What is tool sprawl? Explaining how IT teams can avoid it

How does tool sprawl happen, and why?

Modern organizations deploy many technology tools within their digital infrastructure to make their operations run more smoothly. Sometimes, these are layered on other tools and work effectively together. In other scenarios, the tools don't integrate well and instead create layers of complexity, making it more difficult to get the full value from each tool.

When multiple tools are used concurrently, the likelihood of redundancies in each one's functionality increases. Even when a new tool fulfills its purpose, its introduction can make it more difficult for other teams to do their jobs -- through data siloing or the creation of bottlenecks.

Tool sprawl usually occurs by accident when decision-makers introduce new technologies that they believe will help existing problems. Since it isn't practical to consult every potential user before introducing a new tool, efficiency issues might not be flagged beforehand. Especially if different teams use the tools for different purposes, it isn't always clear when a new tool might lead to more confusion instead of clarity.

Tool sprawl isn't about any one product causing issues but rather what happens when too many tools are in play at once. This means it can be difficult to detect in advance. Organizations must assess their individual environments and combinations of tools to identify if a new product is a good or bad fit. The complexity of this decision makes it very easy for a company to get caught up with too many overlapping products, leading to tool sprawl.

Tool sprawl's effect on IT and business operations

Different combinations of tools will result in slightly different outcomes, but tool sprawl has several clear consequences for both IT teams and broader business operations, including the following:

• Reduced observability over operations. IT teams need transparency to conduct efficient monitoring and keep operations productive. When too many tools are running at once, IT teams are less able to get a clear picture of how tools are being used and how they are performing. This is especially true for cybersecurity teams, who must oversee all aspects of digital infrastructure. Without this visibility, incident response and cybersecurity capabilities will be diminished.
• Decreased performance. Excessive tools can decrease productivity by making environments too complex to navigate. IT teams have more tools to consult, which can slow down their operations and add unnecessary confusion to previously simple tasks.
• Data mismanagement. New tools often generate more data points, which can be useful and sometimes overwhelming. Poor tool integration can also lead to data siloing, with different team members looking at different pieces of information. Making sense of this more complex data landscape can be challenging and can lead to inefficient data handling or mismanagement.
• Drained resources. When an organization is experiencing tool sprawl, its efficiency is decreased -- but its costs are likely up. Paying for new software can add up, as can the hours workers spend monitoring, running and troubleshooting these new tools. When a tool is effective, it can be a smart use of resources, but tool sprawl sees greater expenditure for reduced reward.
• Poor cross-department collaboration. Even when new tools are doing their job, running so many simultaneously can lead to reduced communication and collaboration between teams. Each group of workers uses different programs and looks at different results rather than working off the same data and insights. Dispelling this confusion can take time and introduce new roadblocks to operations.

The importance of tool consolidation

When organizations take the time to consolidate their tool environments, there are several clear benefits. This is especially true when applied to sensitive business areas, such as cybersecurity. Tool consolidation is important for organizations looking to see the following positive results:

• Improved access to data for improved collaboration. When tools are consolidated, there are fewer disparate systems to integrate. This means each team member only needs to work with a streamlined number of tools and can easily access data within those tools. There is a greater chance that everyone is looking at the same information, which makes collaboration easier and more efficient.
• Greater context and visibility for security teams. When cybersecurity professionals can reduce the complexity of their environments and work with a consolidated selection of tools, they can maintain visibility over all aspects of the infrastructure. This enables greater context so they can react quickly to potential threats and respond efficiently. Security teams are also less likely to experience alert fatigue, since there are fewer tools to trigger false positives.
• More efficient resource management. The fewer tools deployed within an organization, the fewer costs associated with their execution. Not only is it financially less draining to pay for fewer tools, but it is also easier to detect how well each aspect of operations is performing so that IT professionals can be more productive with their time.

How to tackle tool sprawl in your organization

If there is concern that an organization is suffering from tool sprawl, there are several steps to take that will reduce complexity and reintroduce efficient tool environments:

1. Identify the organization's most important business goals and determine the tool functionality required.
2. Evaluate the current tools in the environment to determine whether they clearly provide value toward those goals. Remove all obsolete, underperforming or redundant tools.
3. Deploy a centralized management system or observability platform for all remaining tools so that IT teams have a streamlined dashboard for tool performance deployment, licensing, monitoring and maintenance.
4. Review current tool integrations and look for more efficient data sharing and visibility opportunities.
5. Offer comprehensive training of all tools to relevant employees to ensure that each product generates maximum value.

Best practices for preventing tool sprawl in the future

Introducing a brand-new tool that promises big results can be tempting, but this kind of decision-making often leads to tool sprawl. Instead, organizations must consider a few key criteria before introducing a new tool, including the following:

• Does the new tool align with core business goals?
• Can the same functionality be gained from current tools just by deploying them in new ways?
• Do current service providers offer a similar product with easier, more efficient integration?

Organizations should also conduct regular tool audits to ensure all tools perform as needed and deliver useful results. These audits can help identify products that are no longer useful for current business goals or areas where a new tool may add real value -- and not just unnecessary complexity.