Article summary
Traditional IT planning focuses on the cost-cutting benefits of tool consolidation. But leading IT organizations use four strategic lenses to align with digital transformation goals: Enabling operational stability through enterprise-grade security, compliance, and scalability; amplifying business processes by identifying platforms serving multiple use cases; encouraging collaboration by prioritizing tools that facilitate cross-functional work; and approaching consolidation as a catalyst for innovation, not just optimization. When consolidation is driven by strategic IT planning rather than cost pressure, benefits compound over time as teams become more collaborative, processes more efficient, and organizations more agile
The era of ‘get more apps’ is officially over. After a decade of explosive SaaS growth—from $30 billion to $300 billion in global revenue—IT leaders face a new reality. Strategic IT planning is no longer about adding tools. It’s about making deliberate choices that drive digital transformation.
The numbers tell the story. While global SaaS revenue continues growing, the average number of enterprise applications fell for the first time in 2024. Meanwhile, 31% of software buyers have replaced expensive tools. The shift from expansion to optimization isn’t just a trend—it’s a strategic imperative.
But here’s what separates high-performing IT organizations: They don’t see consolidation as cost-cutting. They see it as the foundation of digital transformation.
Why strategic IT planning demands a new approach
Traditional IT planning focused on technology in isolation—evaluating tools by features, performance, and price. But in today’s interconnected business environment, the key question isn’t what a tool can do, but how it enables people to work together more effectively.
At Miro, we’ve had thousands of conversations with businesses that have gone through tool consolidation as part of their strategic IT planning. And in almost every case, the ones that did it best optimized for team potential. Instead of asking “What’s the best software for X?” they asked “How can we empower our teams to achieve Y?”
This transforms tool consolidation from reactive maintenance into a proactive strategy that drives business outcomes. When you consolidate strategically, you increase innovation velocity, improve cross-functional collaboration, and accelerate digital transformation.
The four pillars of transformation-driven consolidation
Leading IT organizations approach tool consolidation through four strategic lenses that align with broader digital transformation goals.
1. Enabling operational stability
Strategic IT planning starts with technology foundations that support business growth. This means consolidating onto platforms offering enterprise-grade security, compliance, and scalability.
When Workday chose between visual collaboration tools, security was a strategic differentiator. With robust SSO, SCIM provisioning, and role-based permissions, Miro gave IT full control over access and data protection. Result: 3,000 employees and over 60,000 documents migrated from Lucid while maintaining the highest security standards.
2. Amplifying business processes
Strategic IT planning identifies platforms serving multiple use cases while maintaining specialized functionality. Instead of different tools for different teams, choose solutions that adapt to how people work.
Miro exemplifies this by supporting roadmapping, goal management, AI transformation, and many more use cases. Rather than forcing rigid workflows, it provides enterprise-scale collaboration structure while adapting to team needs.
3. Co-creating across boundaries
Digital transformation requires breaking silos between IT, business units, and external partners. Strategic IT planning prioritizes tools that facilitate cross-functional collaboration.
At Keller Williams, this drove their decision to use Miro for Big Room Planning across 300 people from multiple teams. Result: 50% reduction in time to market for new products and 10% increase in sprint speeds.
4. Transforming how work gets done
The highest level of strategic IT planning uses technology to create previously impossible ways of working. Here, consolidation becomes a catalyst for innovation, not just optimization.
Xero’s experience illustrates this transformation. Tool consolidation became the foundation for a Customer Journey Framework that identified new business opportunities. “It helped us identify gaps and highlight jobs that Xero could potentially get into,” explained their Head of Experience Strategy.
The visual advantage in strategic planning
Strategic IT planning’s biggest challenge is stakeholder alignment around complex decisions. Spreadsheets and technical assessments don’t translate well to business leaders who need to understand strategic implications.
Visual collaboration platforms become essential to the planning process itself. When you can map toolsets, visualize consolidation opportunities, and model future states on shared canvases, strategic conversations become more productive and decisions happen faster.
Smart IT leaders use Miro for planning consolidation itself—interactive workshops, stakeholder alignment sessions, and roadmap development all benefit from visual collaboration.
Measuring transformation success
Strategic IT planning requires metrics beyond traditional IT measurements. While system uptime and license costs matter, transformation success is measured in business terms.
Effective IT leaders track value-based metrics:
- Innovation velocity: Miro users see 19% reduction in project completion time
- Cross-functional collaboration: 80% of users report increased team alignment
- Employee productivity: 79% say Miro increased work productivity
- Strategic agility: Can the organization respond quickly to market changes?
When you measure success in these terms, consolidation becomes competitive advantage, not just operational efficiency.
The compound effect of strategic consolidation
When consolidation is driven by strategic IT planning rather than cost pressure, benefits compound over time. Teams become more collaborative, processes more efficient, organizations more agile.
At Centrica, this compound effect improved both efficiency and innovation capability. “What Miro gives us is a repeatable, scalable process for innovation that we can use in all our future programs,” noted their Head of Integration. “Without it, we’d be moving much slower and introducing more risk.”
The organizations that will thrive are those mastering the balance between innovation and operational efficiency. They’ll use strategic IT planning to create technology ecosystems that empower people, enable collaboration, and accelerate transformation.
This requires a fundamental shift in IT leadership—from gatekeepers of technology to enablers of business strategy. From optimizing system performance to optimizing human potential.
Tool consolidation isn’t the end goal—it’s the means to an end. When approached strategically, it becomes a powerful lever for digital transformation that drives lasting competitive advantage.
Ready to transform your strategic IT planning approach? Start by mapping your current toolset and identifying consolidation opportunities that align with broader business objectives.
