International Women’s Day gives us time to pause, mindfully reflect, and imagine a better workplace where genders are equal and treated without bias or discrimination — and evaluate the path forward to advance gender diversity in tech.

Research indicates that diverse teams outperform and embody more creative and innovative perspectives. A McKinsey & Company study linked diverse executive teams to promising outcomes — 35% higher earnings and 33% more long-term value creation. Teams encompassing diverse genders, races, ages and other social factors have the well-rounded qualities it takes to navigate the unique challenges for customers in today’s modern digital landscape.

We still have considerable progress before closing the gender gap for good. Deloitte predicts that large global tech firms will reach 33% overall female representations in their workforces in 2022, up roughly two percentage points from 2019. Although we’ve witnessed a small increase, this indicates campaigns to recruit, hire and promote women in tech tend to work gradually.

Steady progress is underway in the tech space to create more inclusive workplace cultures. One of the most inspiring ways to highlight this advancement is celebrating and amplifying ground-breaking achievements from women. In this case, the resilient, powerful women of tech.

Nearly all women-led team drives go-to-market success

For Ardian Technologies, an information technology company, the obstacles they faced were twofold. They have an exciting new tech product, ArdianStack is a Zero Trust ecosystem of data and microservice capabilities that engenders access-management-as-a-service solutions (AMaaS) in their portfolio. However, the go-to-market plan for this product benefited from additional direction to strategically define the services model.

Formulating a plan to make this launch successful, sustainable and a splash in the tech scene was the second piece of the puzzle. This led Ardian to engage with TD SYNNEX for guidance and expertise. Through the help of the TD SYNNEX Solutions Factory for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and our Channel Builder program, technical and market readiness was ensured.

TD SYNNEX worked with Ardian to migrate ArdianStack from a virtual private cloud to a leading public cloud like Azure. Additionally, we offered guidance on how to package and SaaSify secure data management to support the solution, ArdianStack. As a result of this collaboration, the solution was packaged in a replicable, scalable way that provides Ardian with robust markets and opportunities to pursue.

A truly exciting part of the joint SaaSification and the go-to-market process was that the efforts from both ends of the partnership were led by teams of women, including Maria Shelton, CEO of Ardian Technologies.

During a group strategy session, Maria said both teams realized this and felt an overwhelming sense of pride to be a part of something much bigger than they imagined — a meeting filled with female experts dedicated to driving change — in what is traditionally a male-dominated field.

Inspiring the tech talent of tomorrow

Overall, the strong partnership and successful business outcomes undeniably demonstrate that a team filled with women in the tech space is eager to tackle complex technical challenges and build lasting, mutually beneficial business relationships.

With this in mind, the tech industry has the limitless opportunity to take a more proactive approach in advertising fulfilling careers — whether programming, engineering or beyond this scope to attract the diverse talent key to unlocking flourishing business outcomes.

Championing diversity and inclusion initiatives and leading the way toward noticeable change is paramount. Underneath the surface, we are all very capable, knowledgeable human beings, regardless of gender. Our various experiences and ideas are what strengthen teams at the core and lead to successes mirroring the case we covered above.

Women have proven they possess the talent and abilities it takes to lead a successful career in this industry, backed by grit to advance their education. In the U.S. alone, 59.5% of the college students enrolled were women and 40.5% men, according to data collected by the National Student Clearinghouse.

This March, as we celebrate Women’s History Month, our work with Maria reminds us of the importance of amplifying advancements made by women in technology. With unwavering intrinsic belief, young women aspiring to enter the technology field will go far.

To this day, TD SYNNEX and Ardian are aligned within a thriving strategic partnership pioneered by women — with the focus remaining clear — delivering innovative solutions to customers that simplify everyday tasks. Ultimate customer satisfaction is the end goal we are all working toward — together.

Interested in learning more about the Solutions Factory for ISVs and ways we can help your business cater to market demands and build the capabilities to expand your business? Click here to explore our offerings to support your SaaSification journey. For more details on our Channel Builder program, click here.

This blog was originally posted on the TD SYNNEX global corporate publication