You might not be familiar with the term ‘shadow IT,’ but it’s probably happening all over your business. Picture the scene: your team is asked to complete a task - quickly, or to a high standard - but only has access to a limited set of software. A better tool exists but it hasn’t been approved by the IT department yet. Your team signs up anyway and completes the work without telling anyone how they did it. That, in a nutshell, is shadow IT.
Many companies want to eliminate shadow IT altogether. They fear that without their IT department’s oversight, employees will adopt services and habits that create vulnerabilities. Others believe that shadow IT should be allowed to run rampant, as it will make their business more creative and efficient. Unsurprisingly, the correct approach is somewhere in the middle. If you understand the issue and strike the right balance, you can sleep at night knowing your business is secure, even if shadow IT is part of it.