Shadow IT

Personal devices and cloud services are used without the governance of IT. Unmonitored app use is rampant, and files are emailed or uploaded to cloud services. The list of bad Shadow IT behaviours is long.

As long as computers have been a part of the workplace, Shadow IT has existed. But with the rise in mobility and cloud technology, it’s become a growing threat you cannot ignore.

With the consumerization of IT and the proliferation of devices, BYOD use has grown, often outside the control of IT.

Right now, the average person owns 3.64 devices - smartphones, laptops, tablets, wearables or consoles - with estimates that we’ll hit 4.3 devices per person by 2020. We’re already seeing a shift toward a mobile-first society. Although not all of these devices are work devices, the average employee in the US uses at least 3 devices per day for work activities. To date, organizations have struggled to manage such...

If employees can’t access the tools and technology they need, they may take matters into their own hands. This is Shadow IT, and odds are it’s happening in your organization right now. In fact, it’s likely that there are 15 to 20 times more cloud applications running in your company than IT has authorized. Shadow IT is a by-product of mobility, gaining in popularity as more people began bringing...