Alexis M.,
Too Long; Didn't Read
There are four IT lies you hear all the time: "Cloud saves money" (often it doesn't). "More tools = more security" (the opposite is true). "Everything is running smoothly" (red flag). "We are vendor-neutral" (mostly false). This article reveals what lies beneath – and which questions you should ask to uncover the truth.
The IT Lies Everyone Tells You
Every IT decision you make is influenced by someone who benefits from it.
That is not malicious. It is simply... business.
The cloud provider wants you to migrate. The security vendor wants you to buy their tool. The IT partner wants you to keep needing them. The consultant wants you to commission their next project.
And all of them tell you stories along the way. Some are true. Many are... optimistically framed.
Here are the four biggest IT lies we keep hearing from our clients — and what is really behind them.
Lie #1: “The cloud saves money”
What you hear: “By migrating to the cloud, you will significantly reduce your IT costs.”
What really happens: 30-35% of cloud budgets are wasted. Through unused resources, incorrect configurations, and forgotten test environments.
The numbers are brutal:
25-35% cost overrun in the first 12 months after migration (the budget was too optimistic)
Only 6% of companies report zero avoidable cloud spend
48% cite “rising cloud costs” as their biggest IT challenge
Figure: The reality of cloud migration — what was promised vs. what happened
The uncomfortable truth: Cloud can save money. With the right governance, continuous optimization, and someone actively keeping watch. But without that? You often pay more than before — only now monthly instead of as a one-time expense.
The irony: the cloud bill is finally transparent. You can see exactly what you are paying. On-premise costs were hidden — in depreciation, maintenance contracts, electricity costs, staffing effort.
Transparency is good. But transparency ≠ lower costs.
The questions you should ask:
Exactly what will we save after migration — and over what timeframe?
Who continuously monitors our cloud costs?
What happens if costs are higher than planned?
Lie #2: “More security tools = more security”
What you hear: “With this additional tool, we will close the security gap.”
What really happens: The average company has 45-83 different security tools. From 29 different vendors. And 65% say: that is too many.
This is where it gets interesting:
Only 10-20% of purchased security technology is actually used
71% of organizations struggle to manage their complex security landscape
41% say: Poor tool integration is directly a security risk
By the way, the trend is reversing: 75% of companies are actively consolidating their security tools (2025). In 2020, it was only 29%. The realization is taking hold.
The uncomfortable truth: Every new tool is another attack surface. Every tool needs updates, configuration, monitoring, and know-how. No one — truly no one — configures 83 tools correctly.
The result? Alert fatigue. Thousands of warnings per day. Real threats get lost in the noise.
The security vendor sells you tools. Not security. That is a difference.
The questions you should ask:
How many security tools are we currently using?
Which of them are we actually using actively?
What would happen if we switched off half of them?
Lie #3: “Everything is running perfectly”
What you hear: “Don’t worry, everything is under control on our end.”
What you should hear: Concrete updates. Proactive notifications. Early warnings.
If your IT partner or IT department regularly tells you “everything is OK” — without details, without context, without numbers — that is a red flag.
Warning signs:
Hard to reach or slow to respond
Problems are only reported once they are critical
No regular status updates
The same problems keep reappearing
Surprises on the invoice
The uncomfortable truth: Good IT partners report problems BEFORE they escalate. They tell you: “Hey, yesterday’s backup did not work — we are checking it.” Or: “These three servers have had no updates for 60 days — here is our plan.”
“Everything is OK” without details is not information. It is a warning signal.
Figure: Warning signs that “everything is OK” does not mean everything is OK
The questions you should ask:
When was the last backup restore tested?
How many security incidents have there been this year?
Which patches are still outstanding?
Which systems are running without vendor support?
If the answers are vague or make you uncomfortable — then you know what is going on.
Lie #4: “We are vendor-neutral”
What you hear: “We only recommend what is best for you.”
What is often true: “We recommend what is most profitable for us.”
Most IT consultants have partnerships with vendors. That is not bad per se — but it influences their recommendations. Always.
How the conflicts work:
Kickbacks and commissions: Consultants get paid for product recommendations
Implementation revenue: Large teams for specific providers = tendency toward those recommendations
Referral fees: Financial incentives for specific vendor deals
Excessive praise for one provider? Could indicate a partnership. Excessive criticism of another? Could mean there is no business relationship there.
The uncomfortable truth: True vendor neutrality is rare. Because it is less profitable. Large consultancies all have their implementation practices — and those practices need to be utilized.
If someone says “we are neutral” — ask questions.
The questions you should ask:
Do you have partnerships with the providers you recommend?
Do you receive commissions or referral fees?
What share of your revenue comes from vendors vs. clients?
Why do you recommend this specific provider and not alternative X?
How to spot the lies
After hundreds of conversations with executives and IT leaders, we have recognized a few patterns:
Be cautious with:
Overly simple answers to complex questions
Promises without concrete numbers
Pressure to decide quickly
Criticism of all alternatives
“Everyone does it this way”
Trust when you hear:
“It depends” (with an explanation of what it depends on)
“I do not know that, but I will find out”
Concrete references with measurable results
Willingness to discuss alternatives
“In your case, I would actually advise against it”
What you can do
You do not have to question everything. But a few strategic questions can reveal a lot:
Area | Question | A good answer includes... |
|---|---|---|
Cloud costs | “What exactly are we saving?” | Concrete CHF amounts, timeframes |
Security | “How many tools do we have?” | Exact number, list, assessment |
IT status | “When was the last backup test?” | Date, result, next scheduled date |
Neutrality | “Which partnerships do you have?” | Transparent listing |
(Speaking of neutrality: We have no vendor partnerships. No kickbacks. No implementation practices that need to be kept busy. That is why we can say what we really think. If you ever need an honest assessment of your IT situation — get in touch. We will tell you what we see. Not what you want to hear.)
