Shadow IT – What’s in the Dark?
Shadow IT.
Technology hiding in the shadows.
Running on your Company Computers.
Put there on purpose by employees.
Businesses face the ongoing challenge of unapproved software running on their computers. It is not uncommon for staff members and teams to make decisions to use programs and hardware that are not authorized by the IT Department or management.
We will explore different ways Shadow IT gets it into your company’s computer systems and makes contact with your data resulting in undesired consequences.
What is Shadow IT?:
The name sounds a little scary, but it’s not as frightening as the meaning. Shadow IT is software, hardware and cloud applications running inside your company that is unapproved, unknown and unchecked. This is a recipe for a cyber breach event.
How Shadow IT gets into your Company:
Like many things in life, it’s starts from within. Your employees introduce your systems to the shadows. End-users are often confronted with problems they need to solve and decide to go off on their own to find ways to mitigate technical obstacles or to leverage technology that makes their jobs easier.
Examples of Shadow IT:
Dropbox probably doesn’t elicit fearful thoughts in most people, but it is a common example of software that isn’t always authorized on company computers, but ends up on there anyway. The ease at which it can cause damage is also quite fearsome. Dropbox allows users to take files from the company and easily synchronize them to any number of personal computers and smart phones. The possibilities of what happens to the data after that are almost endless.
Employee computers and phones are another example of Shadow IT. If a staff member is using their own hardware to access company resources unchecked it can open your network up to a multitude of threats. A malware infected personal device could expose a password to a cybercriminal who then has the same access to your company data as the employee.
Cloud applications can also fall into the category of Shadow IT when they are utilized outside the radar of IT and Company Management. Something that seems as harmless as an e-mail marketing application could have wide reaching consequences. Company contact lists are uploaded into the cloud and then become vulnerable to a breach your IT staff has no control over. If a cybercriminal knows who you communicate with it makes their job easier. We will go over the power of social engineering in cybersecurity in a future blog post.
We Can Help:
JamKo IT Services provides technology solutions to meet the demands of Businesses across all industries. We can seek out Shadow IT running in your company and bring it into the light for a resolution. The way your computer systems are configured will also keep out undesired software and hardware. JamKo IT Services will take the necessary steps to secure your systems from the darkness of the unknown unknowns. Effective IT Support is our specialty.
We also offer Managed Security Solutions. Our Cybersecurity stack includes EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response to defend against malware), Patch Management, Data Backup, System Monitoring, Vulnerability Scanning, Web Security, Mobile Device Management, Email Security, Firewall Monitoring, 24x7x365 Help Desk, and more.
Contact us to get started:
Providing IT Support Across the United States:
239-249-3306 – SWFL
973-447-4277 – NE NJ
570-904-8992 – NEPA
1-888-995-2656 – NYC and Nationwide
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