Word of the Day: shadow IT

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Word of the Day Daily updates on the latest technology terms | June 17, 2020 shadow IT Shadow IT is hardware or software within an enterprise that is not supported by the organization's central IT department. Although the label itself is neutral, the term often carries a negative connotation because it implies that the IT department has not approved the technology -- or perhaps doesn't even know that employees are using it. In the past, shadow IT was often the result of an impatient employee's desire for immediate access to hardware, software or a specific web service without going through the necessary steps to obtain the technology through corporate channels. With the consumerization of IT and cloud computing, however, the meaning has expanded to include personal technology that employees use at work (see BYOD policy) or cloud services that meet the unique needs of a particular business division and are not supported by corporate IT. Shadow IT can introduce security risks when unsupported hardware and software are not subject to the same security measures that are applied to supported technologies. Furthermore, technologies that operate without the IT department's knowledge can negatively affect the user experience of other employees by impacting bandwidth and creating situations in which network or software application protocols conflict. Shadow IT can also become a compliance concern when, for example, an employee stores corporate data in their personal DropBox account. Continue reading about shadow IT... Today's Takeaway "There was a time in the recent past that CIOs were solidly unified against the business acquiring, implementing and running technology outside the IT function. It was given the pejorative term shadow IT, but today's reality is that, as long as it is well governed and controlled, progressive businesses are accepting and even encouraging it." - Steve Bates Related Terms You Should Know security policy IT asset management zero trust network shadow app policy-driven management consumerization policy compliance audit acceptable use policy Buzzword Alert risk management strategies Because shadow IT can threaten operations, it plays an important role in risk management. insider threat Shadow IT falls into the non-malicious insider threat category. cloud access security broker A cloud access security broker is not a person. It's software that sits between users and cloud services to ensure compliance with company policy. Do You Speak Data Privacy? This multiple-choice practice quiz will help you prepare for Domain 6 of the CCSP exam, "Legal and Compliance." It assesses how well you understand the risks of using public cloud environments. Take the quiz! Stay in Touch Thank you for reading! For feedback about any of our definitions or to suggest a new definition (or learning resource) please contact us at: editor@whatIs.com FOLLOW US About This E-Newsletter The Word of the Day is published by TechTarget, Inc., 275 Grove Street, Newton, Massachusetts, 02466 US. Click to: Unsubscribe. You are receiving this email because you are a member of TechTarget. When you access content from this email, your information may be shared with the sponsors or future sponsors of that content and with our Partners, see up-to-date Partners List, as described in our Privacy Policy. For additional information, please contact: webmaster@techtarget.com. © 2020 TechTarget, Inc. all rights reserved. Designated trademarks, brands, logos, and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Privacy Policy | Partners List