Security is one of the most important aspects of your business in the modern world. After all, with so many ways for your company to become vulnerable, being aware of all of the security risks that your business might face is vital to be able to prepare and prevent a catastrophe.
One of the most overlooked aspects of IT security is the onset of Shadow IT — the usage of technology or applications within your business without the administrators’ knowledge. This can cause lots of issues and vulnerabilities within your business, so making sure that you’re aware of how to deal with Shadow IT is vital to be able to protect yourself.
In this article, we’re going to go over everything you need to know about Shadow IT and how you can stamp it out to protect your business. With this information, you can tackle Shadow IT and take steps to make sure that your company puts security first.
The Risks and Impacts of Shadow IT
Security Vulnerabilities
The usage of Shadow IT within your business can cause lots of security vulnerabilities, due to the use of unauthorised applications. These applications can have security flaws and exploits that can give an attacker an easy way into your business.
Even a small hole in an app’s security posture can wreak havoc, which is why Shadow IT is so dangerous. Letting the administrators control the applications used within the business will help mitigate this.
Data Breaches
Similarly, Shadow IT can be the source of data breaches due to security flaws, mishandled information, and even a lack of care towards sharing sensitive information. Data breaches can cause massive amounts of damage to any business, so making sure that you’re protected against data breaches is vital.
By tackling Shadow IT within your business, you can easily make sure that you have control over the hands that your data falls into.
Compliance Issues
Compliance is an important part of modern business. With so many regulations and stringent rules that regulators enforce, making sure that you don’t breach compliance can save lots of hassle and a lot of money in the long run.
Lots of compliance rules have very strict rules on Shadow IT and how it should be handled in your business. By failing to meet these regulations, you risk facing hefty fines and sometimes even litigation.
How to Detect Shadow IT
Monitoring Network Traffic
Monitoring your network traffic and being aware of the connections that are being made within your business will allow you to spot Shadow IT and stamp it out as quickly as possible. Network traffic will let you see different applications and servers that you might want to treat as suspicious or a breach of Shadow IT rules.
Ultimately, this will let you act as quickly as possible and make sure that you have the best possible chance of stamping out any vulnerabilities before they become a problem.
Employee Surveys and Feedback
Often, people aren’t using Shadow IT to be malicious or nefarious. Instead, people use it due to ease and if there is a tool that they can access within the organisation that they might need.
By being open with your employees and asking them for feedback through surveys, you make it far easier for them to be able to tell you what applications they might require without having to turn to Shadow IT.
Using IT Asset Management Tools
Taking things a step further, IT Asset Management will let you take full control of your business’s IT management capabilities. By using strong asset management software, you can be aware of everything happening within your business, and be aware of Shadow IT far before it becomes a problem.
These tools are potent and reliable, and will truly make a difference when trying to tackle Shadow IT within your business.
Strategies to Prevent Shadow IT
Establishing Clear IT Policies
Being clear with your employees and establishing clear rules will remove any grey areas where employees might think they can get away with utilising Shadow IT. After all, a lot of shadow IT usage is innocent and accidental, so preventing this kind of usage can make a massive difference.
Clear rules will help you define what is expected and will help reduce accidental Shadow IT usage all around.
Educating Employees
Making sure that your employees know the importance of security and how Shadow IT might influence security issues and vulnerabilities will help create a security-conscious culture within your business.
By taking the time to closely educate and monitor your employees on the importance of security, you not only help prevent Shadow IT usage but also a number of other pressing security issues that might become a problem.
Implement a Software Procurement Process
A major contributor to Shadow IT usage is employees looking for applications that are available within their company. The best way to tackle this is to create a process to implement new software and technologies, so employees can be heard and their needs can be met without having to turn to Shadow IT.
Having a clear process to be able to implement new technologies, as well as being able to evaluate any security risks or evaluate the necessity of these applications, will make the whole process easier and improve productivity and morale around your entire business.
How We Can Help?
Shadow IT is a massive risk for businesses that is commonly overlooked. By making sure you’re aware of it and how to tackle it, you can take action and ensure that there is no way that Shadow IT can cause a problem within your business.
If you’re worried about the usage of Shadow IT within your business, or you just want to be ahead of the curve in protecting yourself, reach out to us today. Our experts are here to help and will ensure you have everything you need to be able to protect yourself.
Let us simplify your journey. Whether you’re assessing readiness, planning adoption, or optimising Microsoft 365 security, our experts are here to support you every step of the way.
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