New research from The Access Group reveals that 35% of UK workers admit to using generative AI without telling their managers. While employee use of AI is on the rise, many organizations are still developing their plans for how to govern its use. Shadow AI is quickly becoming a challenge for many IT teams.
Shadow IT is not a new concept. The rapid evolution of SaaS technology has led to technology proliferation within organizations as employees turn to technology tools to support their daily work. IT departments are often isolated from the technologies used within their organization. What options do they have to manage new technologies, including AI, and the associated risks? The answer lies in the need to make it easier for employees to introduce new technologies into the organization with the involvement of the IT department.
The root cause of shadow IT
There are many reasons why employees choose to introduce unauthorized technology into their organization. In the UK, hybrid working models, easy access to cloud services and the evolution of AI mean that shadow IT has become a major concern for businesses. Some employees may also choose to bring their own technology because they are too busy or fear disrupting IT if they go through the proper channels. Whatever the reason, the root cause of Shadow IT adoption is linked to inefficient or even broken processes.
But the responsibility does not fall only on employees. For example, if an employee goes through the process of submitting a technology request but it is delayed or goes unnoticed by the IT team, they are also likely to turn to shadow IT. In this scenario, not only do organizations expose themselves to security issues related to unauthorized software, but it also puts strain on IT teams and wastes time on employee work requests.
The key to improving IT processes
Far too often, inefficient processes exist because they are manual and disconnected. Businesses don’t know where the breakdown is because they have no visibility into the end-to-end process, data is not shared across people and systems as it should be, and user experience is fraught with pitfalls. This is where process automation comes into play.
This statement may seem obvious, especially in the context of IT processes. But unfortunately, many companies struggle to automate their processes, especially IT processes. The reasons vary: manual processes are complex and difficult to automate, existing systems lack the integrations needed for automation, etc.
Following a simple automation framework can help most organizations overcome these challenges:
- Identify where automation can be useful and applied
- Automate these processes with low-code tools
- Widespread adoption of new processes through modern, easy-to-use user interfaces
By following this framework, organizations can accelerate the processing of new IT requests and limit the use of shadow IT. Here are some examples: Map the IT execution process – Get an end-to-end view of each stage of the execution process to visualize where bottlenecks and inefficiencies occur. Common bottlenecks occur when assigning requests and leaving reviews pending.
Improve experience and increase engagement – It’s also important to look at the user experience to ensure it has low barriers to entry. How do employees submit their requests to the modernized process? By leveraging low-code app development tools, you can create an employee intake form that is digital and intuitive to use.
Automate bottlenecks – Once you’ve identified process inefficiencies and modernized the user experience, apply automation to streamline friction points. For example, automation can help you avoid requests getting stuck in the “assignment” stage by automatically assigning requests to the appropriate team or member. Importantly, automated processes can be successful with a “set it and forget it” mindset. Continuous monitoring and improvement is necessary to ensure the process is running smoothly.
The rapid evolution of technologies like AI will only exacerbate the shadow IT challenge. This is why companies must modernize their IT processes today to avoid a further drift into shadow IT and prevent future security risks. End-to-end process automation is essential for understanding where IT processes are breaking down, applying automation, and evolving new processes for maximum engagement, while reducing the need for employees to turn to IT. shadow computing for their technology needs.
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