What is tech sprawl
It’s what we call it when a organisation has implemented so many tools that you to check multiple places for the latest update on one thing.
You track client work in your kanban system, then you have your CRM and maybe different team members have different versions or updates in their mailboxes.
So when you try to make a decision on something you first have to check each location and then when you make the decision someone pipes up because you weren’t aware of an email only they received so you have to tweak or even start over to make your decision makes sense.
What is the problem with tech sprawl
It starts innocently enough, you’re promised that the new system will help be more efficient, but really data needs to manually be copied in and out.
Then another system comes along promising it works well with the first system but things still very manual.
Then you onboard a new employee and suddenly you have to teach them multiple different systems and feels like your processes have become overly complicated. And part of you resists taking on a new employee because it’s another round of licenses you need to purchase on top of their workstation.
Then come the audits like Cyber Essentials or an ISO certification and suddenly all these tools now need MFA because they’re storing customer information. Now getting through audits takes forever because each system need’s to be checked they’re secure and that team members have the correct permissions to not see more than they should.
How to reduce tech sprawl?
Start by looking at your tools that are non-negotiable.
For example, every employee gets an email address so already, that means M365 or Google Workspace are definitely required. Take a deep dive into these tools and research what they can offer to be more productive.
Then as you start looking down the rest of your list, you may find other tools are not needed like Jot Forms. Both M365 and GW have their version of forms, that’s 1 tool down you can migrate from.
Both M365 and GW have video calling features (MS Teams or Google Meet), so do you need to pay for Zoom?
As you continue looking into your non-negotiables you find M365 also has:
- Planner to manage projects
- Power Automate that can manipulate data automatically
- Bookings, to allow people to make appointments in your or a teams calendar
- SharePoint for document storage and sharing
- To-do for personal jobs and checklists
- PowerApps, your own internal apps customisable to support how you work
Google has:
- Keep for you personal checklists or quick notes
- Gemini for all your AI needs
- Calendar again for others to make appointment in your calendar
- Drive – store and share you files with team members and externally
What’s holding you back?
Now that you’ve seen how much you have in your non-negotiable systems how many of your other systems do you really need?
Are you hesitant to move away from other tools because of 1 feature – does that 1 feature justify the time for onboarding new team members, the cost of licenses, the time to audit it?
When work lives across inboxes, apps, spreadsheets, and chats, no one is really accountable – they’re just trying to keep up.
The organisations that reduce tech sprawl don’t chase new platforms. They simplify decisions, clarify ownership, and make work visible – often using tools they already pay for.
If your stack feels heavier every year but work hasn’t got easier, let’s chat!
