How to Audit Your Tech Stack and Consolidate
- Steffen Gorgas
- Aug 7
- 4 min read
SaaS has transformed the way businesses operate, but with every benefit comes a hidden cost. Over time, most companies accumulate dozens of tools across departments.
Marketing uses one CRM, sales another, and HR has platforms just for onboarding. Add in collaboration tools, document storage, ticketing systems, and reporting platforms, and you’ve got a fragmented tech stack draining your time, budget, and focus.
According to Flexera’s report, organisations waste nearly 30% of their software budget on underused or redundant tools. Worse still, Forrester reports that 60% of SaaS licenses go unused. That’s a significant cost you’re likely already carrying, without even realising it.
So, how do you fix it? By learning how to audit your tech stack, identifying overlap, and consolidating what you don’t need. This article will walk you through how to do just that.
1. Define Your Audit Goals
Start with clarity. Are you trying to cut costs, improve process efficiency, reduce security risk, or unify data flows? It’s likely a mix, but defining the primary outcome will help you focus the audit and get stakeholder buy-in. For example:
CFO - cost savings and contract visibility
IT - security, access management, and integration
Ops - usability and process consistency
Teams - tool fatigue and duplication
Aligning around a shared goal makes the rest of the process easier.
2. Take Inventory of Every Tool You’re Using
List every tool currently in use across departments - even the niche ones. Including details such as:
Tool name and purpose
Department or owner
Monthly/annual cost
Number of licenses
Actual usage (logins, active seats, etc.)
Renewal date or contract term
This step often surfaces surprises: tools no one owns, apps still billing post-departure, or three platforms doing the same thing.
3. Identify Redundancies and Low-Usage Tools
Next, highlight overlaps and low-performing tools. Questions to ask:
Are multiple tools doing the same thing (e.g. project management, file sharing, task tracking)?
Are we using 20% of a product but paying for 100%?
Are users avoiding certain tools because they’re clunky or incompatible?
BetterCloud reports that most companies have at least 2–3 SaaS applications serving the same purpose, a key consolidation opportunity.
4. Assess Integration and Data Flow
Disconnected tools often mean disconnected teams. Consider:
Which platforms talk to each other?
Are workflows smooth or full of manual steps?
Where are data silos causing delays or duplicate work?
Poor integration not only slows down teams, it increases risk, especially for approvals, compliance workflows, and reporting.
5. Score Tools Against Your Business Needs
Now, evaluate each tool. Use a scoring model based on:
Business value
User satisfaction
Cost
Integration capability
Security and compliance
Usage metrics
Flag tools for one of three actions:
Keep
Consolidate (with another tool or into a platform)
Retire
6. Build Your Consolidation Roadmap
With your analysis in hand, create a phased roadmap:
Phase 1: low-risk quick wins - duplicate tools, orphaned licenses
Phase 2: platform consolidation - unify teams under tools that serve multiple functions
Phase 3: system-wide automation and governance
Start small (e.g. consolidate project management tools for a single department), measure impact, and scale from there.
7. Engage Stakeholders for Success
No one wants change forced on them, even when it’s logical. Bring stakeholders into the process:
Involve department heads in tool evaluations
Ask end users about usability issues
Provide clarity on what’s changing, and why
Empowering teams during consolidation helps ensure adoption.
8. Migrate, Train, and Track Progress
Once decisions are made:
Set timelines for data migration
Provide training for consolidated platforms
Track KPIs like license utilisation, ticket volumes, and employee satisfaction
Keep measuring post-rollout to ensure the changes stick, and that you’re not slipping back into old habits.
9. Put Governance in Place
Tool consolidation isn’t a one-time project, it’s an ongoing strategy. Create a governance model to:
Review new tool requests
Monitor usage and shadow IT
Enforce license hygiene
Review your stack quarterly or bi-annually
This prevents fragmentation from creeping back in.
How SharePortals Helps You Consolidate Without Disruption
Many companies hesitate to consolidate because they fear ripping out tools and retraining staff. SharePortals removes that barrier.
Built to work within Microsoft 365, SharePortals connects people, documents, processes, and workflows in one place, using tools your team already knows: SharePoint, Outlook, Teams, and Power Automate.
Here’s how SharePortals helps:
Replace from 3–5 tools
with one central platform for CRM, document management, task tracking, and portal access
Automate business processes
like approvals, customer onboarding, and internal requests without custom dev work
Reduce app switching
and shadow IT by giving teams a single place to work
Maintain governance
while improving user experience
Audit Your Tech Stack - Our Final Thoughts
A bloated tech stack slows everything down. It drains budget, reduces productivity, and increases risk. But by conducting an audit your tech what you have and consolidating where it makes sense, you can take back control and give your teams the tools they need to work smarter. So don’t wait for renewal season or budget cuts to address the issue. Start today.
And if you’re ready to simplify everything inside Microsoft 365?
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