What is ‘Shadow IT’?
Shadow IT refers to the various web tools informally in use within most organisations. These tools are often chosen without reference to IT or to management in general.
They are often used for all the very best reasons. Your colleagues have work to do, and these tools help them, so they get used. You might know about some because there is a subscription charge, but others might be free.
These tools can be anything from simply keeping lists of tasks to do, sharing information or managing workflows, providing newsletter lists, or recruiting staff. Its endless.
There’s all sorts of web pages out there that your people will be finding useful and will be using.
The question is, do you know what is being used on your behalf?
Even more importantly, do you know who’s got access to them? As your staff come and go, do you know to change passwords or reset user accounts to make sure that no one who has left you (maybe even gone to a competitor) is still able to access your confidential data?
Shadow IT is one of the largest threats to data privacy in organisations today. It’s not necessarily because these sites are going to be hacked, although it’s always possible, but it’s because if you don’t know the tools are in use, then there is no way that you can manage them!
The first step to maintaining this data is to identify them, and that’s why you need new tools that are cloud focused.
If you’re still using the same old security tools that you used prior to the cloud, then you are simply not keeping up and we need to talk!
Here’s a story about what happens if you don’t have this under control: Why you need to know all the cloud services that your organisation uses – IT Solutions and Managed Services (kinetics.co.nz)
Shadow IT is part of our 10-point cyber-security check list
While there is no single layer of technology that can guarantee you will be safe from hackers, you can reduce your risk by adding layers of protection. How many of our 10-point check list are in place for you?
Will some of your emails stop?
Microsoft Exchange Online to retire Basic authentication We are going to face a big change coming in September 2025, Microsoft is going to be disabling SMTP Basic Authentication. This continues work they commenced a couple years ago to disable other protocols such as...
How to create passwords that hackers hate
A guide to making your online accounts more secure and less boring Have you ever used your birthday, your pet's name, or the word "password" as your password? If so, you're not alone. According to a study by NordPass, these are some of the most common and worst...
Is MFA enough? – the need for multiple cyber security layers.
At Kinetics, we've always emphasized the importance of multi-factor authentication (MFA) as a critical layer in cybersecurity. Without MFA, it's only a matter of time before you fall victim to a cyber attack. However, as we've also mentioned, no single defense is...
Securing your Mac
It does not seem that long ago I would hear Mac users say “I don’t need Anti-Virus”, or "Mac’s are not affected". To a certain extent they were right. Apple's use of tightly controlled application approvals reduced the surface area for attack. Mac users did not enjoy...
How secure is your cloud IT? Is it as safe as you expect?
Your cloud computing can be safe and secure, or open and vulnerable - the choice is yours. With the rise of hacker activity and cybercrime, it’s essential to lock down your cloud and protect it from threats. For most businesses, the standard 365 settings aren't...
What would you do Canterbury? Incident Response Workshop
Mastering Cybersecurity What would you do? Table-top exercise Join us for an interactive table-top simulation exercise. Imagine - you are busy going about your day when suddenly your meeting is interrupted. "No one can access their files" or "We just accidently paid...
Are your legacy IT systems giving hackers a backdoor into your business?
One of our engineers was working on migrating a customer from a legacy email server into Office 365 after we discovered they were under a brute force external attack. The migration required that we receive the users passwords. These would, of course, be reset after...
Service Alert
We're experiencing an extra heavy call volume today and it's proving challenging to respond as quickly as normal. It's been brought on by an apparent Microsoft change resulting in unexpected Windows 11 upgrades. These are happening to a number of devices even if...
Breaking news: New protections added to Kinetics KARE Foundation
We have big news for Kinetics customers on our “KARE Foundation” cyber plan. We've added new Browser Cyber-Protection We’ve found an amazing new security tool called ‘Conceal' that provides even more added protection. Cyber-security is all about layers and this one...
Penetration Testing
Penetration testing is important for businesses because it helps them identify and fix security vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by attackers. It can be a significant job as it needs a team of security professionals to simulate a real-world cyberattack....