Tackling Shadow IT in Your Organization

Shadow IT emerges as a pervasive issue characterized by the unauthorized use of software and tools within an organization. Individual employees or departments often employ unapproved solutions without the IT department's knowledge or consent. For instance, employees might turn to personal file-sharing services to handle company data, bypassing IT oversight entirely.

So why is shadow IT such a headache for IT leaders? 

While IT teams diligently focus on securing critical operations, shadow IT introduces many risks. When employees utilize unapproved app development tools, data often gets stored in insecure environments without proper documentation or security measures. This evasion of network controls significantly heightens the organization's risk profile, particularly concerning regulatory compliance, such as GDPR.

Some risks associated with shadow IT include security vulnerabilities, regulatory non-compliance, potential data loss, system inefficiencies, and a lack of visibility and control over IT resources.

This chapter will help you understand how leveraging low-code/no-code platforms for app development can help mitigate these risks and steer organizations away from the pitfalls of shadow IT.

Is shadow IT overrated, or is it for real?  

1. What are the risks associated with shadow IT?

IT teams focus on securing critical operations. Data is compromised when unapproved tools are utilized for app development, leading to data storage in insecure environments and bypassing proper documentation and security measures. This network control evasion heightens risks, especially regarding non-compliance with regulations like GDPR.

Should IT directors eradicate or embrace shadow IT? 

The risks associated with shadow IT include:

• Security vulnerabilities
• Non-compliance with regulations like GDPR
• Potential data loss
• System inefficiencies
• Poor visibility and control over IT resource

2. How can using low-code/no-code platforms mitigate the risks associated with shadow IT?

Organizations can prevent shadow IT by comprehensively training citizen developers with the right platform to build apps. The right low-code/no-code platform helps align business and IT. 

Business users can develop applications and automate processes without bypassing traditional IT channels, thereby reducing the occurrence of shadow IT and its associated risks, such as data security breaches, compliance violations, and integration challenges.

Low-code/no-code platforms support robust governance features critical for managing and mitigating shadow IT risks. These platforms offer continuous app monitoring to ensure smooth operations and heightened security, user monitoring to detect and address suspicious activities, and role-based access control (RBAC) to manage app and data permissions. Additionally, they provide detailed audit logs for accountability and compliance and enforce granular data policies to restrict data exposure to authorized users and applications. This structured environment not only reduces shadow IT risks but also promotes secure and compliant application development.

This structured environment reduces the risks associated with shadow IT and promotes a secure and compliant application development process.

Learn how citizen developers can help combat shadow IT