Tool sprawl is the accumulation of multiple IT management and monitoring tools for the same or similar purposes. Sprawl can lead to redundant processes, as multiple tools are used for the same purpose. It can also be costly, as tools are purchased and then abandoned due to their superfluous nature.
Three challenges of tool sprawl
Tool sprawl can cause myriad problems for organizations, including the following:
Reduced visibility
A large number of tools make observability difficult for IT teams. They often struggle to discover how tools are being used, who's using them, and their impact on operations. This is especially problematic if users install tools without IT approval, as the resulting shadow IT environment may have hundreds of applications that teams can't see.
Increased complexity
Tool sprawl also introduces unnecessary complexity. If multiple tools are allowed to monitor the same application, each tool may create its own data silo, leading to a fragmented IT environment.
Diminished performance
Both user and network performance can suffer from tool sprawl. From an employee perspective, tool sprawl creates standardization and communication problems. With different teams and departments each using different tools, it takes longer to verify data and make informed decisions. From a network performance standpoint, using more tools means using more power, compute, and storage resources. Therefore, as tool sprawl increases, performance decreases.
How unified observability solves tool sprawl with tool consolidation
Tool consolidation identifies and eliminates redundant tools and brings what remains into a single, unified platform.
A modern observability platform that combines observability and data security enables organizations to reduce spending on IT monitoring and management solutions and create a single source of truth for operations. Consolidation can also improve performance by allowing employees to stay in the same platform even as they switch tasks.
