Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    9 Ways for Enterprises to Find Unused Apps and Weed Them Out

    By
    Darryl K. Taft
    -
    July 22, 2016
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      PrevNext

      19 Ways for Enterprises to Find Unused Apps and Weed Them Out

      1 - 9 Ways for Enterprises to Find Unused Apps and Weed Them Out

      Cleaning up application sprawl is crucial because it can increase operational, infrastructure and support costs and leave enterprises open to security risks.

      2Trim Desktop Apps

      2 - Trim Desktop Apps

      A Flexera survey showed that 64 percent of respondents said they have more desktop apps installed than required. Unused, legacy apps consume network, hardware and IT resources that can be used for other purposes. Patching and maintaining underused apps also equates to wasted hours of IT time.

      3Practice Good Housekeeping for Your Apps

      3 - Practice Good Housekeeping for Your Apps

      An efficient move to a new platform is like moving from one house to another. Prior to doing so, it’s time to clean house—only bringing necessary assets. Thoroughly testing applications for compatibility with a new OS takes time and effort. Decreasing the apps that need to be moved through daily application rationalization can significantly diminish project size.

      4Continuously Gather Inventory

      4 - Continuously Gather Inventory

      Collect application evidence and usage data from your inventory tool to find data that distracts from the rationalization effort. The inventory data may have inconsistent vendor naming and include minor versions and patches, which makes it hard to understand what apps you have, and which need attention.

      5Normalize and Categorize

      5 - Normalize and Categorize

      Collected inventory must be normalized and standardized into consistent vendor names, software titles and consolidated versions. Normalization of raw inventory data can decrease inventory by a factor of 10. If done manually, normalization is a complex, extensive process prone to data-quality errors. Using an automated solution provides a software recognition service that turns raw inventory into actionable data and keeps up with software updates and new applications.

      6Identify the Application Owner

      6 - Identify the Application Owner

      Each application should have an owner that represents the line of business. Note the owner for each software title and work with them and subject-matter experts to determine the application’s value to the business, and negotiate which competing products to standardize.

      7Make Decisions Based on Compatibility

      7 - Make Decisions Based on Compatibility

      It’s crucial to understand the technology required to support the application and with which platforms it is compatible.

      8Clearly Identify Next Steps and Initiate Workflow

      8 - Clearly Identify Next Steps and Initiate Workflow

      Create application portfolio rationalization projects by business units, users, machines or applications. Each application will usually be assigned to one of four workflows: retire, replace, upgrade and retain.

      9Maintain a Clean House With Continuous App Rationalization

      9 - Maintain a Clean House With Continuous App Rationalization

      To prevent application sprawl from reoccurring, keep your application portfolio clean, secure and “change-ready” for the next major effort. React quickly to new efforts by rationalizing daily software requests as part of an application readiness strategy. Maintaining a right-sized application portfolio keeps desktop apps under control and the organization agile. Keeping your house free of clutter also decreases threats, streamlines vulnerability assessments, and reduces security patches that need to be managed and deployed.

      10Cut costs With Application Rationalization

      10 - Cut costs With Application Rationalization

      Organizations can save 10 percent or more with application rationalization. Other benefits include streamlined operations, decreased complexity, improved innovation and enhanced security. It can also prevent application sprawl and increase business alignment. The ultimate goal is to establish an automated, end-to-end process for managing apps over their lifecycles—requiring standardization, integration and high automation intelligence to drive decision making about which applications are allowed.

      PrevNext
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×