Sleepwalking into difficulty

Too many AI tools are draining businesses’ efficiency. That may sound like an oxymoron - after all, AI products are designed to do quite the opposite by streamlining processes, increasing efficiency to provide an edge over the competition. But it’s all too true. The issue isn’t with the quality of the available AI and tech products, but rather that too many businesses are buying too many of them.

 

The phenomenon is called ‘tech bloat’, and it refers to the challenges faced by businesses that fail to conduct thorough tech audits and retire the products no longer in use before adding new technology to their stack. In other words, it’s like putting a host of expensive turbos on a broken-down engine without even checking if it needs an oil change.

 

 

Weakened efficiency

While new technologies offer new capabilities, they may also replicate the capabilities that another already provides. That isn’t an issue in of itself, but it can quickly become one if the original tool isn’t retired, especially if the two tools are not interoperable.

 

The immediate issue is likely to be budgetary – paying for two products that do one job is not exactly a model of efficiency. And if procurement continues without a thorough audit, subscription fees and operating costs can spiral rapidly with an accumulation of out-dated tech putting a big dent into monthly budgets.

 

While wasting money on essentially obsolete technology is bad enough, keeping too many systems at once also creates practical issues for the staff hoping to use them. Whether it’s due to crucial time being lost to repeated training on new systems, or the confusion that operating multiple similar interfaces at once can cause, bloated tech systems can also have a real impact on operational efficiency. In the worst cases, an impenetrable and confusing system may result in staff electing to return to manual processes.

 

 

A serious threat

Perhaps worst of all, though, are the security risks that overlapping technology presents. Data protection is high on the agenda for businesses at the moment, particularly as cyberattacks become a more common and more serious threat. In light of this, spreading sensitive data across multiple platforms can increase the risk of a breach – an especially dangerous proposition when client or otherwise business-critical information is involved.  

 

Of course, businesses do not cause these issues for themselves maliciously and, viewed in a vacuum, their reasons for seeking to improve their use of technology are quite correct. Streamlining processes, speeding up reporting, and increasing work efficiency are certainly all benefits that AI tools can offer. Similarly, dual sourcing can be motivated by a desire to have a safety net in place should one platform fail, or to shop around for the best price. The irony is that the piecemeal acquisition of new tools can have entirely the opposite effects.

 

 

Due diligence

A key step in avoiding the issues of tech bloat, then, is having a clear view of your business’ pre-existing capabilities and areas for improvement. Many of the issues identified above stem from decisions to add more tech to your arsenal without first checking to see whether it overlaps with any of the tools you already have.

 

In fact, before even considering acquiring new technology, businesses should first audit what they already have. It may sound simple, but going back to basics and identifying what you’re already paying for and what it’s capable of can help identify areas of overlap and tools that can be discarded.  

 

Equally, rather than allowing acquisition of technology to become an instinct whenever a new product is released, it’s important to couch AI within business-wide strategies. Responsibility for this shouldn’t sit just with IT teams but must be viewed holistically – senior managers and executives need to have a strong command of what role tech is playing in the business and where it can be deployed most effectively.

 

As part of AI strategy, a crucial step for businesses is to look to consolidate their AI capabilities as much as possible. Although specialised AI tools may sound attractive, they ultimately stack up and overlap – causing many of the issues identified above. Instead, businesses should prioritise acquiring tools which consolidate the desired functions into one platform – increasing operability and the usability of technology for staff. Consolidating functions onto one platform also reduces the risk of data breaches, further reducing tech bloat’s impact.

 

 

Building confidence

Comprehensive and thorough training is a must when integrating AI systems into a business. By providing staff with a thorough understanding of the tools they are using, businesses can help to make them more comfortable using such interfaces alongside internal systems, and even when using multiple tools at once. In this capacity, businesses should see tech companies as their partners – a good tech partner can assist in this regard, providing on-hand advice on commonly occurring issues, as well as support in troubleshooting more difficult problems.

 

Ultimately, AI and technology are there to enhance your business, not to weaken it. But to unlock the true power of AI technology, as some businesses have already, it’s crucial for consolidation to be at the core of business strategy. Like any other process, AI tools can become overcomplicated if they are not implemented intentionally and are acquired without thought of what capabilities the firm already has.

 

Firms should not be afraid of AI; far from it, in fact. But they should be aware of the risks that passive acquisition can present. By remaining proactive, staying on top of pre-existing capabilities, and integrating AI into firmwide strategy, businesses can take advantage of the many benefits that technology can provide.

 

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Andrew Lloyd is Managing Director at property data firm Search Acumen

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and gremlin