# Source: https://gitlab.consulting/en-gb/blog/2025/12/15/taming-tool-sprawl-how-to-boost-university-it-productivity.md


# Boosting Higher Education IT Efficiency by Reducing Tool Sprawl
<h2 id="streamlining-it-in-universities-overcoming-tool-sprawl">Streamlining IT in Universities: Overcoming Tool Sprawl</h2>
<p>As universities continue to accelerate digital transformation, particularly in software development and academic research, managing a complex web of tools has become an increasing challenge. Many higher education institutions find themselves entangled in what is commonly known as <strong>tool sprawl</strong> — the use of too many disconnected tools across the software lifecycle. This reality not only slows down development but also compounds costs and inefficiencies.</p>
<h3 id="the-problem-with-tool-sprawl">The Problem with Tool Sprawl</h3>
<p>University IT departments and DevOps teams are burdened with managing multiple platforms for different tasks: project management, code versioning, CI/CD pipelines, and security scanning, to name a few. This fragmentation often leads to slowdowns, a lack of visibility across teams, and greater operational overhead. Additionally, verifying the security and compliance of each individual tool adds unnecessary risk and complexity.</p>
<h3 id="a-devsecops-solution-with-gitlab">A DevSecOps Solution with GitLab</h3>
<p>GitLab offers a comprehensive, single-platform DevSecOps solution that centralises the entire software development lifecycle — from planning and coding to testing, deployment, and monitoring. By consolidating into GitLab, universities benefit from:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Reduced Costs:</strong> Eliminate redundant subscriptions and decrease overheads.</li>
<li><strong>Improved Collaboration:</strong> Unify workflows for developers, researchers, and stakeholders.</li>
<li><strong>Enhanced Security:</strong> Out-of-the-box features help meet compliance standards while reducing vulnerabilities.</li>
<li><strong>Faster Time to Delivery:</strong> Streamlined processes mean new features and research tools are deployed more quickly.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="empowering-higher-education-it-teams">Empowering Higher Education IT Teams</h3>
<p>Whether facilitating student services, supporting groundbreaking research, or developing in-house applications, higher education institutions face high expectations. Rapid, secure, and scalable IT capabilities are critical. By turning to a unified DevSecOps platform, IT departments can focus more time on innovation and less on tool management.</p>
<h3 id="get-strategic-support">Get Strategic Support</h3>
<p>If your university is ready to consolidate tooling, improve IT agility, and accelerate software delivery, <a href="https://gitlab.consulting/en-gb/?mtm_campaign=internal-blog-link&amp;mtm_kwd=en-gb:taming-tool-sprawl-how-to-boost-university-it-productivity">IDEA GitLab Solutions</a> offers professional consulting services and GitLab licences across the UK, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, and globally via our remote teams in Israel, South Africa, and Paraguay. Our experts can help design and implement your customised GitLab ecosystem for sustainable digital success.</p>
<p>Don&rsquo;t let tool sprawl slow down your institution&rsquo;s digital progress — partner with us to unlock the full potential of GitLab for higher education IT.</p>