How to optimise business software, increase security and get more for less

From email and collaboration tools to specialised industry applications, software subscriptions have become the backbone of modern operations. Yet ask most organisations whether they're getting genuine value from their software investments, and you'll often hear an uncomfortable silence.

The average office worker uses 11 applications to complete their work, up from just six in 2019. Some of these are critical. Others may be irrelevant.

In an increasingly tight and high-risk economic climate, businesses must scrutinise every subscription, application and tool to reduce costs and improve security. The organisations that extract maximum value will gain a competitive edge, helping them to move faster, operate more efficiently, and achieve more with less.
 

The hidden cost of software bloat

Few organisations have a clear picture of their complete software infrastructure. Even if they know which subscriptions they’re currently paying for, it’s all too common for employees to discreetly adopt a new tool to solve a problem. Before long, you’ve got applications overlapping, tools with duplicate functionality and subscriptions that no one remembers purchasing.

The financial impact is substantial. Research indicates that half of software licenses remain underutilised by employees. Almost one-third of IT budgets are wasted on underused desktop software.

But the cost goes beyond the direct subscription fees. There’s:

• The productivity cost of your team struggling with fragmented toolsets that don't work well together
• The security risk of managing and updating countless applications, many of which may not receive proper maintenance
• The training overhead of getting people up to speed on multiple tools that accomplish similar tasks
• The operational friction that comes from data scattered across incompatible systems.

That’s why the first step in optimising your business applications is gaining visibility. You need to know:

• What applications you’re currently running
• How many active users each application has
• The annual cost of each subscription
• How each application is used (or not used)
• How software integrates with your other systems
• The compliance and security implications

Once you have a thorough understanding of your application ecosystem, you can conduct a cost review to see where your money is well spent and where budget is wasted.

Conducting a comprehensive cost review

To see where you can save money and better utilise software, you’ll want to conduct a thorough review of your software.

Work with your IT team, department heads employees to compile a complete inventory of every subscription and application in use. Include cloud-based tools, desktop applications, mobile apps and everything in between.

For each one, capture:

• Annual cost. Include licensing fees, maintenance, support, and implementation costs. If you pay monthly, multiply it across the year.
• Current usage. Record how many people actively use this tool and how often they use it. Check if there are features being paid for that nobody actually uses
• Overlap and redundancy. Do you have multiple applications doing similar things? This is incredibly common and a great way to save costs.
• Integrations. How does each application connect to your other systems? Does data flow automatically, or is it manually entered in multiple places?
• Compliance and security posture. Does the application meet your security requirements? Is it regularly updated? Does it comply with relevant regulations in your industry?

Once you've gathered this information, you can begin making strategic decisions about what to keep, what to replace and what to consolidate.

Building a better tech stack through consolidation and elimination

Based on your audit, you'll likely identify opportunities to consolidate tools. Maybe you can replace three communication tools with Microsoft Teams. Or perhaps you can eliminate applications that are no longer serving a purpose. The goal is to move towards a lean, integrated technology stack that serves your business without unnecessary redundancy.

Consolidation often leads to significant cost reductions. But it also improves operational efficiency. When your tools work together seamlessly, data flows naturally through your business processes. Your team spends less time entering data into multiple systems and more time doing valuable work. Reporting and analytics become more reliable because data is consistent across platforms.

Maximising value from what you keep

Not every application should be eliminated or replaced. Your core business applications are there for a reason. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still extract more value.

Many organisations pay for premium features they never leverage. A project management tool might have AI or workflow automation features your team doesn’t realise exist. A CRM system might include marketing automation and customer service features that sit dormant.

This is where optimisation pays real dividends.

For your most important applications, understand what features exist and whether they're being used. Often, you'll discover that the tools you have are far more capable than your team realises.

Once you've identified underutilised features, ensure your team is trained on how to use them. This might mean bringing in external trainers, watching vendor videos or having power users mentor colleagues.

Finally, look for ways to integrate all your tools. Or switch to comprehensive suites like Microsoft Office Suite. If your applications don't communicate with each other, you're losing efficiency.

Improving security at the same time

An often-overlooked benefit of application optimisation is improved security. Every application you run is a potential liability. It needs to be regularly updated, configured securely, monitored and maintained.

When you reduce the number of applications your organisation runs, you reduce your attack surface. You have fewer systems to patch, fewer integrations to secure and fewer potential entry points for attackers.

Additionally, consolidating to fewer, higher-quality applications often means consolidating to applications with better security practices. A modern, widely-used platform typically receives better security scrutiny than a niche legacy system. Cloud-based software is often more secure than on-premises solutions because vendors invest heavily in security infrastructure.

Get started with Method

If you don’t think you’re making the most of the software you have, we’re here to help. Having worked with hundreds of businesses across London and the South East, we know there’s always room to optimise your software budget, improve your security and boost productivity.

Get in touch today to arrange a free consultation.