Innovation is a tide that presents change—not as I something that may drown but as something which teaches one to swim with or against the tide, and if handled correctly, brings about new markets, products, demands and consequently new revenue stream opportunities.
If diversification is the equivalent of trying to stay afloat in rough, choppy waters, then innovation is about learning to swim by looking for the right opportunity, developing the strength to withstand and use the powers of the current to one’s advantage.
Fred D’Alessandro, the Founder and CEO of Diversified knows both and has learned how to deftly manoeuvre the unpredictable waters of the business world.
“Innovation requires a willingness to leave your comfort zone in order to pursue something new and never before accomplished”
Formative years in business
In the early 90s, Fred D’Alessandro abandoned his comfort zone in pursuit of a new challenge, leaving his job as a broadcast engineer to venture out as an independent business owner and primary salesperson. Operating initially with a broadcast manufacturing business model, the modest team began shifting their focus more towards integration, an area of great interest for Fred and where he discovered his true passion for service.
However, this desire to shift direction was not widely supported among the rest of the team who soon walked away from the endeavor, leaving Fred as the sole owner of a technology start-up in an industry surrounded by long-standing competition, where he had very little business experience and even fewer resources.
However, failure was not an option for him. Quite the contrary actually—as the odds stacked up against him, so did Fred’s personal drive to beat them. With a new team that wore every hat imaginable, they slowly started chipping away at the competition to develop a name for themselves amongst broadcast systems integrators. But that wasn’t enough.
Diversification in the new millennium
Witnessing the vast array of technology requirements his customers had, Fred knew he had to diversify their offerings. “I knew that in order to be the best, we had to provide more than just one piece of the puzzle,” he said. This set him venturing into audio-visual (AV) integration opportunities around the beginning of the new millennium.
Over the next twenty years, Diversified continued to grow and expand their capabilities and expertise, which now encompasses media and entertainment as well as AV, electronic security, IT, digital signage, medical integration, mission critical, emerging technology, managed services and more.
With an enhanced portfolio of expansive solutions and services and a growing global footprint to support a dynamic clientele around the world, Fred and his team set the stage for Diversified to deliver unparalleled offerings to the market.
Innovation, the new paradigm
The future is digital in practically all matters relating to information, communication and entertainment. Diversified’s mission is to enable that digital future—connecting people, technology, and experiences, where and when it matters most. Given the diversity of markets served and the different business drivers for each, Diversified partners with clients and specializes in the technology solutions needed to help drive their operations.
From connecting global enterprise teams to elevating brands with shoppers and enabling breaking news broadcasts and supporting crises management, the company today offers an unmatched and endless range of services that address needs using an array of innovative solutions and services.
To support new offerings and everything else under Diversified’s umbrella, the company’s managed services has undergone a strategic overhaul. Its new global ecosystem of innovative technology-managed services now offers clients flexible and dependable options that meet diverse and evolving needs enabling organizations to drive positive outcomes and empower businesses of tomorrow.
With growing service options that can be stacked and ® tailored to fit each client’s needs, their ReFresh technology as a service option and Pulse remote management and diagnostics are among the new solutions that are providing previously untapped value as the marketplace continues to face new challenges.
COVID-19, a lesson
In the wake of the global pandemic, Diversified has expanded its already diverse portfolio of solutions and services to include new offerings designed to meet changing needs. Understanding the rippling costs of unreliable technology—both financially and otherwise—Diversified is providing new technologyembedded services to meet the changing healthrelated needs of clients when they step out of their confines to face the world as the pandemic abates.
Meant to address concerns in the present as well as the future, these new services include temperature screening and occupancy sensing to mass notifications, data management and remote monitoring.
Of special interest is the new VitalSign temperature check kiosk solution that quickly and accurately screens anyone entering a facility before granting access. “With the ability to effectively and efficiently perform wellness screenings for those entering a facility, we’re giving peace of mind to our clients while reducing their reliance on costly temporary staffing and providing additional value with the option to integrate with badging and security platforms as well as digital signage networks,” says Fred.
Beyond the entrance, new touchless solutions with technologies developed by Crestron and Barco help deliver enhanced collaboration spaces that reduce the risk of spreading germs, without affecting connectivity and user experience. Overall, Diversified is simplifying the complexities of meeting new demands by delivering actionable value of each technology integrated as one solution for a truly connected organization.
This surge of strategic creativity, according to Fred, remains truly inspiring as the team has come together in new ways to meet the unprecedented needs of clients around the world. True to their tagline, Imagination Engineered, Diversified harnesses human imagination to drive digital innovations and define a new digital future that leverages technology to keep everyone connected amid social distancing!
This ongoing evolution of Diversified’s offerings, though certainly spurred by unimagined events, aligns perfectly with what Fred says he always envisioned for the company’s future—a consistent focus on continued vertical and horizontal growth, while adding complementary services that provide value through unique, hybrid technology solutions and the perseverance to meet virtually any customer requirements. Continued sustainability, according to him, is not only about the types of solutions being offered but also of the level of service being executed.
As the clients’ trusted technology solutions partner, the Diversified team pointedly listens to and understands the needs of their clients, gaining complete clarity of their business drivers to deliver the right solution for their particular use case. Regardless of whether the client needs technology in a single location or in facilities around the world, Diversified can deliver the necessary solutions across its business lines locally and globally, alike.
An enviable team, Fred’s Pride!
Diversified continues to operate within the top tier of each industry, providing an unparalleled dedication to the customer experience with an unmatched ability to deliver scope and scale around the world, understanding clients and how their solutions help them find success in their own markets.
As Diversified’s CEO, Fred acknowledges that he frequently is the face of the company, though according to him, he represents so many. He knows that, as a leader, it is important to be willing to step outside one’s comfort zone and explore new possibilities, to have a clear vision of the path ahead and the resilience to withstand challenges that may try to derail you. But first and foremost, it is about determination and trust.
“Employees take their cue from you—how hard you work, how dedicated you are, everything,” says Fred. “I am proud to be the biggest advocate for our global team that there is, and I put my faith in them every day. Whether we’re in the trenches or on top of the mountain, I am proud to say that we are there as a team, and this team has helped make Diversified everything that it is today.”
