The Hidden Challenges of Multiple-in-One (MIO) Solutions in Public Safety

The illusion of an MIO often falls short for agencies that demand reliability, flexibility, and control.

Managing a public safety agency’s operations is no walk in the park. Keeping vehicles inspection-ready, tracking critical supplies, maintaining compliance, and ensuring crews are well-equipped and prepared for every call requires the use of reliable technology solutions. With so much on the line, technology should simplify, not complicate, your daily operations. Multiple-in-one (MIO) solutions, also known as “all-in-one” (AIO), promise a single login, vendor, and invoice. A unified platform for everything your agency might need. In theory, this sounds ideal, but operational reality often reveals hidden challenges. For agencies that demand reliability and accountability, “one-size-fits-all” solutions rarely fit anyone well. After all, Swiss Army knives may be useful during a camping trip, but we all know they are not ideal for situations that require specialized tools.

Why Multiple-in-One Solutions Captivate Decision Makers

Agencies are drawn to multiple-in-one systems for several reasons:

• One login for all products
• Fewer vendors to manage, creating a single point of contact
• Budget optics, where consolidated contracts appear cleaner and easier to justify
• Bundled products (often referred to as add-ons) that work together without the so-called hassle of integrating multiple systems

These incentives may sound appealing, but in public safety, this kind of promised simplicity must translate into reliability, efficiency, ease-of-use, and operational control. The true value of a system doesn’t lie in fewer logins, something that Single Sign-On (SSO) is designed to solve, but in how well it supports your daily operations, aligns with your operational priorities, and provides actionable insights. Bundle discounts often hide the true cost of “putting all your eggs in one basket”, getting locked into sub-par systems where multiple products of the multiple-in-one solution fail to deliver.

To understand the full magnitude of why a multiple-in-one platform doesn’t consistently deliver, consider the common challenges your agency may face with these systems.

Hidden Challenges of Multiple-in-One Solutions

1. Lack of Focus and Depth
When a system tries to do everything, it often dilutes the effectiveness of individual capabilities. Like Swiss Army knives, “Multiple-in-one” solutions spread across many workflows, such as dispatch, incident command, scheduling, records management, inspections, and more. The tradeoff is that some functions become surface-level. For readiness tasks that determine whether crews can respond safely (vehicle checks, controlled substances tracking, SCBA and PPE inspections), surface-level just isn’t enough.

2. The Need to Bend Your Workflows to Conform
Every department has its own protocols, checklists, and compliance requirements. With bundled platforms, agencies often end up bending their workflows to fit the software, creating frustration for crews and gaps in accountability.

3. Delays in Implementation and Problems with Coordinating Training
Multiple-in-one platforms often promise simplicity but deliver complexity. Implementation can take months, requiring major setup, data migration, and staff retraining just to get the basics running. Because these systems try to do everything, configuration and permissions can be cumbersome, and training crews on new workflows slows adoption. For public safety agencies with limited time and resources, that delay can stall operational readiness, suck up valuable hours, and add frustration instead of value.

4. Slow Innovation and Disjointed Updates
Updates are coordinated across the entire platform, meaning the features your agency needs most may arrive late. Conversely, forced updates can disrupt workflows that are critical to daily operations. Modular, purpose-built systems like PSTrax release focused updates faster and can adapt without affecting unrelated tools.

5. Operational Risk from Single-Point Failures
If one part of a multi-component system fails (e.g., authentication, database, or service access), it can cause other areas to fail too. This increases the risk of disrupting workflows that your agency may struggle to manage. Even short downtime can have major consequences when safety and readiness are non-negotiable.

6. Delayed Training, Stalled Projects, and Hidden Costs
Multiple-in-one systems require complex training management, often deploying several systems simultaneously with limited points of contact and a lack of process alignment. Over time, this creates operational inefficiency for your team. This problem is widespread. According to a 2023 survey from Gartner, 56% of organizations reported a high degree of regret over their largest tech purchase, often due to hidden costs and complexity that emerge after implementation. While not specific to every multiple-in-one system, it highlights a common risk that arises when agencies adopt broad platforms that don’t align with their daily operational priorities.