7 Ways to Embrace Shadow IT and Win

“7 Ways to Embrace Shadow IT and Win” on Adato Systems, July 9, 2019.

IT must always keep an eye peeled for new shadow technologies that pop up as earlier employee-deployed tools are dealt with appropriately. On the other hand, organizations that find themselves swatting down a series of successful shadow IT implementations should consider the possibility that there may be a significant gap in IT’s ability to deliver reliable solutions quickly and cost-effectively. “It implies a lack of communication and possibly a lack of trust,” Adato explains. “No individual, team, department or business can expect to continue to operate successfully when those underlying causes exist.”

Finally, IT should never cave in and approve a questionable shadow tool solely to meet employee demand. “If there is a security breach or significant outage, the responsibility for that incident will ultimately rest on the CIO or CTO, even if they were not the ones who executed the agreement with the shadow IT provider,” warns Alan Zucker, founding principal of Project Management Essentials, a business management consultancy. “To preserve the integrity of the enterprise, the IT organization needs to ensure that if shadow IT technologies are used, they meet enterprise standards.