The hidden cost of tool sprawl

Conversations about tool sprawl usually start and end with licensing fees, because they're the easiest number to point to. That focus on the subscription line is exactly why the bigger cost goes unnoticed.

The real expense comes from the seams between tools:

The fix isn't fewer tools for their own sake. It's fewer integration points. The biggest gap usually sits between where work gets managed and where people talk about it; closing that one gap produces the largest cost reduction. Count the seams, not just the licenses.