TechCentralTechCentral
    Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    NEWSLETTER
    • News

      Google’s giant Equiano Internet cable has landed in South Africa

      8 August 2022

      The African tech start-ups eyeing global markets

      8 August 2022

      Karpowership loses bid to overturn environmental ruling

      8 August 2022

      New app launched to tackle potholes in South Africa

      8 August 2022

      Rogue database felled Capitec in its worst-ever IT outage

      7 August 2022
    • World

      Nvidia issues profit warning on slump in demand for graphics cards

      8 August 2022

      Buterin: Mining on Ethereum Classic won’t affect Merge

      8 August 2022

      Musk challenges Twitter CEO to a public debate

      7 August 2022

      Amazon splashes $1.7-billion on Roomba maker iRobot

      5 August 2022

      Nigeria asks Google to block banned groups from YouTube

      5 August 2022
    • In-depth

      The length of Earth’s days has been increasing – and no one knows why

      7 August 2022

      As Facebook fades, the Mad Men of advertising stage a comeback

      2 August 2022

      Crypto breaks the rules. That’s the point

      27 July 2022

      E-mail scams are getting chillingly personal

      17 July 2022

      Webb telescope’s stunning images of the cosmos

      12 July 2022
    • Podcasts

      How South Africa can woo more women into tech

      4 August 2022

      Book and check-in via WhatsApp? FlySafair is on it

      28 July 2022

      Interview: Why Dell’s next-gen PowerEdge servers change the game

      28 July 2022

      Demystifying the complexity of AI – fact vs fiction

      6 July 2022

      How your organisation can triage its information security risk

      22 June 2022
    • Opinion

      SIU seeks to set aside R215-million IT tender

      19 July 2022

      No reason South Africa should have a shortage of electricity: Ramaphosa

      11 July 2022

      Ntshavheni’s bias against the private sector

      8 July 2022

      South Africa can no longer rely on Eskom alone

      4 July 2022

      Has South Africa’s advertising industry lost its way?

      21 June 2022
    • Company Hubs
      • 1-grid
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Amplitude
      • Atvance Intellect
      • Axiz
      • BOATech
      • CallMiner
      • Digital Generation
      • E4
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • IBM
      • Kyocera Document Solutions
      • Microsoft
      • Nutanix
      • One Trust
      • Pinnacle
      • Skybox Security
      • SkyWire
      • Tarsus on Demand
      • Videri Digital
      • Zendesk
    • Sections
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud computing
      • Consumer electronics
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Energy
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Motoring and transport
      • Public sector
      • Science
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home»Opinion»Ian Doyle»Set your users free and learn to love ‘shadow IT’

    Set your users free and learn to love ‘shadow IT’

    Ian Doyle By Ian Doyle12 January 2021
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email

    In 1981, IBM introduced the first personal computer, code-named “Acorn”. It used Microsoft’s MS-DOS operating system, had an Intel chip, two floppy drives and an optional colour monitor. It started the shift to placing computers within reach of many users.

    Rolling forward 15 years, Sergey Brin and Larry Page developed the Google search engine at Stanford University. They laid the foundation for democratising access to information and in so doing, shaped the modern Internet.

    In 2010, Apple unveiled the iPad, changing how we viewed media and jumpstarting the tablet device computer segment. It also set the base for devices to serve both work and personal needs in a unique form, making mobility the norm.

    Many companies have realised those old ways of delivering technology no longer work. They need to be nimbler and deliver iteratively in cross-functional teams

    Shifts such as these have brought technology within mainstream access for us as consumers of technology.

    Traditionally, the IT department owned the development of technology solutions. Your requirement would compete for priority and resources, such as budget. In the absence of a timeous reply, business users would create solutions using Excel macros or Visual Basic scripts. These would create a workaround to the shortcomings of the central information systems. This is known today as “shadow IT”. The term refers to technology efforts managed without the knowledge of the IT department.

    Use cases

    The earliest use cases typically came out of the reporting and analytics fields. Technology solutions helped commoditise the analysis of complex data sets in ways that could be rapidly consumed by users.

    In other areas, IT departments tried to meet business needs but failed to deliver timely, relevant solutions. This resulted in the business recruiting technology-literate people to close the gaps, leading to a growth in technology capabilities outside of the IT organisation.

    Many companies have realised those old ways of delivering technology no longer work. They need to be nimbler and deliver iteratively in cross-functional teams. Larger pieces of work delivered via smaller increments is a proven way in which to create value. No matter how efficient and accurate the delivery processes have become, technology teams remain unable to keep up with new demand for technology solutions needed by the business.

    The author, Ian Doyle, argues that IT departments can’t keep up with business demands

    The accelerating changes in the cloud-enabled digital landscape continue to create a gap between the business requirements and IT’s capacity to respond. Areas outside of the technology division are well placed to take on these growing requirements.

    Enter the era of “as-a-service” solutions from the cloud. The rules for delivering technology have changed forever. Through the introduction of cloud-enabled technology platforms (from the likes of Salesforce.com, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services), users can address complex problems with limited technical expertise.

    “No-code” and “low-code” software allows users to build applications with no formal knowledge of coding or software development.

    ‘Low code’

    “Low code” is a way for application makers to get more done. With low-code platforms, employees can spend more time creating and less time on repetitive work. In today’s fast-paced business environment, workforce productivity is a new benchmark for corporate competitiveness.

    “Low code” isn’t about reducing the value of developers. It does, however, allow business stakeholders to solve problems themselves. Empowering employees to build solutions that feature teams are unable to, brings several benefits to the fore:

    • More people can deliver solutions;
    • There is faster time to market of products; and
    • There is visibility into “shadow IT”.

    IT functions that see themselves as the sole provider of technology solution delivery will continue to find themselves with increasing backlogs of requests.

    Automation, robotics, applications, data analysis … all of this is now possible via simple interfaces. All these are dependent on the organisations most valuable asset — its information.

    It is essential to understand what your company’s information assets are. You also need to manage and protect them. Avoid creating solutions where equivalent ones already exist.

    IT can govern employee-led projects using technology that provides visibility on environments, usage patterns and security

    With great technologies come risks and responsibility. Getting them wrong may necessitate support from IT, misalignment to regulations or policies, and the creation of key-person dependencies.

    IT can govern employee-led projects using technology that provides visibility on environments, usage patterns and security.

    Bespoke vendor applications can address only so many business needs. Customisation of software is traditionally the realm of IT teams. Everything else that sits outside of these domains is a massive opportunity to optimise and improve how employees collaborate and work.

    Limited involvement

    The floodgates have opened, and companies now need to choose their ongoing delivery models and train users in understanding IT principles.

    Given the high levels of digital skills and ambition in your workforce, how can you equip employees to create their solutions, with limited involvement from IT?

    Have you asked your IT team how they are setting you up to solve business challenges? We are at the next 15-year check-in.

    • Ian Doyle is head of the digital workplace at Standard Bank Group
    Apple Ian Doyle Standard Bank top
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email
    Previous ArticleTim Berners-Lee prepares Web ‘do-over’
    Next Article Signal sees meteoric growth as users seek WhatsApp alternatives

    Related Posts

    iPadOS release delayed in unusual move by Apple

    4 August 2022

    iPhone, iPad to Apple’s rescue as results beat estimates

    29 July 2022

    Apple’s surging stock raises stakes as earnings loom

    28 July 2022
    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Promoted

    You don’t need a call centre to take advantage of call centre technology

    5 August 2022

    Black man, you are still on your own

    5 August 2022

    UC&C interoperability offers businesses operational cost relief in tough times

    4 August 2022
    Opinion

    SIU seeks to set aside R215-million IT tender

    19 July 2022

    No reason South Africa should have a shortage of electricity: Ramaphosa

    11 July 2022

    Ntshavheni’s bias against the private sector

    8 July 2022

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2022 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.