Tool sprawl: The quiet culprit behind MSP burnout

A recent study conducted by Heimdal and FutureSafe shines a spotlight on a growing issue within the Managed Service Provider (MSP) community: tool sprawl. This phenomenon, characterised by the overwhelming number of security tools that MSPs juggle daily, is leading to operational inefficiencies, missed threats, and burnout among providers.

The survey, involving 80 North American MSPs, highlights a startling trend - the average MSP employs five security tools, with a notable 20% juggling seven to ten, and an extreme 12% managing more than ten. Of the respondents, merely 11% reported seamless tool integration, leaving a vast majority switching between multiple dashboards and engaging in laborious manual workflows.

This tool fragmentation not only contributes to fatigue but also increases the probability of overlooking genuine threats, as stated in the report. 1of 4 security alerts are meaningless with several MSPs admitting that 70% of their security alerts are false alarms, adding to the deluge of information needing attention. Unsurprisingly, all MSPs serving over 1,000 clients confessed to experiencing daily fatigue.

The study reveals that the issue extends beyond managing alerts. The fatigue resulting from disconnected platforms bore an impact on billing processes, client onboarding, and compliance. “Agent fatigue isn’t just a tech issue. It’s a business risk,” said Jason Whitehurst, CEO at FutureSafe. “MSPs are juggling tool after tool, but they don’t work together.” 

Interestingly, while the issue is widely acknowledged, only a fifth of MSPs have opted to consolidate their security solutions. Those who have, however, report a reduction in alert volumes, improved response times, and an uplift in staff morale. Such insights underline the potential benefits of embracing a unified approach to security tools.

Some of the key insights from the survey include:

• 56% of MSPs encounter alert fatigue daily or weekly, with another 75% facing it at least monthly.
• A paltry 11% benefit from seamless tool connectivity.
• MSPs relying on seven or more tools witness nearly double the levels of fatigue.
• High false positive rates increase the likelihood of missing actual incidents threefold.
• The 20% who embraced tool consolidation report favourable outcomes across all parameters.

The research, titled 'The State of MSP Agent Fatigue 2025', employed a mix of quantitative analysis and thematic coding based on over 300 free-text responses to shed light on the tool integration challenges facing MSPs. You can find the report here.