An Application Rationalization project can have an immediate and significant benefit to your bottom line. All too often environments are cluttered with applications that have little use and provide little value. But the applications continue to live, and we continue to pay for them because no one has the bandwidth to evaluate their organization’s current needs. Everyone keeps moving along, business as usual.
An accumulation of applications can happen in any organization, but one that recently went through a merger or acquisition, or one with independent cost centers and departments, are especially susceptible. And with more people working from home, even more applications come into use. $10 a month here, $12 there, small amounts but they add up quickly. That’s not even considering unused licenses.
It is quite likely that different groups within your organization use various platforms to enable the same capabilities, and you’re probably paying for all of them one way or another. With some simple training and standards establishment, there can be tremendous savings in license and maintenance fees, support costs, and infrastructure costs. The results of an Application Rationalization project can save most organizations thousands of dollars in the short-term by eliminating unnecessary licenses, to saving hundreds of thousands of dollars – even millions – in operating costs.
The results of an Application Rationalization project can have other benefits besides cost. The evaluation can be the basis for establishing new application and infrastructure standards, as well as simplifying and streamlining the offerings to the business. Simplicity is often the secret to success. The inventory can become the definitive list of your application and services portfolio to mature a portfolio management practice. Furthermore, the application inventory aids with establishing Software Asset Management to track application licenses, maintenance, and warranty information. As a result, you are not only saving money now but also managing the finances of applications moving forward.