Application harmonization

Analysis and consolidation of the existing application landscape to eliminate redundant systems, improve efficiency, and reduce operating costs

Challenges for Businesses

  • Many isolated applications → High maintenance costs

  • Redundant software solutions → Inefficiency in business processes

  • No integration between systems → Data silos

Our Consulting Services

  • Inventory of the application landscape (Application Book) → Where are there redundancies?

  • Standardization & Consolidation (7S Model) → Fewer applications, standardization, greater efficiency

  • Integration & Interface Optimization → Improved Interoperability Between Systems

  • Cloud & SaaS Strategies → Migration to Modern Architectures

Expected benefits for you

  • Reduced licensing and maintenance costs

  • Efficient & Integrated IT Processes

  • Increased productivity & improved user experience

Our Approach

Current application landscape

Areas under consideration

  • Web Services / SaaS: Line-of-business applications, cloud services, portals, interfaces/APIs

  • Digital Workplace: Desktop-Standards, Collaboration-Tools, Identity & Access, Softwareverteilung

  • SharePoint / M365: Sites & Information Architecture, Permissions, Templates, Lifecycle

  • Mobile: Apps & Devices, MDM/MAM, Security Policies, App Lifecycle

  • Data & Migration: Data Sources, Replacement/Migration Objects, Cutover, Data Quality & Archiving

1) Map and organize the current landscape

  • Create an application inventory (including owner, usage, costs, and interfaces)

  • Organization by Business Units / Capabilities and Platforms

  • Transparency regarding dependencies, risks, and compliance requirements

2) Reduce duplicates (streamline)

  • Identify and consolidate duplicate or similar applications

  • Standardize versions/variants; phase out legacy systems in a targeted manner

  • Identify quick wins (reduction in licenses, operations, and support costs)

3) Consolidate functionalities & define the target vision

  • Consolidate applications by function/value-added (capability mapping)

  • Define the target stack for each area (standard tools, exceptions as appropriate)

  • Roadmap, including migration/implementation and decision-making logic (business value)

4) Harmonize & establish governance

  • Processes & Guidelines (e.g., tool selection, implementation, lifecycle)

  • Consistent documentation in the DMS (standards, architecture, decisions)

  • Roles & Responsibilities: Application Owners / Ownership

Result (Target Landscape)

  • A lean, standardized application landscape with fewer redundancies

  • Clear responsibilities & documented standards

  • Lower costs, less complexity, greater control

Our Approach (Scope of Work)

We provide transparency regarding systems, evaluate benefits, costs, and risks, and deliver a target architecture, scenarios, and an actionable migration plan

We define the goals, scope, and evaluation criteria for optimizing your application landscape:

  • Project Kickoff with Business & IT
  • Definition of objectives (e.g., consolidation, cost reduction, compliance)
  • Defining the application domains (e.g., Finance, HR, Production)
  • Definition of evaluation criteria (benefit, relevance, cost, risk)
  • Alignment of the relevant roles, stakeholders, and processes

Result: A clear project mandate, including scope definition, goal definition, evaluation criteria, and governance structure.

We provide transparency regarding your applications, interfaces, and dependencies to help you make informed decisions:

  • Creation of a comprehensive application inventory (including a CMDB, if applicable)
  • Documentation of providers, interfaces, data management, technical aspects, user numbers, and costs
  • Interviews & Workshops on Usage, Pain Points, and Requirements
  • Identification of redundancies, shadow IT, and data silos
  • Collection of technical condition data and lifecycle/obsolescence data

Result: Complete visibility of the current state (inventory), including a report on redundant/shadow IT and the status of each application.

We evaluate applications based on clear criteria and group them into actionable portfolios:

  • Evaluation of applications based on defined criteria (e.g., strategic relevance, innovation potential, maintainability)
  • Clustering by application type and business capabilities/domains
  • Identification of candidates for:
    • Continued operation
    • Replacement
    • Migration
    • Consolidation
  • Use of proven methods such as TCO, fit-gap analysis, and prioritization (e.g., MoSCoW)
  • Determination of lifecycle status and initial action options

Derivation of lifecycle status and results: evaluation matrix (scoring/traffic-light logic), application clusters including lifecycle status, and a list of consolidation candidates and initial action options

We develop a target vision for your application landscape and specific harmonization scenarios:

  • Target architecture of the application landscape (target number and system landscape per business domain)
  • Platform/Standardization Strategy (e.g., ERP Core, SaaS, PaaS)
  • Definition of possible migration paths per cluster/domain
  • Development of scenarios, e.g.:
    • “Big Bang” vs. Gradual Migration
    • Off-the-shelf software vs. in-house development
  • Alignment with Enterprise Architecture (if applicable)

Result: Target application landscape, including harmonization scenarios and an assessment of technical feasibility.

We translate the vision into a robust implementation plan that includes risks, dependencies, and quick wins:

  • Implementation Roadmap for Consolidation and Migration (Roadmap/Phases)
  • Detailed measures for each scenario (costs, risks, resource requirements)
  • Identification of dependencies (data, interfaces, teams)
  • Definition of pilot projects and quick wins
  • Monitoring and Control Model (KPIs, Milestones)

Result: Migration strategy & roadmap, project list including resource requirements, as well as an overview of quick wins and a risk assessment.

We present the results in a way that is tailored to management needs and actively support decision-making and communication:

  • Management presentation of the scenarios, including a decision-making proposal
  • Presentation of Investment and Cost-Saving Opportunities
  • Derivation of a “do-nothing” scenario as a basis for comparison
  • Decision-Making Workshop with Executives
  • Support for communication and change management strategies

Outcome: Presentation, harmonization proposal, executive decision paper, and workshop documentation.

Unsere Referenzen

 
Branche Aromen- und Duftstoffe Messtechnik Produzierende Industrie Produzierende Industrie
Kundengröße

1500 Global

 150

1200 Global

800 Global
Erfasste Applications

>100

 45

>100

>200
Workshops

Business Impact Analyse

Infrastruktur Underlay

    

Nutzermanagement

Eskalationswege
Supportkontakte

Schutzbedarfsanalyse