Stay cybersafe: how to remove the risk of ‘shadow IT' and strengthen data security

The Guardian

27-06-2025

As household name businesses and organisations hit the headlines after being hacked, companies are more aware than ever about the urgency of investing in their cybersecurity.
And yet new research by TeamViewer* reveals that less money is going towards data security than other areas of digital transformation, despite an acute awareness among company chiefs of its importance. It is particularly critical with the rise in remote working – systems and data become vulnerable when staff use their own devices or unsecured connections.
In the survey of more than 600 business leaders, digital transformation came out as a top business priority, with three-quarters of large businesses setting aside more cash for the transition. And although they are spending less on data security than on other digital initiatives, this could be set to change, as addressing cybersecurity and data privacy emerged as another priority when the leaders were asked about business readiness for digital transformation.
Today, most workplaces are digital, says Mark Banfield, chief commercial officer at TeamViewer, whose technology provides businesses with a digital workplace management platform. Streamlining all employees' devices and applications enables businesses to ensure that every device connected to the company network is set up correctly and safely. Using one platform instead of many helps to cut through the complexity, simplify systems and operations and give IT managers greater oversight and control, says Banfield.
This addresses an issue faced by many companies as the number of tools and technologies in use have exploded, IT teams struggle to keep tabs on them all. 'The TeamViewer DEX (digital employee experience) platform delivers significant value by helping organisations ensure that every endpoint remains compliant, protected and in a known, approved state,' says Banfield. 'It continuously monitors devices to verify that essential security agents are installed and running properly.'
While software attacks grab headlines, any IT outages and failures can be highly damaging for businesses, so anticipating potential disruptions before they escalate will help operations run smoothly and protect businesses' reputations. This is easier said than done, particularly for companies operating across borders.
Improving security is where TeamViewer Tensor, a cloud-based remote connectivity solution for PCs, phones, headless devices (without a traditional interface) and operation technology machinery, comes in. It allows tracking of activities on any device, and security for remote access.
Tensor is used by TeamViewer customer the Bühler Group, a Swiss company that makes industrial technology used to process essential foods such as pasta, rice and flour around the world. A quarter of the global population eats the food processed by the company's systems – which are exported to more than 140 countries. Maintaining these processing and packaging systems is essential to keep food on supermarket shelves, and some 1,000 support experts work globally to ensure smooth operations.
In the past, the company was hampered by poor connections and insufficient documentation to achieve cybersecurity certifications. Tensor gives Bühler's huge support team remote access around the world, ensuring the company can manage settings and connections from a central point. This has also led to every support session being logged and accountable – helping the company to acquire ISO 27001 security certification.
TeamViewer's software has saved Bühler staff time and travel, while rural and remote clients benefit from reliable and faster troubleshooting.
It pays to be proactive, says Banfield – and TeamViewer's technology makes it possible for IT teams to monitor systems' health remotely and in real time, spot any performance issues early, and fix problems remotely. This proactive approach – combined with a level of automation to carry out routine maintenance and flag any potential problems – cuts risks of costly IT failures.
As well as checking that every tool and device is up to date, TeamViewer's platform helps managers remain vigilant that encryption is in place, and security programmes are up and running. And if something is amiss, says Banfield, such as out-of-date software, it will automatically fix the problem.
'This dramatically reduces risk exposure from misconfigurations or outdated software,' he says.
When global engineering and sustainable development consultancy Arup needed a cloud-based system to replace its 95 servers worldwide, it did this using TeamViewer's 1E. As a result, Arup moved away from physical data centres to the cloud, achieved device compliance goals and reduced costs on unnecessary device purchases, all without disruption to its workforce of 18,000 employees.
When a company's technology works seamlessly, then employees are less likely to resort to what's known as 'shadow IT' – using their own devices or downloading unauthorised software to get the job done – 'both of which can create major security blind spots', says Banfield. 'In this way, DEX not only improves IT efficiency but also strengthens the organisation's overall security.'
Ultimately, investment in an improved digital way of working will pay off, says Banfield, and this is borne out by TeamViewer's research. Nearly eight in 10 (78%) businesses selected a core aspect of digital transformation as among their top priorities for the coming two to three years.
Among these were investing in connected technologies and ensuring data security across operations and the virtual work environment. Investing in the digital workplace overwhelmingly leads to improved innovation, the research found.
And as more employees work beyond the controlled office environment, and the workplace becomes ever more digital, simplifying security oversight for businesses will be key to success.
*Bloomberg Media and TeamViewer: the Workplace Reimagined research study conducted by MTM
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