Basics
Shadow IT
What is shadow IT?
Shadow IT means the programs, devices and services used in a business without the IT function knowing about them. It rarely arises from bad intent. It arises because someone wants to get their work done.
Typical examples are a private cloud storage account for a large file, a translation service in the browser into which contract text is pasted, a private mobile phone carrying company email, or a tool a department bought for itself.
The problem is not the software itself. The problem is that nobody knows about it. It is not updated, it appears in no backup, it is not revoked when an employee leaves, and in the event of a data breach nobody knows which data is affected at all.
Bans help little, because the need remains. Ask openly instead what people actually work with, and provide a vetted route for the most common cases. An up to date record of the services in use is the basis for that.
An approved file cloud instead of private services See the IT Check
All terms in the knowledge base
Legal notice: We are engineers, not lawyers: we cannot and will not make any statements on legal questions. This entry is purely technical, reflects the state of knowledge to the best of our understanding, and is not legal advice; it does not replace review by a qualified lawyer. No guarantee is given as to correctness or completeness; liability arising from the use of this information is excluded to the extent permitted by law. What counts is always the version currently in force at the responsible body, for example dsb.gv.at, nis.gv.at or enisa.europa.eu. AI transparency: parts of this entry may have been created with AI assistance, so errors are possible despite review: please report errors here · how we create content.
From the term to practice
Where does your business actually stand?
The IT Check reviews your IT across 8 audit areas with more than 100 individual checks and delivers documented findings with a prioritised action plan. From 1,299 € excl. VAT.
office [at] vetosec [dot] at · vetosec.at/contact/
