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Employees adopt shadow IT for their convenience and productivity . Often , they feel they can work more efficiently or effectively using their personal devices and preferred software , instead of the company ’ s sanctioned IT resources . However , with resourcestretched IT departments , skills shortages and increased costs , it ’ s not always easy for IT teams to quickly onboard new solutions , leading to increased shadow IT usage .

Nonetheless , blocking access to applications and tools isn ’ t the answer , as this only encourages employees to adopt more shadow IT and unauthorised , insecure solutions .

The impact of shadow IT on data security

Our recent small- to medium-sized enterprise ( SME ) IT trends report revealed that SMEs are very concerned about the impact of shadow IT on data security . Shadow IT enlarges attack surfaces , with IT admins understandably hungry to gain greater control and visibility over their IT environment . Eighty-five percent of UK respondents surveyed said they are concerned about applications or resources managed outside of IT , with a third ‘ very concerned ’.

Furthermore , over a third of respondents say that they have more important priorities than addressing shadow IT , with 28 % admitting that business users move too fast . Unfortunately , almost one-third ( 31 %) of IT admins surveyed said they don ’ t have the ability , the skills or the resources to discover all unauthorised applications .

Employees just want to get the job done

Shadow IT continues to be a problem because employees feel the pressure to move faster than IT departments can cope with . But shadow IT is less nefarious than once thought . It ’ s not about being defiant or obstructive . Most of the time , employees just want to get work done quickly .

In today ’ s highly competitive landscape , employees and business leaders need technology that will enable them to meet KPIs , achieve sales goals and address customer demands . As a result , they lean on unapproved software solutions that they prefer to use to do their everyday tasks .

But the stark reality is that shadow IT costs businesses a lot of money . From out-of-control IT spending and duplicate licences to security breaches and data security vulnerabilities , ignoring IT protocol can lead to excessive waste and increased risk .

Our survey found that UK SMEs are being targeted by bad actors , with 44 % saying they ’ ve been a victim of a cybersecurity attack . Nearly two-thirds ( 60 %) of UK SMEs claim they have had multiple attacks in 2024 . Phishing was cited as the main cause of these attacks , closely followed by shadow IT . Nearly half claimed they lacked the resources to protect against such attacks .

There are very few benefits to shadow IT . Despite growing concerns and the need to tighten up the adoption of unauthorised technology , shadow IT is still prevalent , with drawbacks clear :

• Data is being stored in locations that the business does not know about

• Applications are being used that haven ’ t been vetted for security , privacy and compliance

• Data can be lost or stolen more easily

Sean Gill , Head of Sales for Europe , JumpCloud

TODAY , BUSINESS USERS DEMAND ACCESS ANYWHERE AT ANY TIME USING MULTIPLE DEVICES , WHILE THEY EXPECT THEIR CONFIDENTIALITY , INTEGRITY AND AVAILABILITY TO BE PRESERVED AS IF THEY WERE IN THE OFFICE .