SaaS applications can be a great enabler of workgroups and individuals within an enterprise organization, but not all SaaS apps being used are approved by the IT department. According to Softchoice's new Shadow IT in the Enterprise study, there is rampant and widespread use of unapproved SaaS applications, despite the best efforts of IT departments or trusted advisers to lock them down.

Softchoice analyzed 7,199 enterprise users in 23 small- to medium-size enterprises to find that SaaS is being used regularly, whether IT decision-makers know it or not. For instance, Softchoice discovered that file sync and share apps are commonly used by 58 percent of enterprise end users, with YouSendIt and Dropbox topping the list of most-used apps.

The IT solutions provider noted that many of the programs being used are consumer-grade tools and don't have the built-in security necessary for safe use within a business. It's a reason many IT departments have banned and attempted to block the use of file sync and share apps they haven't approved. Still, employees are finding ways to circumvent firewalls to use their favorite file-sharing SaaS apps, putting their organizations at risk from data leaks or attacks.

Additionally, collaboration apps sucj as Google Docs and Evernote have also created security gaps, the report noted. Even though such apps have become extremely common because of their time management, personal organization and collaboration uses, there are security gaps that have resulted in data breaches within some organizations.

Trying to stop employees from using SaaS apps for work-related purposes is an effort in futility, but as Softchoice wrote, it's critical that IT is aware of everything "lurking in and outside of their enterprise environments."

SaaS is continually on the rise, and if organizations want to ensure proper usage and security over cloud apps, it's important to review policies and work to enable end users with vetted and approved applications. The channel also can play a huge role in helping customers get a handle on shadow SaaS by implementing the auditing and security measures needed to monitor and manage cloud services being used by customers' employees.