Shadow IT is defined as the unauthorized use of IT systems without the express authorization of an assigned IT specialist within an organization. This has been a huge topic in IT management and a growing epidemic for corporations. While it’s not a new term, it’s become quite pervasive and has serious consequences for your company if you aren’t staying on top of the information surrounding potential cyber risks. Innovative and fast-paced IT innovations have been driving shadow IT to create astounding vulnerabilities for business leaders.

Healthcare practitioners, business executives, really any professional field, must use technology to keep a competitive edge among the competitive innovations of sophisticated apps and software. It’s inevitable that IT solutions are a part of your success and business plan as an organization. But while they bring an exciting edge, they also create modern challenges. Data breaches are an endemic reality of IT operations and are constantly becoming more difficult to keep at bay in the midst of accelerating risk of cyber threats. We know that these risks aren’t a new concern, however, and each organization must devise their own defense strategy to safeguard their business against shadow IT.

The prevalence of shadow IT is growing throughout businesses today. The myriad of apps and tools available today make it almost an irresistible temptation for employees look outside of company IT rules and regulations to seek their own solutions. Sure, we want our employees to be more productive and efficient in their work, but many don’t understand how serious deploying shadow IT frivolously can be. IT management specialists have cited this as a huge problem within businesses, putting organizations at serious risk for breaches and other cyber threats. It’s important to understand how shadow IT could be affecting your business processes, because it has become such a common encounter and can bring with it serious security vulnerabilities.

So, exactly what are the risks of shadow IT?

The term Shadow IT is definitely becoming a more widely recognized term among businesses, understood as the use of unauthorized software that usually flies under the radar of business operations for way too long. This can be especially tricky when a business is operating without known and assimilated processes to guard against possible risks. Many employees are careless with their use of outside software, operating without proper knowledge of best practices—or even knowing that best practices exist. The strict involvement of company IT management officers should be nonnegotiable. While shadow IT can certainly bring improved workflow, introducing automation and collaboration among teams, it’s almost impossible to know if the undocumented hardware and software installed on company work stations is secure and in line with regulations without consulting IT and cybersecurity departments.

Safeguard your business against the threats of shadow IT

Create best practices by using standardized regulations throughout your organization. Employee education is paramount in implementing rules that guide the use of new software into regular work processes. While it does certainly take some work to keep up, IT management should be up to date with current software updates and knowledgeable of new solutions that may be reaching your employees before you are familiar with them. Mitigate inefficiencies as you see them arise in your organization before your team decides to take optimization into their own hands with the use of shadow IT. Keep in mind that the use of shadow IT isn’t always a bad thing—it’s just impossible to know if it can provide a long-term workplace solution without doing to work involved to find out if it meets your company standards. Shadow IT should always be ran through the capable hands of educated IT professionals before it is widely adopted throughout an organization.

It’s difficult to adhere to a prescribed plan of action that adequately confronts the problems that occur from the use of shadow IT. However, you should always employ a reliable team of experts that know their way around evolving cybersecurity space, IT management, and compliance regulations. This is your ultimate defense.

Crossroads Technologies offers you a partner in IT management that extends beyond approaches to analyze your working system, detect vulnerabilities, and make sure you have the best IT management plan in place. For more information on performing a full risk assessment on your organization, or to speak with Crossroads Technologies, Advisory Services Division, contact us at 1 (800) 548-3893 or eThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

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