Shadow IT 'Menace' Creates Channel Opportunities

Shadow IT services in the cloud came about largely because organizations failed to provide an efficient way to enable employees to share files. Add in a host of cloud computing services—from PayPal to social media sites, such as Facebook and LinkedIn—and it's hard to see how any organization these days could pass a compliance audit. A new survey of 379 knowledge workers conducted by Osterman Research on behalf of Intermedia, a managed cloud application service provider, suggests rogue access issues are rampant. Nearly nine in 10 said they retained access to passwords for any number of cloud services after they left their companies. The challenges stemming from the "ex-employee menace" that the study describes create the opportunity for the channel to provide managed cloud services that offer a structured approach to managing files and access to external services. With more firms finding how much of their data is at risk, it's becoming easier for solution providers in the channel to propose alternatives for managing documents and files that increase security without compromising productivity.