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Research 2026: SMEs are losing control to tool sprawl

The average SME runs dozens of disconnected apps that barely talk to each other. An analysis of what that fragmentation costs.

WeMatch.Tech Research2 min read
WeMatch.Tech
The more disconnected tools, the more time vanishes into re-typing and searching.

There's an app for almost every problem. So the average SME quietly accumulates dozens of separate tools, department by department, subscription by subscription. Our analysis of selection projects shows what that sprawl really costs.

40+
separate applications run in an average SME. A large share of them is managed centrally by no one.

What the sprawl costs

Each tool solves something on its own. The problem sits in the space between them: data that doesn't flow, work done twice, and oversight that disappears.

1

Lost time

Staff re-type the same data from one system to another. Those minutes add up to hours per week, per person.
2

Data errors and fragmentation

Customer data in five systems means five versions of the truth. Which is right? No one knows for sure, and errors creep in.
3

Unnecessary licence costs

Duplicate functionality and forgotten subscriptions run on unnoticed. Many companies pay for tools barely used anymore.
4

Beveiligingsrisico’s

Tools bought outside the IT department, so-called shadow IT, fall outside all oversight. That's a risk for your data and your compliance.

“We counted twenty-six paid tools. Four did almost the same thing, and no one had used two of them in over a year.”

Managing director, advisory firm (50 employees)
The sprawl mostly costs time, and quietly money too.

From sprawl to coherence

The answer is rarely 'another tool'. More often it's consolidation: fewer systems that integrate well and together cover most of the ground. That starts with an honest inventory of what you have and what it delivers.

Before you add new software, it pays to see what you can clear out. Our advisers map your software landscape free of charge and point out the overlap.

In short
  • Disconnected tools that don't integrate cost time, money and oversight.
  • Duplicate and unused licences often run on unnoticed.
  • Start with an inventory before you add new software.

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