A junk drawer… We all have them. It’s that unorganized catch-all spot in your desk or kitchen where random things end up like screwdrivers, batteries, tape, thumbtacks, and even birthday candles. It’s useful, right up until it isn’t.
“By chance, have you seen my car keys?”
“Did you check the junk drawer?”
“Yup. No luck.”
“Sorry. Then I have no idea where they would be.”
Sound familiar?
If you’re responsible for your company’s software portfolio — whether you’re a product owner or part of the procurement process — you might be having similar conversations:
“Do we have software product ABC?”
“No idea.”
“Okay, I’ll purchase it.”
“Sounds good.”
If that scenario hits close to home, it might be time to rethink how your organization manages its software portfolio.
The Challenge
Many organizations face challenges when managing their ever-expanding software portfolios. These include:
- Balancing legacy platform maintenance with new replacements
- Dealing with duplicate software and overlapping functionalities
- Resourcing product owners effectively
- Avoiding procurement of noncompliant software
- Controlling security risks while curbing the “shadow IT” empire that undermines vendor management and negotiations
These issues extend beyond IT departments and the end user experience, impacting financial performance, staffing, incident management, demand management, and IT response times. Without a consolidated application governance strategy, organizations risk higher IT spend, slower response to change requests, and weakened security posture.
How Did We Get Here?
In the rush to keep up with business demands, organizations often skip important steps in Application Portfolio Management (APM).
“We don’t have time to justify the purchase of Software ABC. The project is already running behind. Just buy it. Install it. Use it. We’ll worry about costs and licensing later.”
Unfortunately, for many organizations that followed this path, “later” is now today. You’ve bought the software, installed it, and (hopefully) are using it. Now it’s time to confront costs and defend your decisions.
What is Application Portfolio Management?
A successful APM practice is built on three key pillars:
- Operational Management: Cross-organizational alignment and support for application rationalization, architecture evaluations, and project dependencies.
- Lifecycle Management: Keeping software up to date (i.e. patches and versions!) and retiring outdated applications and data when appropriate.
- Application Governance: Ensuring proposed software goes through a comprehensive evaluation before being added to the portfolio.
Partner with APM Experts You Can Trust
A strong APM practice can offer substantial savings for organizations, including:
- Reduced software spend
- Improved contract negotiation leverage
- Better architectural alignment across the organization
- Stronger compliance and risk management
At SEI, we take the time to truly understand your organization’s unique challenges. We help unify teams and streamline processes around the value of a solid APM practice. Whether it’s assessing your current state, preparing for changes, or executing on critical priorities, we deliver results without the overhead and flash that cost clients time and money. Instead, our national team creates no-nonsense solutions grounded in real-world perspectives and expertise.
