Dive Brief:
- The average desk worker uses 11 applications to complete their tasks, up from just six in 2019, according to a Gartner report published Wednesday based on a survey of 4,800 full-time employees.
- Despite the expanded tool set, nearly half of employees say they struggle to find the information they need to complete work. More than one-third missed important updates due to the multitude of apps and the volume of data flowing through them.
- Two-thirds of survey respondents say universally accepted and supported applications and devices from IT will help business outcomes.
Dive Insight:
Businesses have woven new digital capabilities into operations in recent years, from data analytics dashboards to software-based automation. While the right tools let employees become more efficient, an excess of systems can lead to data gridlock.
“Digital workplace leaders need to create a process for their employees that enables them to agree on applications they use to accomplish work," said Tori Paulman, senior director analyst at Gartner, in a statement.
Workers are feeling the impact of an expanding catalog of digital tools. Nearly one-third of respondents said a lack of awareness over key information led them to make a wrong decision. Another 45% said they received irrelevant notifications.
Hidden among the field of enterprise apps is shadow IT. More than one-third of enterprise applications fall in this category, according to a Zylo report.
If disruptions to daily operations won't prompt CIOs to curb enterprise app bloat, the economy could encourage more optimization.
Executives at major software vendors, from AWS to Salesforce, have mentioned during recent earnings calls that customers are looking to optimize infrastructure and digital tool spending.
Despite the push for spending optimization, global software spending is on track to grow more than 12%, according to Gartner projections.
