Report: IT professionals are struggling with the process of tackling tool sprawl within their organizations

Almost all IT professionals are wanting to consolidate the tools in their organizations, but half of them are feeling overwhelmed by the process of doing so.

This is according to Quickbase’s new survey of 1,000 IT professionals in the US, United Kingdom, and Ireland, about the state of technology tool sprawl.

“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.”

Three quarters of respondents say people in their organization are using 10 or more software applications per day, and 65% say they have at least five different apps just for managing projects. 

Fifty-eight percent of respondents see tool sprawl as a challenge in their organization and 80% experienced frustration in trying to manage sprawling applications.

One of the biggest negative consequences IT deals with when trying to reduce the number of tools is that employees become upset that their favorite tools are no longer available and they don’t want to learn new systems (37% of respondents). Other negatives are the potential for lost data during the process (36% of respondents) and breaking of existing processes and workflows (32%). 

However, despite these potential negatives, IT is at a point where they need to start consolidating because 68% said they spend at least 11 hours per week just maintaining technology. 

Fifty-six percent 56% of respondents expect to spend more time over the next year consolidating tools and 87% feel pressure from the C-suite and their own departments to consolidate.

Quickbase’s recommendations for consolidation are to audit how tools fit into existing workflows, involve teams early and prepare a data migration plan, prioritize long-term flexibility when purchasing new software, gradually consolidate and start with less critical apps, and provide ongoing support for other parts of the organization throughout the process.