Slew of unsanctioned tech creates headaches for IT
There is a disconnect between the tech that workers want to use - and the tech that workplaces provide, so enterprise workers find ways to get around this. often workers use unapproved messaging apps – without the say so of IT – to get their work done.
Sunnyvale, CA-based communication and collaboration solutions provider NextPlane has recently released a report that show that the groundswell of unauthorised collaboration tools used in the workplace continues to rise.
The company surveyed 750 IT professionals across various industries. It wanted to assess what the extend of new technology is, as well as how IT is adjusting to the changes.
Over four out of five (84 percent) believe their company is providing users with the software tools they need to collaborate successfully.
However, IT professionals also recognise that end users are branching out on their own to find the right tools to communicate with their colleagues.
Over two out of three (67 percent) of end users or teams have introduced their own team collaboration tools into their organization.
Over four out of five (82 percent) said that end users or teams have pushed back on IT or management when the company tried to dictate which collaboration tools should be used.
Even as IT prevails most of the time, a small resistance of end users still use the collaboration tools of their choice. Over one in ten (13 percent) said that the employees continued to use the tools of their choice in defiance of IT, and the company.
However, IT is not standing down from the conflict. Almost two out of three (63 percent) say that IT has prevailed when employees push back. However, IT has its limits.
Companies want to limit talent attrition and keep hold of valuable employees.
More than two-thirds (69 percent) of respondents said that if a highly valued employee threatened to quit over which tools they can or cannot use, the company would capitulate rather than risk losing the employee.
As new technology is introduced without IT's approval or involvement, the top risk (79 percent) is risking the security of the company's data and information, and 71 percent worry about the productivity and efficiency of IT.
Only one in four (23 percent) felt confident they have visibility into inventory and usage when it comes to team collaboration tools.
As employees introduce unsanctioned tools and technologies into their workflow without the involvement or approval of IT, they could be threatening the security of the company's data and information.
Additionally, they can reduce IT's productivity, and compromise the interoperability of the systems used by companies.
This impacts the confidence of IT and its ability to track inventory and usage of what software and tools end users are using in the company.
Farzin Shahidi, CEO of NextPlane said: "IT needs a collaboration strategy that takes into account the preferences of its end-users without compromising seamless collaboration and communication across teams and the entire organization."
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