One of the top contributors to the tangled web of tools was how businesses bought new technology. The digital transformation mandate was given to department leaders, causing many individual departments to buy their own software solutions to solve their specific needs. The result? Redundant technologies, unused licenses, and increased security risks from shadow IT.
Consider a mid-sized construction company that rapidly adopted new software. It now has a product for team communication, one for project management, one for video calls, one for document collaboration, one for file storage, one for customer relationship management, and other specialized software tools spread across departments. While each serves a purpose, employees spend significant time switching between applications, manually transferring data, and searching for information across multiple platforms.
This scenario is not unique. Employees in many organizations now juggle multiple applications, switching between various interfaces to complete simple tasks. Information is scattered across different systems, leading to data inconsistencies and reduced visibility. Technology being used without proper IT oversight and governance is putting company, employee, and customer data at risk.
The very tools meant to enhance productivity have, in many cases, created new inefficiencies and bottlenecks. And the financial burden of maintaining countless software subscriptions has taken center stage for many businesses.