The use of shadow IT has become increasingly prevalent in recent years because of business transformation efforts. A 2019 study from Everest Group estimates that nearly half of all IT spend “lurks in the shadows.” Notably, these figures are pre-pandemic. It is likely that a sudden influx of remote workers due to COVID-19 restrictions has further increased the use of shadow IT as workers struggle to maintain productivity in a new environment with limited resources.
The use of shadow IT is rarely malicious. Rather, it is a practice embraced by employees because their day-to-day roles require fast, flexible, and frictionless access to different tools and applications.