Unleashing the Power of Unsanctioned Technology

The world is created by tinkerers, exploring the possibilities of the tools that they have before them and creating someting new out of nothing. Shadow IT is often spoken about in a negative setting - a sneaky practice of using unsanctioned technology or software within an organization, essentially bypassing all those time-honored IT channels and processes. It can be those cloud-based applications that marketing installed, communication tools that the new junior started to use with their team, project management software – you name it. It’s a movement that thrives on the belief that the existing IT infrastructure is too sluggish, too rigid, or too outdated to cater to the specific needs of those who dare to dance on the fringes of compliance.

Ideas directly from the floor

Traditional processes often move at the pace of a snail wearing a lead suit. Requests for new software or hardware can take weeks or months to see the light of day. Shadow IT, on the other hand, lets teams experiment and adapt rapidly to changing circumstances. In a world where adaptability is key, this agility can be a game-changer as it is often born out of a burning desire for innovation and creativity. Employees, who are deeply immersed in the daily operations of their departments might have unique insights into technology that could revolutionize how things are done. Allowing them to tinker and test can lead to groundbreaking solutions that benefit the entire organization.

Create a space for Non-compliance

Empowered employees are engaged employees. Allowing them to explore and implement technology solutions independently can lead to a sense of ownership over their work. Create a space where you can let your developers, project managers and other employees try new services and empower them by upskilling them in how to use the tooling.

In a cloud context this means having an Organizational Unit for Non-production workloads where you can use most services. Having a data lake with data that is available to use from a non-production context is also an empowering mechanism. From a developer perspective this means that you can use new services with real-life-like data to explore new context, as a canary in the coal mine for emerging technology trends. When employees independently adopt new tools or software, it’s a signal that these technologies deserve a closer look. IT departments can then use this information to make informed decisions about future investments and strategies.

Less security means better security

Embracing Shadow IT can actually enhance an organization’s security posture especially when working closely with employees to understand their technology needs and provide guidance on secure solutions. Make sure that the Shadow IT environments are only used for sandbox workloads by automating compliance and making sure that non-production workloads aren’t used by regular cleanups.

Let there be Shadow IT and let it shine as a source of creativity from the people who actually knows what your end users needs.

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