Cybersecurity teams and employees disagree on shadow IT use
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Enterprise networks are threatened by shadow IT — technologies selected and onboarded by business units outside the purview of the information technology (IT) department, which don’t offer security APIs or support industry standards like single sign-on and break zero trust principles.
A study by Cerby and conducted in partnership with Osterman Research showed that 92% of employees and managers in large enterprises want full control over the applications they deploy for work-related purposes. However, this level of control could present a security risk to organizations, especially when coupled with a lack of employee security awareness.
More than half of the business professionals surveyed (51%) say they continue to use their preferred applications even if those are specifically prohibited by the employer, and 52% want their company or IT department to “get out of their way.” This view of cybersecurity teams as a roadblock could hinder security efforts going forward.
The study questioned over 500 business professionals in North America and the U.K. employed by companies with more than $100M in annual revenues. The study also found that 19% of employees and managers who had a preferred work application blocked by their company or IT department ignored the ruling and continued to use the prohibited applications.
For more study findings, click here.
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