With limited resources, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) are not only battling economic instability and inflation but are also striving to keep pace with rapid technological advancements and emerging security risks. 

JumpCloud’s latest SME IT Trends Report reflects a trend of IT Admins having to manage multiple IT tools and platforms. If you find yourself juggling between 5 – 10 tools to manage employee life cycles, you are not alone. Nearly half of IT admins face this challenge, and a staggering 84% expressed a desire for a single, unified platform.

The IT Landscape: A Complex Terrain

JumpCloud’s report, surveying over 600 IT professionals, highlights key challenges:

• Shadow IT: Unauthorised apps expand the attack surface.
• Device Sprawl: A growing variety of devices push IT teams for flexible management solutions.
• Security Concerns: Half of the professionals are more worried about their organisation’s security than six months ago.
• Tool Sprawl: Balancing security and user experience is challenging, with many using multiple tools.

Let’s take a closer look: 

• Security Concerns Take Centre Stage

Security remains the foremost challenge for IT teams. The JumpCloud SME IT Trends Report highlights a pervasive sense of insecurity, with half of the IT professionals expressing heightened concerns about their organisation’s security posture compared to six months ago. 

This anxiety is fueled by the proliferation of cyber threats, including network attacks, software vulnerabilities, and ransomware. Shadow IT – the use of unauthorised applications and services – exacerbates these concerns by expanding the attack surface and complicating security management. According to IBM, Shadow IT is “any software, hardware or information technology (IT) resource used on an enterprise network without the IT department’s approval, knowledge or oversight.” 

Shadow IT is typically adopted due to an employee having to wait for IT approval or because a platform caters to their needs better than an organisational approved platform. However, because the IT department is then not aware of this platform they don’t monitor it and it can lead to vulnerabilities and cyberthreats.

• The Struggle with Device and Tool Sprawl

The diversity of devices within organisations is a significant challenge. 

SMEs support a variety of devices, including macOS, Windows, and Linux platforms. This device sprawl necessitates a flexible yet secure management approach, which many IT teams find difficult to achieve.

The overwhelming number of tools required to manage IT operations often leaves critical security gaps and inefficiencies. According to Information Week, Tool Sprawl is “when organisations build up their tool stack until it costs more money and time spent filtering through the tools than the return value. It is debilitating to organisations as it creates inefficiency across the entire development lifecycle.” 

Additionally, a study by Automic revealed that nearly 40% of respondents said their company used 5 – 10 tools, and over 53% of large organisations use 20 or more tools.

Although most teams use tools to monitor their work and improve their productivity and efficiency, tool sprawl can lead to a lack of collaboration by causing fragmented communication and inconsistent data across different platforms, making it difficult for teams to share information and work effectively. This fragmentation decreases transparency and complicates coordination, preventing smooth collaboration.

• The Promise and Perils of AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a big development that is revolutionising IT operations, but it also creates opportunities and challenges. While the original buzz surrounding AI was enormous, IT professionals are now taking a more cautious approach, sifting through the noise to uncover genuinely worthwhile applications.

AI has the potential to improve productivity and security for managed service providers, but it also introduces challenges. SMEs are carefully negotiating these obstacles, aiming to reap the benefits of AI while avoiding the dangers of overhyped solutions. The trick is determining which AI solutions provide genuine, practical benefits and which simply add to the growing list of IT challenges.

The Role of Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) like Radical Cloud Solutions have become indispensable partners for SMEs, helping to manage the growing complexity of IT environments. 

By consolidating IT management into unified platforms, MSPs streamline operations and reduce the complexity of managing multiple tools, empowering IT teams with the clarity and control needed to keep employees secure, connected and productive. 

Radical Cloud Solutions provides scalable solutions for device management and security, resulting in a uniform, efficient, and integrated IT environment. This method not only improves security and operational efficiency, but it also eliminates the need for SMEs to recruit extra expertise because MSPs offer a full range of services. 

With competence in identity and access control, security and system monitoring, office suite and email administration, and marketing campaign setup and monitoring, Radical Cloud Solutions provides critical support and specific knowledge, allowing SMEs to focus on their core business activities.

The Path Forward: Streamline, Secure, Simplify

The key to navigating a complex IT landscape lies in adopting unified, comprehensive solutions that address the diverse needs of modern IT environments. 

We remain committed to supporting our clients as they navigate the ever-evolving IT landscape with confidence.

For more insights and to learn how Managed Services can work for you, reach out to Radical Cloud Solutions today. Together, we can simplify your IT management and drive your business forward.