Shadow IT, the practice of using applications and systems without the explicit approval or knowledge of IT staff, is a growing challenge in higher education. The pandemic has accelerated cloud adoption not only at the enterprise level but also at the user level, increasing the likelihood that shadow IT will proliferate.
The Everest Group reported in 2019 that the cost of dismantling shadow IT accounted for 50 percent or more of IT spending in large enterprises. And shadow IT is as much a problem in higher education as in other industries — perhaps even more so, given the diversity of higher education user groups and its relatively open IT environment.
