What is Shadow IT: A Threat or Opportunity For Firms
Shadow IT relates to the technical information technology projects, which are managed outside the firm but, without any prior knowledge of IT departments. Well, the term ‘Shadow IT’ itself shows its negative connotations. People around the world get confused in deciding whether this technology is good or bad? Therefore, this article will help one in clearing their doubts by explaining ‘what is shadow IT and what are the pros and cons?’
Understand Shadow IT on Cloud
In order to learn or understand properly about the cloud shadow IT, the best thing is to take an example. So, let’s begin!
“Suppose you are an employee in a medium-level organization and you are surfing on the internet for some purpose. While internet surfing, you find a new application, which enables users to share and store all the documents in a more easy way than the existing one. Due to this recent arose interest in you, you connect the organization’s documents to any of the email account. Now you think that this is exactly the application that you want. Without thinking for a minute, you download the software and start using it. Not only this but, you also tell your colleagues about this newly known application and they also find it interesting and start using. Initially, only you were the person who started with that app and currently everyone in the organization is using it. Doesn’t it seems as if something productive is going on, right?”
“After picturing out yourself as an employee now, picture yourself as a CEO or IT director of the same firm. Suddenly, you came to know that your employees started a new application to share official documents without any prior notice to you. You are totally unaware that the documents are being shared, which can also result in something very disastrous. Is this safe and secure? Actually, how you will come to know because you were totally unaware from this program and it is a shameful thing for an administrator that he/she was not able to realize that something like this is going on. If something goes wrong by the employees then, you are the only one who is going to pay it. You are in a nightmare where the trouble is caused by your firm’s internal groups only. Now what?”
This is what shadow IT is, and really, it causes headaches for IT firms in one or another way. Previously in IT, the technology was difficult to achieve and maintain for anyone who is outside the firm. But now, where the applications are making things easy and available around the world, they are also leading to loss of control by internal IT departments.
Pros and Cons of Shadow IT
Shadow IT on cloud is useful or not totally dependent upon the person. ‘Every coin has two sides’ and same is the case with ‘Shadow IT’. This is big doubt that cloud shadow IT increases or decreases the security. Well, read following pros and cons points to understand what to do or what not to.
Cons of Shadow IT: Shadow IT is a technology, which is not regulated, approved, or provisioned by the team of IT organization. There are many concerns related to the security, reliability, and effectiveness whenever a person talks about shadow IT and hence, use of unauthorized programs. Statistics state that these concerns are right. But, in the world where each day a new malware comes into the notice, one incorrect move will for sure put the organization in a scary state. A knowledgeable person might end up his/her work after learning the harmful impact caused due to Shadow IT usage. The shadow IT takes the advantage of users impatient nature. Everyone wants things to be done fast and in this thought, they do wrong thing without thinking that what will be its impact in future.
Pros of Shadow IT: Users utilize shadow IT to get their job done in an easy and fast way. One useful thing with this technology is that people try to come with something new, which can also increase overall productivity. Cloud shadow IT brings a boost to the innovation it equips. In this competitive world, firms in all the fields are completely dependent upon the ability of technical innovations. When one is having an organization on IT products, solutions, and program more than a department then, he/she is necessarily going to achieve success.
Shadow IT Solutions
There is a business suggestion to all the companies that they should fight again shadow IT by internally offering easy solutions in the firm. IT director or administrator needs to use services that analysis and reports all the risk associated with IT. These services will be monitoring, blocking, and reporting usage of sanctioned and unsanctioned programs within the entire organization. Few services features are listed below:
- Monitors user activities on cloud applications
- Ability to blacklist and whitelist the URLs
- Block the command to print documents
- Downloading of unsanctioned apps blocked
Conclusion
Thoughts towards the Shadow IT technology are mixed. No matter whether users support Shadow IT or not, it is essential to note down one thing that if they use it then, they will definitely have to face its cons too. Rest all in is the end of the person who is using it!