More than 80% of people surveyed in a 2013 Stratecast study said they used SaaS for work that hadn’t been approved by I.T. The motive of those surveyed was not to be secretive or sneaky; they simply wanted tools to help them be more efficient and productive.

However, no matter how pure the motives may be, and no matter the increase in productivity, an app not vetted by I.T. can make companies vulnerable to a number of issues, including the following:

• Malware from bogus programs
• Difficulty analyzing information from several disconnected sources
• Unauthorized access and dissemination of data

The solution isn’t banning employees from trying to solve workflow problems — the solution is to position I.T. as a business strategy driver so employees can work with I.T. to solve problems while protecting sensitive information.

Pros of Shadow I.T.

When employees use systems and programs inside an organization without the approval of I.T. it’s called “shadow I.T.” This may seem like a “dirty term” or a practice you want to avoid at all costs, but there are some pros when employees try to solve their own production problems.

Ralph Loura, CTO of Rodan + Fields, sees shadow I.T. as an “opportunity to leverage employees to identify the applications they want to use so that I.T. can enable the ones that have gained traction and are enterprise-ready.” In other words, when employees seek out solutions to their operational problems, they are easing part of I.T.’s burden.

Chances are the people working in your I.T. department are already researching SaaS that will facilitate collaborative processes inside your organization. But I.T. isn’t always aware of how any given SaaS will affect the day-to-day operations of a department. That’s why attacking a problem from both sides is important — it helps empower employees to solve their own workflow problems while I.T. identifies solutions that work across the company.

I.T. as a Strategy Driver for QMS

As data and processes become more sophisticated, there is no better driver to a business strategy than your existing I.T. department. Khalid Kark, managing director of the Deloitte CIO program, sees tremendous opportunities for the I.T. department as a business strategy driver. He says, “I.T. can be positioned not just as a delivery center but as a partner in the company’s new journey. I.T. has a necessarily cross-discipline, cross-functional, cross-business unit purview.”

In the context of food service, hospitality, and retail, there are several ways that I.T.-based guidance and strategies will benefit your company:

• Operations and quality. An effective SaaS platform supporting quality, brand, and safety will help your operations and quality teams save time, money, and headache. The right solution will store the collective data and quickly provide real-time analytical information.
• Legal and compliance. The right SaaS solution will conduct regular and thorough audits and assessments. This information will be readily available to your company’s legal team and managers. When the software identifies issues, stakeholders are immediately notified so they can resolve the issues quickly.
• Marketing and branding. Brand is the heart and soul of any company. Given its significance, it is important you protect your company’s brand. Strong SaaS tools can facilitate brand management, which can help your company avoid potential PR nightmares in the future.
• Overall value to the company. With careful planning, the I.T. department can identify key software tools and platforms that will fulfill the needs of multiple departments.

As you seek out SaaS programs to manage quality and operations in retail, hospitality, and food service, your technology department can help you identify a solution that will resonate with all departments.