For CIOs looking to get a jump on spring cleaning, SaaS sprawl is a great place to start.
Bogged down by an array of software solutions, most businesses are grappling with dusty, duplicate applications and challenges to governance models. But that hasn’t slowed down investments.
Software spending is projected to expand through 2027, growing to 42% of total tech spend, up from 34% last year, according to Forrester data published in January.
Ramping up investments doesn’t always mean better solutions. Sometimes IT teams and tech leaders get familiar with a vendor and its technology, preventing change even when necessary.
“The tendency to keep kicking the incumbent relationship can down the road, despite low levels of satisfaction, is real,” Jeff Golterman, managing director at SoftwareReviews, a division of Info-Tech Research Group, said in an email. “Change is difficult, and changing software providers is not easy.”
CIOs can start by evaluating current solutions, competitors and their overall tech stack.
Here are 17 questions CIOs should ask themselves before switching software providers from Christian Richter, chief customer officer at SaaS provider LeanIX:
Current tech stack and end user questions:
- What software applications do you own?
- What are they used for?
- Who uses them?
- How much do they cost?
- Are they updated to the latest version?
Redundancy questions:
- When will individual applications become obsolete?
- Do they overlap in terms of function?
- Are you paying for two versions of the same thing?
- Do your applications have functionality that you aren't using?
Migration questions:
- Is it necessary to invest in new software/new infrastructure? Will the provider I choose simplify our tech stack? Or can I find ways to reduce complexities on my own?
- How much downtime will migration cost?
- How much money will data migration cost?
- How much time will it take to teach others how to use it?
- Will the new software provide better support for security patches and compliance than what I currently have?
- Can it be integrated with other key applications for your business?
- What does a successful migration look like to you?
- Will I need to hire a team to assist with the migration?
