How many apps do you have on your phone? And how many do you use on a regular basis?

Or how many television services are you subscribed to? Netflix? Hulu? Cable?

I currently have three Dropbox, four Gmail, a Yahoo, a Zapier, and a Snappa account (that last one thrown in for good measure).

Let’s not even think about kids’ school accounts, online banking, insurance websites, and my Friday night sign in to PizzaHut.com.

This over-abundance of tech solutions is called application sprawl, and it’s not pretty (I have nightmares where I have three seconds to enter a password or I fall off a cliff.)

In the business world, application sprawl results in a host of negative consequences. Sandra Gittlen for Computerworld warns that “out-of-control application stacks can jack up costs, introduce vulnerabilities, add to infrastructure complexity, jeopardize licensing and waste staffing resources.” The answer according to Gittlen is simple: “eliminate redundant, inefficient and wasteful software.”

That’s like saying “Just clean out the garage.” Easier said than done. But fear not! We’ve put together three easy steps to address application sprawl in your business.

1. Create an inventory of all tech. Commercial real estate companies have vast amounts of information and data that is relevant to prospecting, nurturing, and connecting with the market. In many cases, this information is stored in multiple systems -- a distance that make access and analysis difficult if not impossible. What’s more, this information becomes even more far-flung as property data is used in separate systems to generate marketing materials, listings, and email campaigns. How many applications do you access in a typical day? A first step to combat application sprawl is to put together an inventory of all applications in use. Include in this list applications that you maintain but don’t use on a regular basis.
2. Identify application overlap as well as application gaps. Are you still using Excel to put together reports when you also pay for a reporting tool? That’s overlap. Do you have to sign in an out of multiple tools over the course of your workday? Each login and logout constitutes a gap. The goal is to close as many of these gaps as possible.
3. Create an ideal workflow. Sketch out the main tasks you tackle each day (and maybe those you put off tackling). Place a star next to those tasks that require a technology solution. Based upon this assessment, decide which of your current applications are working for you and which are bogging down your processes. Shop the market for tools that will best fit your workflow, reducing redundancies while also ramping up your productivity.

RealNex is the perfect antidote to application sprawl for commercial real estate professionals. Our solution is expertly formulated around an entire deal cycle. Each RealNex component provides you with hyper-efficient tools to guide and support you at every stage of your project. From data collection in our industry-standard CRM, through financial analysis and reporting, to listing, emailing and deal rooms – it’s one login and one amazing price.

Want to learn more? Sign up for a demo here.