How Solutions Providers Can Help Eliminate Shadow IT
By Vidhya Ranganathan, SVP, Products and Engineering, Accellion
Two of the major trends seen in 2015 were the rapid adoption of cloud technology and the increasing occurrence of costly data breaches. It’s safe to say that in 2016 most companies consider improving security and efficiency to be a top priority. This goal, however, is complicated by the ever-changing technology and security landscape, making it more important than ever for companies, their employees, and customers to be aware of what security risks await in 2016.
In order for enterprises to succeed in establishing the most effective security defense in 2016, it’s essential for all decision-makers to agree on an IT infrastructure that puts security first. Data breaches are an all-too-common occurrence in today’s world, and they serve as a valuable proof point for convincing less tech-savvy executives on the need for investment in secure technology. While maximizing security is easier said than done, it’s a process that will ensure peace of mind for all.
Proprietary information, whether it belongs to the company, its employees, or its customers, is constantly at risk of a data breach. As a result, enterprises are turning to hybrid and private cloud solutions that are capable of ensuring that all information is kept safe and compliant with stringent industry regulations. While it’s uncertain what kinds of data breaches we’ll see in 2016, if current trends continue 2016 could see the highest volume of cyberattacks of any year on record. As a result, corporate IT departments are looking for the right combination of solutions to keep their data safe from both cybercriminals while still enabling employees to work efficiently.
Businesses are increasingly realizing that private, on-premises cloud solutions are the most effective way to keep data secure, not to mention compliant with international data transfer laws. These solutions allow businesses to ensure that their sensitive information is stored within their own infrastructure, rather than in leased space on a public cloud solution owned and maintained by a third party, which is considerably more susceptible to hackers and snooping law enforcement agencies. Since the rejection of the Safe Harbor agreement in October of last year, the ability to retain geographic ownership of data is not only an added benefit of private, on-premise cloud technology, but a legal requirement imposed by the EU.
As if external security threats weren’t problematic enough, a new report has found that employees are circumventing corporate IT-approved solutions at an astonishing rate, creating a huge security risk. It’s estimated in fact that enterprise employees are using approximately 90 different cloud services to meet their storage needs, many of which aren’t approved or supported by IT. These rogue applications are examples of shadow IT, and their usage is up by 70 percent over roughly six months ago. This spike in shadow IT has many business executives wondering how secure corporate, employee and customer information really is. Hackers already know the answer to this question.
While these shadow IT solutions are intended to make the work lives of employees easier, and therefore may seem like a good idea initially, they aren’t supported by corporate IT departments and therefore can cause more harm than good.
Companies have recently begun turning to VARs to solve their shadow IT issues. As experts on a broad scope of solutions, ranging from data storage to network protection technology, VARs are positioned well to put together the perfect suite of products for combatting the use of shadow IT applications. For example, a value-added reseller can determine the best mix of on-premises and off-premises, public and private cloud solutions to ensure that a client’s IT security requirements are met, while also catering to that client’s employee workflows.
Shadow IT won’t be eliminated overnight, however, it’s essential for IT departments to begin supplying employees with easy-to-access, easy-to-use private, on-premises cloud solutions for two reasons: they comply with industry standards and regulations and they are more effective in keeping proprietary information safe. Until enterprises learn to balance security with functionality and convenience, IT will be fighting an uphill battle in their quest to eliminate shadow IT.