Shedding Light on Shadow Data: Why Visibility is the Key to Data Security

If your organization can’t see the data, it can’t protect it.

Businesses are swimming in data and not all of it is visible, much less protected. This blind spot is what experts call “shadow data.”

Shadow data is unmanaged, unmonitored information that lives outside the purview of IT governance and security protocols. And it’s one of the most overlooked risks in modern enterprise infrastructure.

Shadow data refers to sensitive or operational data that exists outside of official systems. It might live on personal devices, in unauthorized cloud storage or be shared through unsanctioned applications. 

Though the term sounds malicious, shadow data is often created unintentionally. For example, somone might be trying to get their work done quickly and save a file to a thumb drive or email it via a personal account. But even without bad intent, this risk is real and growing. 

Because this kind of data is unmanaged, lacks visibility and is usually excluded from governance policies, shadow data is a prime target for data loss, leakage and cyberattacks. And in the age of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven threats, attackers are increasingly seeking out these less-secured data stores to bypass an organization’s defenses.

Data breaches. Intellectual property loss. Regulatory violations. 

Shadow data can lead to all these outcomes without IT even knowing it happened.

In highly regulated industries such as healthcare and financial services, where the protection of personal and financial data is tightly governed, shadow data poses a direct threat to compliance. A single file containing patient health records or financial account details stored on an unauthorized personal device or cloud platform can lead to serious consequences — from fines and legal action to reputational damage.

When sensitive data is dispersed and unmanaged, it undermines your ability to make accurate, timely decisions. Without a full picture of where your data resides and how it’s being used, organizations risk working from outdated, incomplete or inconsistent information. 

In the event of a security breach, it also makes containing threats an uphill battle — your backup and recovery strategies are only as good as your IT governance.

CDW offers a comprehensive approach to combating shadow data and strengthening your overall data security posture: 

• Data discovery and classification: We help you identify and map where your data lives — across endpoints, cloud platforms and on-premises environments. 

• Data loss prevention solutions: Our experts will work with you to implement solutions that proactively prevent sensitive data from being stored or transferred to unauthorized locations. 

• Unified visibility and monitoring: We centralize data oversight across hybrid environments to ensure that policy enforcement is consistent and effective. 

• Cyber resilience strategy: CDW works with you to define and operationalize a cyber resiliency framework that includes data governance, backup integrity, access management and threat detection. 

• Expert guidance: With specialized knowledge across verticals such as healthcare, finance and public sector, our experts help tailor your data governance to meet specific industry and regulatory needs. 

Let us help you shine a light on your shadow data so you can take control of your security journey