It’s funny, really. We hear all of this talk about “Shadow IT”, like it’s some big new problem. The fact is, “Shadow IT” is not a new trend. It’s an old problem with a new name.

“Shadow IT” is nothing more than employees finding ways around the IT department. This usually happens when the IT department isn’t meeting the user’s needs in a timely manner.

In the past, it involved spreadsheets. If the IT department couldn’t meet the users needs fast enough, they turned to spreadsheets. Users found all sorts of uses for spreadsheets, creating forms, reports, analytical applications, and more. The fact is, spreadsheets were the original “Shadow IT”.

But, if “Shadow IT” isn’t new, why is it such a big problem all of a sudden? The way I see it, there are two reasons:

1. The economy

With recent economic problems, many IT professionals lost their jobs, leaving many IT departments understaffed. Since the workload didn’t decrease, the remaining IT professionals were left to handle the same responsibilities…only with less people.

2. Users have options

With the rise of available Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings, users now have plenty of (good) options. If the IT department can’t meet their needs, what’s to stop them from going out and finding a cheap or free web-based solution?

Do you see how these factors contribute to the “Shadow IT” phenomenon? These overworked and understaffed IT departments can’t possibly fulfill all the requests and demands of the users. This leaves the users searching for (and finding) alternative options.

So, what’s the answer? How can you address the “Shadow IT” problem before it starts?

Here’s one way: Put your IT staff in a position to meet the user’s needs. For some companies, this means bringing in more staff. For other companies, this means giving their current staff the necessary tools to complete their jobs quickly.

The big question is this: How can you improve your current staff’s productivity without bringing in new employees or outside help?

If you’re in this position, here’s a great story for you to read: It’s about a 2-person IT staff that were facing some big projects, but couldn’t bring in any outside help. To learn how they fixed the problem, read the whole story right here.