Consolidating Tech Sprawl Using AI and Talent Intelligence

Bright Ewuru

Too many cooks spoil the broth.

The truth of this adage extends to the tech space. When organizations install many applications and technologies to deal with various problems, these tools accumulate into a clunky bunch that yields suboptimal performance over time. While each solution might be ideal individually, an excess of solutions can cause progress to become entangled in its wires.

Sometimes, less is more. Let’s unpack the concept of tech sprawl, the issues it poses, and how artificial intelligence (AI) and talent intelligence software can help create a simple unified tech stack for businesses.

What is tech sprawl?

Tech sprawl refers to the uncoordinated addition of tools and systems within a specific organization leading to a disorganized IT environment. Organizations dealing with tech sprawl often have multiple technologies that serve the same purpose. Also, their data and processes are spread across these various systems in an organization’s IT space.

Tech sprawl occurs for multiple reasons; it’s usually a direct natural consequence of looking for instant solutions to the countless challenges that may emerge in an organization’s IT space without considering the tools’ long-term impact.

Another cause is the absence of strong centralized IT oversight which allows departments in the organization to adopt technologies willy-nilly. Similarly, if the central IT department is slow with approval, employees might adopt new platforms without its knowledge—all of which leads to a fragmented infrastructure.

Mergers and acquisitions can cause tech sprawl. When different organizations fuse, they inherit disparate IT systems and solutions. The speedy advancement of technology can also compel organizations to adopt tools with overlapping functionalities.

Sometimes, tech sprawl happens because employees aren’t sufficiently trained to know the existing tools and their capacities. As a result, the team members proceed to adopt more tools.

Challenges caused by tech sprawl

Tech sprawl poses a good number of issues and risks to organizations.

1. Cost overruns

When a company purchases multiple solutions to solve the same problem, it incurs a handful of unnecessary licensing and operational fees as well as maintenance requirements. The organization might need external support which means higher labor costs.

2. Sluggish decision-making

The various tech tools may store similar data but in inconsistent formats or locations. Team members must collect and reconcile data from the different systems before making a decision. Different departments may use incompatible analytics or reporting tools; a detailed overview would require manual aggregation. Also, with many tools to pick from, employees might be confused as to which is the best pick. All of this can reduce organizational agility.

3. Reduced innovation and scalability

Tech sprawl can limit innovation because teams using disparate and incompatible tools are bound to face barriers to knowledge sharing and collaboration. The fragmented systems make it challenging for organizations to promptly identify and act on market insights. This will lead to missed growth opportunities.

4. Integration complexities

The unmanaged addition of tools can make seamless communication and data flow a challenge because different tools have varying architectures, protocols, or data formats. Some tools might require proprietary methods for data exchange while others might be on different software versions. This can impede the cohesion of the tech ecosystem.

5. Poor service and user experience

Your customers may be frustrated if they have to navigate disjointed platforms. Also, with customer data scattered across various systems, it can be challenging to have an accurate detailed view of the customer journey. So, your team might lack the context needed to provide personalized customer support.

6. Security vulnerabilities and compliance issues

Many tools mean many potential entry points for cyber attackers. It can also be difficult to maintain full visibility over all potential threats. Organizations may struggle to track and manage data storage, processing, and sharing, which could lead to a violation of cybersecurity regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

How artificial intelligence and talent intelligence can help deal with tech sprawl

1. Centralized data management

Artificial intelligence and talent intelligence can help stop tech sprawl by creating a central repository.

AI can accomplish this by gathering data from separate applications and software and molding them into a solid system. This ensures that consistent data is used for all purposes. Talent intelligence software can compile data on company and market data into one system. So, your company won’t need to turn to a plethora of solutions for data on internal and external talent.

2. Tool selection

AI can take the guesswork out of tool selection. By assessing multiple solutions, gauging their various capacities, and identifying overlapping functionalities, AI can spot underperforming or redundant platforms as well as those that provide the most value. This process can help organizations rightly determine which technologies should be maintained.

Talent intelligence software can also ensure better service delivery by identifying gaps in tools that support talent management and indicating which ones should be retired. This ensures that only the best talent management tools are available for your team members.

3. Stable support and enhanced customer service

Customer service and support can enjoy a boost with artificial intelligence. Instead of your team grappling with disparate systems to sort out issues, AI can promptly diagnose technical issues. This will reduce downtime and ensure consistent service delivery.

Artificial intelligence can also consolidate customer information from different platforms, helping customer service teams provide personalized responses and solutions to customer issues. AI-powered chatbots can also effectively handle customer inquiries in one platform.

4. Automation and integration

AI can automate several repetitive tasks; this will help curb your reliance on multiple specific tools built for target functions. Artificial intelligence can also facilitate integration between different technologies. This will foster smoother workflows and ensure that your small suite of tools enjoys seamless data transfer.

Leveraging artificial intelligence and talent intelligence software can help you deal with tech sprawl. It reveals the inefficiencies within your tech stack and aligns tools with your organization’s talent. This can help you save costs, provide better service, and manage data better. Cangrade is here to help you learn more about reducing your tech sprawl.