How to Respond to Shadow IT

If employees can’t access the tools and technology they need, they may take matters into their own hands. This is Shadow IT, and odds are it’s happening in your organization right now. In fact, it’s likely that there are 15 to 20 times more cloud applications running in your company than IT has authorized. Shadow IT is a by-product of mobility, gaining in popularity as more people began bringing their own devices to work to access corporate networks and sensitive data.

In the US, 53% of organizations lack a formal BYOD policy, meaning most employee-owned devices are going completely unchecked. When it comes to securing data on mobile devices, most organizations still struggle with basic endpoint protections like encryption (only used on 29% of mobile devices), authentication and access controls. And that’s for devices they know about.

So how should you respond to Shadow IT?

In our video, we suggest these five easy steps:

1. Learn from your employees - find out what they need that they’re not getting from IT, and ask them why they need it
2. Give them what they need - provide employees with options that are corporately approved
3. Teach them about the risks - host interactive sessions that explain the risks so everyone is aware
4. Monitor user behavior - maintain oversight on all devices and data, especially devices off the network and in the field
5. Respond, respond, respond - be vigilant and take control of a situation before it becomes a disaster

Here at Absolute, we help organizations shine a light on Shadow IT, providing them with a reliable two-way connection so they can monitor, assess and respond, regardless of user or location. We go beyond just visibility, giving you the tools you need to respond to security incidents and prove compliance in an audit report.

Learn more about how Absolute can bring your data out of the shadow on our website.