Shadow IT refers to the tools, software, applications, cloud services or devices used within a company without having been approved or supervised by the IT department.
This is a common situation and is not necessarily the result of bad intentions. An employee may, for example, use a personal account on a cloud storage service to quickly share a document, install an application to make their work easier or use a new artificial intelligence tool without informing the IT department.
The problem is that the company then loses part of its control over its data and systems. The IT department cannot properly secure a tool it does not know exists.
A service used as part of Shadow IT may contain vulnerabilities, rely on insufficiently secure storage methods or fail to comply with the company’s internal rules. Confidential information may also be stored on personal accounts or shared with external services without proper oversight.
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The growth of cloud services, remote working and generative AI tools has further increased this phenomenon, as employees can now access a wide range of professional services in just a few clicks.
To reduce the risks associated with Shadow IT, companies need to combine clear policies, employee awareness and technical solutions capable of identifying the applications and services being used.
The objective is not necessarily to ban every new tool, but to ensure that they are used within a controlled framework. In cybersecurity, it is difficult to protect effectively what the company does not know exists.