By Dave Graham, Sales Director at Freestyle TS
Some of the biggest data security risks facing businesses today aren’t necessarily coming from outside. They could be coming from your most proactive employees.
And the irony is, they’re simply trying to do a better job.
AI tools are helping people reduce workloads, produce content, analyse data and work more efficiently. As a business owner, that’s exactly what you want to see.
But there’s another side to it. And it’s called Shadow AI.
What is Shadow AI?
In conversations I’ve had with customers, there’s a common theme. They’re pleased with the results their teams are achieving, but when I ask which AI tools their employees are actually using, the answer isn’t always clear.
And that’s where things can get tricky.
Shadow AI is when employees use AI tools at work without the knowledge or approval of their IT team.
Often, employees don’t realise that sharing customer information, financial data or company intellectual property with an unapproved AI platform could put the business at risk.
The difficult part? There’s rarely any bad intention behind it. People are simply finding smarter ways to get through their workloads.
Managing Shadow AI without slowing your team down
So, what do you do? Restrict AI tools and risk frustrating your team? Or turn a blind eye because the productivity benefits are too good to ignore?
I don’t think it needs to be either.
Businesses should be able to embrace AI without losing control of their data.
It’s about understanding which tools are being used, making sure employees know what information is safe to share and putting sensible security controls in place.
Not stopping innovation. Just making sure it happens safely.
How Freestyle TS can help
At Freestyle TS, our approach to proactive IT support is about identifying risks before they become problems.
Through our IT support services and cyber security expertise, we can help businesses understand the risks associated with Shadow AI and put appropriate safeguards in place, without getting in the way of productivity.
Because the answer isn’t to stop your people working smarter. It’s to make sure they’re doing it safely.
Not entirely sure which AI tools are being used across your business?
