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September 2020 Special Focus - Shadow IT

Shadow IT may sound sinister, but it’s actually an occurrence that is rather common and affects the majority of today’s organisations, whether they realise it or not. It refers to IT devices, software or services that are acquired and managed outside of the knowledge or control of the IT department.

Why is that a problem? Since shadow IT lies outside the jurisdiction of an organisation’s IT purview, the practice commonly deviates from the “official” corporate requirements for control, documentation, security, reliability or compliance. As such, it introduces new business and security risks to the organisation.

Nevertheless, various studies have shown that many organisations underestimate how much Shadow IT they actually have and how much it is costing them.

In this month’s Special Focus, we explore ways that businesses can gain better control and shed some light on their shadow IT practices.