The Benefits of a Tech Stack Spring Clean Part 2: The Checklist to Get it Done

The direct and opportunity costs of unused, outdated, and poorly integrated software and SaaS are substantial. A tech stack spring clear can reduce current expenditures and add immediate benefits. It can streamline workflows, create new efficiencies and bring on board powerful new technologies, like AI and automation. 

Up to half of all companies waste between 10% and 20% of their IT budgets on unused software and cloud resources. Estimates for the impact of maintaining legacy applications and physical infrastructure vary but are generally eye-opening. IBM describes legacy applications as “barriers to progress.”

Following on from “The Immediate Benefits of a Tech Stack Spring Clean,” here’s where to start with a tech stack audit and what to consider when making all-important improvements. 

A Recap on the Benefits of a Tech Stack Review

Let’s take a quick reminder of the benefits and impact areas:

• Reduce costs and free resources
• Improve integration and cybersecurity
• Move to better, cheaper tools
• Pave the way for AI
• Motivate, innovate, and grow

The average company (not enterprise) uses up to 250 applications, tools, and SaaS. 64% of employees report their tools don’t integrate well, and 59% say the tools they use don’t align with their team’s work. Adopters of AI can see an average sales uplift of 10% to 20%. 

How to Achieve a Tech Stack Spring Clean

1. Set objectives and a budget

As you dig into a tech stack spring clean, you can easily become carried away as you discover problems and exciting new solutions. The first step is always to add some controls to your project. How much time will you spend auditing your tech stack, and what’s your budget if you decide to start upgrading? 

2. Define your tech team

If you’re not directly responsible for IT within your company and you don’t manage subscriptions and systems, you need to bring on board the team that is and work with them to review your existing technology infrastructure. 

3. Canvas employees

It can be all too easy to discover one person in your organisation is using one expensive or outdated tool and be tempted to cancel or change it without further investigation. It’s essential to remember that employee or their function could be critical. On the flip side, all your employees might be using a system that appears to be effective on the face of things, but in fact, they find it inadequate. 

Canvas your teams to discover what’s critical and what’s not working. Most importantly, ask for their recommendations as they may have worked with systems they find particularly efficient. 

4. Audit your tech stack

Assess licences and subscriptions

A quick fix for cost-savings. Most businesses can discover unused licenses and subscriptions. 

‍Compare the supplier’s latest pricing and your pricing tier

Check your price against a supplier's current pricing and ensure you’re in the correct tier. You might be able to renegotiate, scale back for savings, or discover new functionality.

‍Renegotiate supplier contracts

Even if you didn’t spot a discrepancy, it’s worth making contact with every major supplier, particularly those that don’t provide transparent pricing tiers. What savings can you make? 

‍Optimise cloud storage

What are you paying for cloud capacity, and are you using it? If necessary, adjust to your real needs. 

‍Pay attention to remote or office use

If you moved to remote working in any way over the past few years, you may have done so quickly. Don’t forget to check on software and hardware that was quickly deployed to make the change. Is it still being used? Do you have excess capacity at the office?

‍Audit data collection, flow, and storage

How much data are you collecting? How much is relevant or duplicated, and where is it being stored? Is it secure? If you generate a volume of data and store all of it, how much does that cost? 

Data is digital gold, but if it’s siloed, old, duplicated, or inaccessible, it’s costing you money. What will cost your business, however, is a data privacy violation or a data breach, so if you aren’t protecting your data and storing it correctly, it’s an immediate issue. 

‍Check on cybersecurity

Cybersecurity subscriptions and services can be expensive but are necessary as the impact of a hack or breach can be as severe as shuttering a business. The global average cost of a data breach in 2023 was $ 4.45 million, leading 51% of organisations to plan to increase security investment. 

‍Look closely at legacy and physical infrastructure

If you’re running on-premise systems, servers, or local data housing, it may be time to consider moving completely to the cloud or adopting a SaaS that truly integrates functions and departments and supports a RevOps strategy. If you house your own data or infrastructure, review its lifecycle and any maintenance costs and contracts. 

‍Don’t forget hardware and devices 

Inventory your physical hardware for location and redundancies. What needs to come back to on-premise inventory? Can it be reused or repurposed? Are there team members that would benefit in terms of both productivity and motivation?

5. Review the findings

This list isn’t comprehensive. Your business and objectives will define your exact audit. Once it’s completed, review it with your spring clean team, bearing in mind the opinions and recommendations of employees. Plan your next steps carefully. If you are planning a transformation, create a strategy and assess the costs and the ROI. 

6. Consider and consolidate suppliers

Software and SaaS subscriptions and contracts can be costly, and more so if they are outdated, inefficient, and unmatched to your business needs. Your audit may have highlighted supplier and product deficiencies or opportunities, leading you to consider consolidating for better pricing and streamlining operations or deploying a completely different system. 

7. Adopt AI and automation 

Now might be the time to revisit your RevOps strategy and try systems thinking to take a holistic view of your company’s workflows and processes. Or to take advantage of AI and automation, which can create time savings and new efficiencies as well as augment productivity and sales. 

8. Don’t forget expert help

A simple tech stack spring clean can often be performed internally. In fact, there are benefits to doing so, as it creates internal ambassadors for digital efficiency. However, a tech cleanup can lead to thoughts of a digital transformation or a mission to find software that’s better aligned with current organisational needs. If that’s the case, it might be time to consult with an expert or consider a technology partner focused on RevOps. They can identify a platform that will help to achieve the unified customer and revenue focus of this on-trend methodology for 2024.