5 Ways to Protect Your Company from Digital Sprawl

IT leadership has always wrangled with the twin problems of Shadow IT and poorly managed digital assets. True to its name, Stealth IT tends to overshadow the real root of the problem: digital sprawl. This sprawl is associated with cloud services and poor, or non-existent, governance around the use of said platforms - and as the adoption of cloud services continues to skyrocket, so does the need for greater content oversight.

Here's What Your Business Needs to Know About Digital Sprawl:

What Is Digital Sprawl?

One of the core problems, is that it has become common to have over-lapping or disconnected services between departments. Groups work with unique resources, and their organization lacks consistency at the macro-level. This raises data compliance issues and increases the overall cost to the company. Consider a business that has recently implemented Microsoft Teams, but whose employees still use Webex for meetings and Basecamp for projects. There are equivalent services in Teams, with the added benefit of streamlined information management. When employee data is aggregated in one platform, it is far easier to govern efficiently. Unfortunately, employees have a tendency to stick with the tools or services they're familiar with, regardless of functionality or cost to their company.

How to Prevent Digital Sprawl

1. Document all existing services, including workflows, integration, and users

2. Require a functionality review of applications that focus on usability and security

3. Implement a process that allows users to map their existing services to new, approved applications

4. Don't allow departments, or individuals, to control the review and implementation of new or existing digital resources

5. Look for ways to reduce application sprawl, perhaps by standardizing on a single platform and leveraging all features

By taking these steps, your IT team will benefit from streamlined services, increased platform ROI, and improved information governance. You will also better manage employee expectations, increase the adoption of technology, reduce total cost of ownership, and decrease support needs. For more information about streamlining your IT resources, reach out to iCorps for a free consultation.