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Thereâs a growing trend creeping into organizations of all industries and sizes: shadow IT. This relatively new term is used to describe any unauthorized cloud applications that employees are using and downloading to perform work-related activities with company data. This can be file-sharing services like Dropbox or survey software such as Zoomerang. The list goes on and on.
When employees are able to find new technologies and solutions that help them do their jobs faster and achieve better results, why wouldnât they make use of them? Others simply have a set of software and services that they feel more comfortable working with, even if these resources are not company-provided or approved.
The accelerated growth of cloud-based consumer applications has also hastened the adoption of shadow IT. Common applications such as Slack and Dropbox are now available at the click of a button. Companies that embrace a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) culture â allowing employees to use their personal devices such as smartphones or laptops to perform their jobs â face a greater threat of the unauthorized use of certain applications or software.Â
Three primary types of cybersecurity risks of using shadow IT include:
When employees are able to find new technologies and solutions that help them do their jobs faster and achieve better results, why wouldnât they make use of them? Others simply have a set of software and services that they feel more comfortable working with, even if these resources are not company-provided or approved.
The accelerated growth of cloud-based consumer applications has also hastened the adoption of shadow IT. Common applications such as Slack and Dropbox are now available at the click of a button. Companies that embrace a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) culture â allowing employees to use their personal devices such as smartphones or laptops to perform their jobs â face a greater threat of the unauthorized use of certain applications or software.Â
Software vendors are constantly releasing new patches to resolve vulnerabilities and address errors found in their products. Typically, itâs up to the companyâs IT team to keep an eye on such updates and apply them in a timely fashion. But when it comes to shadow IT, administrators canât keep all these products and devices up-to-date simply because theyâre unaware of their existence and active use.
Regulatory compliance is critical for many organizations. There are many standards that businesses have to comply with, from PCI for financial services to HIPAA for healthcare providers. In the event of an audit, your organization could end up facing huge fines, not to mention legal fees and bad PR.
Outside of security issues, there are also significant risks to your business involved with the use of shadow IT. These include:
Even though boosting efficiency is one of the common reasons that many people start using shadow IT in the first place, chances are high that the end result will be the total opposite. Every new technology should be checked and tested by your IT team prior to being implemented in the corporate infrastructure. This is essential to ensuring that new software functions properly and that no software or hardware conflicts exist.
In a number of cases, shadow IT solutions mirror the functionality of standard products approved by the IT department. Consequently, the company squanders money.
Anyone with a browser and a credit card can purchase or enroll themselves into applications that integrate with your organizationâs critical applications and/or store company data such as client lists, emails, files, etc.
There are a number of things your technical staff can do to address the issue of shadow IT use:
If your organization could benefit from outsourced management of your IT infrastructure, 24/7/365 monitoring of your network, superior cybersecurity services, cloud computing, and onsite support as needed, give DataGroup Technologies a call at 252.329.1382! Weâd be more than happy to partner with you!
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