Shadow IT refers to IT endeavors handled outside of the typical IT infrastructure without the IT department’s knowledge. In most cases, it involves employees DIYing their IT, whether it is troubleshooting issues, setting up their own security, or using their own applications either on or off the cloud.
When people hear the term "shadow IT", they often assume it involves nothing but covert, problematic practices that undermine the integrity of an organization’s IT. In reality, the shadow IT definition is more nuanced.
Even though shadow IT comes with several benefits, the risks, if not properly managed, can invalidate some of its advantages. Some of the risks include:
With shadow IT, you could relinquish some control over how your data is managed. This applies to both the use of cloud-based applications and those in physical locations. As individual users decide how to manage and protect company data, they could make significant mistakes. When all cloud security is managed by an IT team, for example, the inflow and outflow of data can be closely managed.
With shadow IT, individual employees may be responsible for reporting data around important concerns like IT security or productivity. This can lead to inconsistencies, which could make it difficult to track and properly react to data that would otherwise be readily available and consistently reported if an IT team were in control.
The compliance landscape often undergoes unexpected, even drastic, changes. Because shadow IT relinquishes control to individual employees, who are often busy or preoccupied with other important things, compliance issues may go unaddressed. New policies regarding how to conform to companywide standards, as well as guidelines handed down by government officials, can easily slip the notice of someone deeply invested in meeting other objectives.
With shadow IT, if something goes wrong, the amount of downtime can be exacerbated by the inexperience of the user. Sometimes, when an employee has an issue, it may take several hours for them to fix it. But it would take mere minutes for a trained IT professional who has experience handling that type of problem.
Shadow IT often necessitates fewer security measures. This can help simplify the IT infrastructure of the organization and save time. However, fewer security measures also come with drawbacks. Multiple levels of security designed to accommodate a wide range of issues often result in security redundancies. While these may seem unnecessary at first, they frequently provide better overall protection, as each additional layer comes with tools that can catch threats the other layers may have missed. Reducing the redundancy, even accidentally, may result in a weaker security system.
The FortiGuard Application Control Service enables organizations to create policies to allow, deny, or restrict access to specific applications or categories of applications. It works through the FortiGate next-generation firewall (NGFW), which can deliver insight into how employees are using applications over time.
The FortiCASB Cloud Access Security Broker subscription service gives an organization visibility and control over all cloud-based systems, ensuring consistent security and data management practices across the infrastructure. It enables organizations to allow only approved applications within the cloud system.
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Watch NowShadow IT refers to IT endeavors handled outside of the typical IT infrastructure without the IT department’s knowledge.
Some of the risks include:
Shadow IT, when properly implemented, can help an employer make significant adjustments to their IT budget.
With shadow IT, you could relinquish some control over how your data is managed. This applies to both the use of cloud-based applications and those in physical locations.
Application security solutions such as the FortiGuard Application Control Service, that works through the FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW), enable organizations to create policies to allow, deny, or restrict access to specific applications or categories of applications. This helps IT manage or eliminate shadow IT applications.
For visibility and control over all cloud-based systems, ensuring consistent security and data management practices across the cloud infrastructure, and that only approved SaaS applications run within the system, there’s the FortiCASB Cloud Access Security Broker subscription service.
Shadow IT refers to the use of information technology systems, devices, software, applications, and services without explicit IT department approval. Shadow IT applications are any apps used by employees for business purposes without IT oversight. Often this is the result of employees bringing their own or free apps (e.g., Google Docs, G-Suite, Slack, Skype, Dropbox, Office 365, Excel Macros) into the work environment in order to get a job done faster with readily available tools. They can be using shadow IT apps either on or off the cloud.
When shadow IT applications are connected to a network, organizations can experience data leaks or data loss, potential compliance violations, and security risks. Shadow IT hardware such as PCs, servers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, that connect to the corporate network, also can introduce vulnerabilities, especially if they lack the latest security updates or patches.
As mentioned above, CASB solutions can provide visibility and control of SaaS applications to protect you from the risks of shadow IT. As well, application control services can dictate which apps or types of apps are allowed to run in the corporate environment and which to deny as shadow IT.
In addition to preventative measures to monitor or manage unsanctioned shadow IT applications, it’s also very important to educate end users about the risks of using shadow IT. Providing IT-sanctioned productivity apps or other tools could help prevent bring-your-own shadow IT.
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