities and identifying technical gaps. Learning technology expertise provides the foundation for implementing sophisticated learning experiences. The key insight: The most effective learning transformations combine learning science expertise with deep technical capabilities in platforms, data, AI, and emerging technologies.
For example, a major insurance company relied on various tools for learning intake and project tracking, resulting in siloed systems and ad-hoc processes. As the L&D operating model evolved, a unified approach became necessary to increase visibility and improve capacity planning.
By integrating a technical expertise, the organization was able to implement technology that resulted in the following:
- 200% productivity boost for L&D team.
- Doubled annual learning deliverables (from 200 to 400+) with same staffing.
- 100% user adoption for L&D and operations experts.
- Real-time tracking of progress, hours, and resource allocation across the enterprise.
Step 2: Assess Current Technical Performance
Whether your learning platforms were implemented with clear technical architecture or not, measuring actual technical performance is essential for determining where IT augmentation provides greatest value.
Organizations must ask three fundamental diagnostic questions about their learning technology stack.
- Are your learning platforms delivering the technical performance and user experience your learners expect?
If learner engagement metrics show declining usage, high abandon rates, or poor mobile performance, technology is failing to support learning outcomes. The reality check: A beautiful LXP with 20% adoption due to poor integration or slow performance equals failure. Technical expertise in platform optimization, performance engineering, and UX design directly impacts whether learners actually use your systems.
- Can your team actually build the technical capabilities your learning strategy requires?
Assess through honest evaluation of internal IT skills in platform architecture, API integration, data engineering, and analytics implementation. Brandon Hall Group™ research shows 66% of successful organizations track performance metrics and ROI, requiring data pipelines, business intelligence integration, and measurement frameworks that most L&D teams cannot build. If your team cannot implement the technical solutions your strategy demands, you need IT augmentation.
- Is there a clear performance difference between organizations that leverage specialized learning IT talent versus those that don’t?
Organizations with access to learning platform architects, data engineers, and AI specialists implement more sophisticated solutions faster and with higher quality than those relying solely on general IT departments or stretched L&D teams. For example, Brandon Hall Group™ data shows that only 19% of organizations have implemented AI-powered learning. The technical barrier, not the learning science barrier, prevents broader adoption.
Rely on data, not assumptions. Review platform performance metrics, user experience data, and implementation timelines to identify where technical expertise gaps actually impede your learning transformation.
Step 3: Conduct Technical Gap Analysis Through Seven Essential Dimensions
Brandon Hall Group™ research identifies seven interconnected technical capabilities that work together to create comprehensive, high-performing learning ecosystems. When gaps emerge between desired technical capabilities and actual delivery, diagnose underlying causes across these dimensions. Identifying technical skill gaps helps determine current IT capabilities versus required expertise, pinpointing specific areas where IT augmentation bridges gaps.
- Learning Platform Architecture and Integration
Brandon Hall Group™ research shows 68% of award-winning organizations deploy blended learning approaches requiring integration across multiple platforms: LMS, LXP, virtual classrooms, content libraries, and assessment tools. Does your team have platform architects who can design integrated ecosystems, API specialists who connect disparate systems, and integration developers who ensure seamless data flow? Without these capabilities, your learning platforms operate as disconnected silos that frustrate learners and limit effectiveness.
- Data Engineering and Analytics Infrastructure
With 70% of successful organizations implementing knowledge assessments and 66% tracking performance metrics and ROI according to Brandon Hall Group™ research, learning analytics has become mission-critical. Building measurement frameworks requires data engineers who can build pipelines from learning platforms to data warehouses, analytics specialists who design metrics that connect learning to business outcomes, and business intelligence experts who create actionable dashboards. Most L&D teams lack these data capabilities entirely.
- AI and Machine Learning Implementation
Brandon Hall Group™ data shows only 19% of organizations leverage AI-powered learning despite massive potential for personalization, adaptive pathways, and intelligent recommendations. Implementing AI capabilities requires machine learning engineers for recommendation engines, natural language processing specialists for chatbots and content analysis, and AI architects who understand both learning science and technical implementation. This specialized expertise rarely exists within L&D teams.
- Immersive and Emerging Technology Development
Just 11% of organizations have implemented VR-based training according to Brandon Hall Group™ research, revealing severe technical talent scarcity. Organizations exploring immersive learning need 3D developers, XR platform specialists, Unity or Unreal Engine experts, and spatial computing developers. These capabilities are almost never found in traditional L&D teams. Without access to these specialists, organizations cannot pilot or scale immersive learning experiences.
- User Experience and Interface Design
Brandon Hall Group™ research shows 64% of award-winning organizations implement virtual instructor-led training at scale, requiring intuitive interfaces that work seamlessly across devices and contexts. Creating exceptional user experiences demands UX researchers who understand learner behaviors, interface designers who create intuitive navigation, and front-end developers who implement responsive designs. Poor UX directly impacts adoption and learning effectiveness.
- Security, Compliance, and Governance
Learning platforms store sensitive employee data, performance information, and business intelligence requiring robust security architecture, compliance frameworks, and data governance. Organizations need security architects who implement proper authentication and authorization, compliance specialists who ensure regulatory adherence, and governance experts who establish data policies. These capabilities protect the organization while enabling innovation.
- Continuous Optimization and Performance Engineering
Modern learning ecosystems require ongoing technical optimization as user bases scale, content libraries expand, and integrations multiply. This demands performance engineers who optimize platform speed and scalability, DevOps specialists who implement continuous deployment, and monitoring experts who proactively identify technical issues before they impact learners.
Step 4: Design IT Augmentation at Scale
Brandon Hall Group™ research on successful learning transformations reveals the IT augmentation imperative. The strategic reality: Generic IT support cannot deliver the specialized learning technology expertise modern L&D demands.
Organizations require flexible access to specialized technical talent precisely when transformation initiatives demand it. Brandon Hall Group™ data shows 51% of award-winning organizations implement on-the-job training and 43% deploy project-based learning. Both create intense but time-limited demands for technical specialists. Building internal IT capacity to handle transformation peaks means maintaining excess technical capacity during normal operational periods, creating massive cost inefficiencies.
Operationalizing IT Augmentation at Scale
For platform architecture and integration projects, engage learning platform specialists who can design integrated ecosystems, API developers who connect disparate systems, and integration architects who ensure seamless data flow. A financial services organization needed to integrate their new LXP with existing learning platforms before annual compliance training. Rather than hiring permanent integration specialists (a 6- to 12-month recruiting process), they augmented their team with platform architects for a three-month sprint, completing seamless integration on schedule and avoiding compliance delays.
For data and analytics implementations, use data engineers who build pipelines from learning platforms to data warehouses, analytics specialists who design measurement frameworks, and business intelligence developers who create dashboards. Organizations implementing learning analytics for the first time can access professionals who have built dozens of similar frameworks, dramatically accelerating development while avoiding costly architectural mistakes.
For AI and emerging technology pilots, access machine learning engineers, natural language processing specialists, and immersive technology developers through time-bound engagements. This enables organizations to experiment with AI-powered personalization or VR-based training without committing to permanent specialized IT teams before proven value justifies investment.
For example, a major retailer needed to improve frontline preparedness and safety behaviors, reduce training time and costs, accelerate onboarding amid labor fluctuations, provide consistent coaching not reliant on trainer availability, and create emotionally engaging learning experiences. By leveraging AI-enabled VR immersive technology, the company was able to achieve the following:
- Training time reduced from 4 hours to 15 minutes (16x faster).
- 200% exceeded usage targets for critical safety modules.
- Proactive lockdowns increased from 1 to 20 per month.
- 120,000 unique learners reached.
- +4 improvement in Voice of Customer scores.
Step 5: Embrace Flexible, On-Demand Technical Talent Models
Brandon Hall Group™ research shows learning technology implementation is undergoing fundamental transformation. Forward-thinking L&D leaders are moving from traditional IT hiring to flexible, on-demand access to specialized technical expertise. The game-changer: Access world-class technical talent precisely when transformation demands it without permanent IT headcount.
The modern approach integrates specialized IT expertise with internal learning knowledge, creating hybrid teams that combine deep learning context with sophisticated technical capabilities. Organizations use flexible engagement models to access technical expertise rather than relying on lengthy hiring processes that delay transformation initiatives.
Modern IT Augmentation Models
Short-term technical sprints mobilize specialized IT talent for urgent projects: platform migrations requiring integration expertise, compliance initiatives demanding security specialists, or seasonal capacity needs during peak training cycles. Organizations can engage learning platform experts for 2-4 week sprints to solve specific technical challenges without long-term commitments.
Long-term technical partnerships provide ongoing access to specialized IT talent for sustained transformation: multi-year learning platform evolution requiring continuous technical optimization, implementation of sophisticated analytics capabilities demanding sustained data engineering support, or building emerging technology capabilities over extended timelines. Strategic partners offer sustained technical partnerships that combine learning expertise with deep technical capabilities.
Project-based technical contracts deliver defined outcomes: curriculum technology updates requiring content platform specialists, immersive training program development demanding XR developers, or measurement framework implementation needing analytics architects. Clear scope and deliverables make project contracts ideal for discrete technical initiatives.
Integrated Technical Collaboration in Action
The most successful IT augmentation treats external technical professionals as integrated team members collaborating closely with internal L&D staff. Brandon Hall Group™ research shows 32% of award-winning organizations implement cross-functional collaboration, recognizing that diverse technical perspectives create better outcomes.
Effective hybrid teams combine organizational knowledge of internal L&D teams with specialized IT expertise of augmented professionals. Internal teams understand learning strategy, organizational culture, and stakeholder dynamics. Augmented IT professionals bring platform architecture expertise, data engineering capabilities, and emerging technology knowledge. This combination creates powerful synergies where each group compensates for limitations while amplifying strengths.
When performance drops below established thresholds, automated analytics trigger alerts to learning teams. When new technical capabilities are required, IT augmentation enables rapid mobilization of specialists. When integration challenges emerge, organizations can immediately access experts who have solved similar problems across multiple organizations. When AI pilots show promise, machine learning engineers can quickly scale successful experiments.
For example, a major electronics manufacturer developed a GenAI-powered educational solution integrating enterprise general models, educational-specific distilled small models, and AI Agent development frameworks. The platform generates customer-centered tag data for analysis while providing customized AI Agent development capabilities.
- Eliminated need for 1,400 FTE data analysis positions.
- 7% sequential increase in learner-to-employee ratio.
- 1% sequential increase in course completion ratio.
- Reduced from 7-8 analysts per unit to 3-4 operational personnel.
The goal is to translate technical expertise into agile, measurable learning technology capabilities that drive business outcomes, moving from static IT support models to dynamic technical augmentation that enables rapid innovation.
Step 6: Build Hybrid Teams and Iterate Continuously
Implement IT augmentation incrementally and measure continuously. Pilot with defined technical projects to validate the approach before broader deployment. Establish clear success metrics beyond cost comparison: technical agility (how quickly can you mobilize specialized expertise), implementation efficiency (how effectively do augmented teams deliver versus internal-only approaches), and business impact (do technical implementations improve learning outcomes and business metrics).
Create decision triggers: If platform performance falls below thresholds, engage performance engineers. If analytics requirements exceed internal capability, augment with data specialists. If transformation timelines slip due to technical bottlenecks, mobilize specialized IT talent.
The discipline that separates winners from losers: Continuous assessment and flexible technical augmentation ensure learning platforms remain performant and capable as organizational needs evolve.
Step 7: Partner Strategically for Technical Excellence
Organizations often lack the specialized IT bandwidth for sophisticated learning technology implementation. Strategic partnerships can provide the technical expertise and proven methodologies to transform this challenge into a competitive advantage.
EI Powered by MPS, a Brandon Hall Group™ Platinum Smartchoice® Preferred Provider, brings over five decades of expertise in learning technology implementation combined with deep technical capabilities across platforms, data, AI, and emerging technologies. Their Solution Architecting services provide comprehensive technical support: from learning platform architecture and integration through data engineering and analytics implementation to measuring ROI and optimizing performance. Organizations gain technical partners who bring proven methodologies for turning IT augmentation into measurable learning transformation.
EI’s LITMUS Framework demonstrates how combining learning expertise with sophisticated technical capabilities creates learning ecosystems that drive business results. Their focus on emotionally intelligent learning design supported by advanced technical implementation (including their XR Optimus platform for immersive experiences) shows how strategic IT augmentation partnerships can accelerate innovation while building internal capability.
Four Actions for Learning Technology Leaders
- Conduct an honest technical capability assessment before pursuing digital transformation. Inventory existing IT expertise across learning platforms, data engineering, AI/ML, integration architecture, and emerging technologies. Compare current capabilities to transformation requirements. This diagnostic foundation prevents wasted investment in learning technology initiatives that lack the technical expertise required for successful implementation.
- Match technical needs to optimal IT augmentation models. Don’t default to traditional IT hiring for all technical needs. Use short-term sprints for urgent technical projects or specialized expertise needed briefly. Deploy long-term partnerships for sustained transformation requiring ongoing technical support. Implement project-based contracts for time-bound initiatives with defined technical deliverables. Select engagement models that align with specific technical requirements.
- Build integrated hybrid teams that combine learning knowledge with specialized IT expertise. Treat augmented IT professionals as integrated team members, not isolated contractors. The collaboration creates natural knowledge transfer as internal staff absorbs technical methodologies, tools, and approaches that build permanent organizational capability while delivering immediate transformation value.
- Measure success through agility, efficiency, and impact, not just cost comparison. Establish metrics that capture how quickly you mobilize technical expertise, how effectively augmented teams deliver learning technology solutions, and whether implementations drive measurable improvements in learning outcomes and business results. IT augmentation investments should contribute directly to transformation objectives and competitive advantage, not simply fill temporary technical resource gaps.
The Technical Imperative
Brandon Hall Group™ research makes the business case irrefutable. With 68% of organizations deploying sophisticated blended learning architectures but only 19% implementing AI-powered capabilities and just 11% using VR-based training, the technical expertise gap is massive. Organizations pursuing digital learning transformation require specialized IT capabilities (learning platform architects, data engineers, AI/ML specialists, integration developers, analytics experts, and emerging technology specialists) that most cannot maintain internally at levels required for sustained excellence.
Organizations that treat IT staff augmentation as a critical strategic enabler position themselves to create learning technology ecosystems that truly transform performance and drive measurable business outcomes. The future belongs to organizations that combine rigorous technical capability assessment with flexible IT talent models and strategic partnerships that provide on-demand access to world-class learning technology expertise.
By following these seven steps and partnering strategically when needed, learning and development leaders can transform their technical capabilities from limiting constraints into strategic accelerators of competitive advantage.
