Final answer:
Cross-functional teams help IT staff collaborate with people in other functional areas.
Step-by-step explanation:
The technique that helps IT staff collaborate with people in other functional areas is cross-functional teams. Cross-functional teams are groups of individuals from different departments or areas of expertise who work together to achieve a common goal. In the context of IT, cross-functional teams can include members from IT, marketing, finance, operations, and other departments, allowing for a collaborative approach to problem-solving and decision-making.
For example, if an IT project requires input and involvement from marketing and finance teams, creating a cross-functional team that includes representatives from each department can ensure effective collaboration and alignment of goals.
In contrast, options a) virtualization and d) waterfall model are specific IT techniques, and although they may have benefits in terms of efficiency and project management, they do not directly address collaboration between IT staff and people in other functional areas.