MSPNetworks Blog

IT administrators are pretty particular about what software is used on the networks that they manage. This is not because we have any vested interest in the software itself, it’s because of the inherent reliability of the software they manage. They’ve tested it, they manage it, they know it. When an organization starts dealing with employee-downloaded software--especially if there is no procedure in place to report additions to IT--they can quickly lose control over the network. 

The software that isn’t properly vetted (or even reported most of the time) is called shadow IT. Since it’s the IT administrator’s job to oversee the data security and overall effectiveness of your company’s technology deployments, shadow IT can present them with a bunch of risk.  IT administrators hate risk. Today, we’ll take you through the good and bad of shadow IT.

Shadow IT is Bad

Most of the people that work with a computer have been working with similar technology for a long time. While they aren’t IT experts, they know what software works best for them. That experience will often result in them downloading software that hasn’t been approved by their company’s IT department or outsourced IT service vendor. This software, while useful for the user, may be a major problem for an organization, for several reasons.

The main issue is that any software that is downloaded may come with adware, spyware, malware, vulnerabilities, and other nefarious code that can put a business at risk. Worse yet, that software isn’t known to your IT admin, keeping it from the routine maintenance it needs to keep it from being a vulnerability. If your business carries vulnerable software, it can create a breachable hole in your network. So, while you may not see continuous problems, risk is magnified. 

What are the risks? Here are a few:

• A lack of security - Without the visibility and control over network-attached resources, IT management becomes much more difficult. If there is a potential that a piece of software can put a hole in your network, you are compromising the network’s security.
• Problems with performance - If the tool that’s implemented doesn’t mesh with the system it’s installed on, the app’s performance--and thus the user’s--will be compromised.
• Compliance problems - If your organization needs to meet certain compliance standards, the presence of unmanaged software makes it almost impossible to meet said standards.
• Data loss - If IT management doesn’t know that a software is on the network, it won’t be covered by organizational backup strategies, meaning work completed using shadow IT apps won’t be backed up.

The minute you understand the risks, it becomes clear why IT admins typically don’t like shadow IT at all.

Can Shadow IT be Good?

Risky behavior can be a major problem for a business. It can also result in significant reward. According to a study conducted in 2019, there is a shift in the way that IT admins are looking at shadow IT. This is mainly the result of organizations looking to improve productivity and to use available capital more effectively. For the detrimental risk that shadow IT can bring a company, there is an opportunity to save time and cut costs.

The study, which included 1,000 IT professionals, showed that a whopping 77 percent believe that embracing shadow IT solutions can help a company innovate quicker than their direct competition. That’s not all.

• 49 percent said that shadow IT boosts productivity.
• 45 percent said that shadow IT helps promote employee engagement.
• 40 percent said that shadow IT helps promote adherence to IT security requirements.
• 40 percent said that shadow IT would help reduce employee turnover.

Effectively, two-fifths of IT admins said that shadow IT’s detriments could be ignored. That’s not to say that I know any IT administrator that would be totally okay with having unsupported applications on company-owned machines. Not one would deliberately put a gaping hole in their organization’s network to boost productivity. 

What they would promote is the use of shadow IT that is brought onto the network through employee-owned devices. This practice is being shown more leniency now more than ever. After all, IT admins can’t possibly be responsible for every piece of software brought onto the network by employees. They bring laptops, and tablets, and smartphones, and IoT devices, and with all those devices, there are bound to be programs that IT admins typically wouldn’t want on there, but would accept if it kept decision makers happy and productivity high.

If you would like to learn more about shadow IT, what constitutes shadow IT, or have any other software and maintenance questions, call our knowledgeable professionals today at (516) 403-9001.

The cloud can bring numerous benefits to a business. Public cloud offerings can reduce technology costs, provide scalability and flexibility to a business’ computing infrastructure, promote collaboration, protect your business from data loss, and much, much more. What it cannot do, however, is guarantee the control some organizations wish to have over their technology infrastructure. Some businesses prioritize that control, while others are bound by industry and government-induced regulations. For those businesses, there is the hybrid cloud.

The hybrid cloud is a cloud interface that combines the cost-effective solutions from the public cloud with the control and organizational effectiveness of a private cloud. With processing or applications working in each environment, there needs to be some coordination that provides the business’ resources the ability to integrate the two systems. Let’s take a look at the basics of a hybrid cloud strategy.

Public + Private = Hybrid

Some businesses can get away using public cloud resources for their whole IT strategy. Being able to trust cloud services vendors with your business’ most sensitive information is not easy. That’s why many businesses keep that data in onsite servers. If a company has a remote workforce--and, according to the latest numbers, nearly 56 percent of companies allow for some semblance of remote work--the LAN network isn’t going to cut it.

For this reason, the private cloud was born. The private cloud, which is a centralized computing environment that can be accessed remotely, was able to significantly speed up business, but the capital costs were substantial. To reduce capital costs, public cloud services were retained. Hybrid cloud computing was born. Businesses can get the cost reduction found with public cloud services, while also getting the control and security that comes with onsite-hosted, remotely accessible IT solutions. Companies now could do more with less; and, their workers could do it from wherever they are, delivering value all the way around.

How Does It Work?

Since a company’s hybrid cloud isn’t either a public cloud or a private cloud, in order for them to work in concert, there needs to be some coordination. In hybrid cloud computing, an orchestration layer enables users to easily move data and applications in, over, and around a hybrid cloud interface.

What Are the Benefits?

We talked a little about cost reduction, but more specifically it isn’t that at all. It is more of a cost redistribution. In fact, over time, you should expect to pay the same for a private cloud as you would a public cloud service. The effect it has for your business isn’t any less noteworthy, however. Capital expenditures, especially significant outlays that come with new hardware, can vary quite a bit depending on many different factors. This variability is a problem for your IT budget. With a per user/per month solution you can quickly identify what your costs are and predict them months ahead of time. Since you take in new revenue, paying for public cloud resources is easier.

The private cloud’s benefits are easier to ascertain. Having control over sensitive data is always important, but when your customers and employees (and everyone else who trusts you with data) are at stake, it is essential that you have the control over that data. Since keeping this information, and often centrally-used applications that may have some of this data tied to them, out of the public cloud is prudent, the hybrid cloud interface effectively protects the data and applications you need protected, while still providing the access your organization needs.

Are you searching for a solution to your organization’s computing needs? Contact the professionals at MSPNetworks today at (516) 403-9001.

Consultation is something that can save businesses a considerable amount of time and resources. After all, you can’t expect a business professional to know everything there is to know about everything. Professional services, like those of lawyers, financial consultants, accountants, advisers, and marketing specialists, are required by just about all businesses to at least some extent. Suffice to say that each of these specialists has dedicated software and IT solutions that are needed for success.

Software as a Service
The cloud has created a revolution in professional service acquisition, making it easier than ever before to leverage software applications. Software as a Service, or SaaS, is the delivery of software applications through the cloud for a monthly fee. SaaS solutions are typically billed by the user, and they include services like Office 365 and G Suite. Software developers have built services that can be deployed through the cloud, making them much more accessible and flexible according to the business’ specific needs.

Mobile Solutions
Mobility can put businesses in a favorable position, and from a professional services standpoint, it can also create a lot of complications. For example, professional service providers need to consider the federal, state, and industry regulations that might entail implementing more layers of security for sending and receiving certain data. Mobility might create more opportunities to be productive, but it also means that data is being exposed to more threats, meaning that those in professional services industries need to be careful about how it is utilized.

A virtual private network, or VPN, is the easiest way to solve this dilemma, as it provides a layer of encryption that gives your employees the ability to keep data secure while it’s in transit. Furthermore, this frees providers from bringing paper documents with them all over the place, meaning that there is less opportunity to lose physical documents.

Document Management
Access to information is one of the most important parts of running a professional services business. This is true both in and out of the office. A document management system is critical to guaranteeing access to a digital database rather than a filing cabinet, opening up lots of opportunities for accessibility and convenience. You can store files as PDFs in a secure database, and a relational database management system will provide an end user with the ability to search the system for keywords in these documents. All the user needs is an Internet connection.

MSPNetworks can equip your organization with all of the above tools. To learn more, reach out to us at (516) 403-9001.