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According to a recent survey from work management platform Quickbase, half of IT professionals feel overwhelmed by the thought of trying to reduce “technology sprawl” — defined as “disconnected systems, data, and point solutions” — due to challenges from employees, disconnected data and systems, and the costs of completing the task of software consolidation.
The poll of more than 1,000 IT professionals in the U.S. and UK/Ireland found 87% feeling pressure to consolidate their technology stack from both the C-suite and their own IT departments.
Of the respondents, 68% indicate they spend 11 hours or more of their week losing time managing and maintaining software applications. The IT professionals pointed to both human and technological challenges as downsides of consolidation, with top concerns including employee resistance to losing familiar tools and adapting to new systems (37%) and the risk of data loss (36%).
Related cost challenges include balancing known and unknown costs of planning for future upgrades and maintenance, cited by 62% of IT professionals surveyed; followed by customization or integration costs, 50%; and direct or indirect costs of implementing new software or apps, 48%.
“For a long time, organizations would solve one problem at a time with a point solution, without thinking about how that one tool could connect with other teams or projects,” said Ed Jennings, CEO of Quickbase. “Today, that approach is at the heart of technology and app sprawl, full of software, systems, and teams that can’t connect data and collaborate, reducing productivity.”
Tech sprawl, also referred to as “IT sprawl,” can lead to what IT insiders call “Frankenstack,” which is when a tech stack has been assembled piece by piece, often in a reactionary manner, with many parts not integrating with one another.
“With IT sprawl, every new application or service requires additional time, money and expertise to manage and secure properly,” wrote Rajat Bhargava in a Forbes column. “The organization’s tech stack becomes increasingly bloated and complex, burdening IT teams with growing time and budget demands, all while IT spend is wasted.”
Bhargava suggested organizations determine their essential platforms based on their technology needs, automate processes or adopt unified solutions where possible, and consolidate redundant or unnecessary tools.
According to Forrester’s Q2 2024 Tech Pulse Survey, 77% of U.S. technology decision-makers report moderate to extensive levels of technology sprawl. Improving system performance and reliability was the most commonly cited driver of technology consolidation, above cost reduction. Simplifying IT management and enhancing security were also major drivers of consolidation efforts.
Still, Forrester’s survey found that 63% of surveyed IT professionals planned to pursue only moderate consolidation strategies as part of IT maintenance over the next two years.
In a blog entry, Biswajeet Mahapatra, principal analyst at Forrester, said, “Tech consolidation works best in product-centric organizations with a build/run model, where teams use a common backlog for new features and maintenance tasks, including technical risks and debt. Persistent build/run product teams, exposed to the consequences of their earlier decisions, have a more comprehensive mandate to fix sprawl.”
In a recent Forbes column, Richard Kestenbaum, a co-founder and partner at Triangle Capital, said IT departments are seeking more of a “one-stop shopping” option for their technology needs, and he believes tech sprawl will drive consolidation among tech vendors. He wrote, “The problem is that there are so many vendors, no retailer has enough resources to evaluate and implement all the technology that’s on offer.”