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Home / Glossary / Shadow IT
Glossary · Management

Shadow IT

In plain language

Apps and accounts staff use for work without the business knowing.

The metaphor

Like a side door someone propped open without telling you: it is convenient for them and invisible to you.

Going deeper

How it works

  • Personal Dropbox, free tools and unapproved apps.
  • Data ends up outside your control.
  • Leavers keep access.
  • Ask what people use and approve what works.

How WILDCARD handles it

Cloud covers connected apps in your tenant, and a vCIO review builds the approved list.

In practice
  • Client files in a personal Google Drive.
  • A free chat app.
  • An unapproved AI tool.

A question owners ask

Should I ban it? Ask first. Approve the useful tools and block the risky ones.

Where WILDCARD handles this
Cloud
Start with Cloud
✨
vCIO
  • Fractional CIO on retainer
  • Moonlight, Sunlight, Starlight tiers
  • Credits for single outputs
Start with vCIO
Related terms
AAAAuthentication, Authorization, and AccountingACLAccess Control ListAdmin accountAESAdvanced Encryption StandardAES-256Advanced Encryption Standards 256-bitAIArtificial IntelligenceALEAnnualized Loss ExpectancyAPIApplication Programming Interface

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