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AI agent for chief information officers

Shadow IT Discovery Agent

A current list of unapproved tools, each with a risk rating and a decision from the CIO

Risk managementIT and developmentManagement
See how it worksGet access
Shadow IT Discovery Agent: what goes in, what the agent does and what you get

What it does

Teams buy software and AI tools that IT does not know about, and the risks only show up later. This agent compares expense data, single sign-on logs and browser extension reports with the approved software list. It flags tools nobody has registered and checks each one's data risk, such as whether it stores customer data or trains on inputs. It then asks the owner for a business reason and whether an approved tool could do the same job. The CIO approves keep, replace or block. Edge case: a free AI tool shows up only in sign-in logs and not in expenses, so the agent still checks it.

How it works

Follow the arrows from top to bottom. The orange dashed arrow is the loop: when a check fails, the agent goes back and tries again.

Start and resultWhat it doesA check on its own workWaits for your OKGoes back and retries
Yes, continueApprovedNo 1 STARTS WHEN Monthly discovery run 2 USES A TOOL Collect expense lines, sign-in logs and extensionreports 3 DOES Match each tool to the approved software list 4 DOES List unknown tools with the teams using them 5 USES A TOOL Check each tool's data handling and vendor terms 6 CHECKS THE RESULT Is the data risk known for each unknown tool? If not: search the vendor's terms again or mark the riskunknown and high. Back to step 5. 7 DOES Ask each owner for the business reason andalternatives 8 YOU APPROVE CIO approves keep, replace or block for each tool 9 USES A TOOL Update the approved list and notify owners 10 RESULT Shadow IT register
Read the steps as a list
  1. Monthly discovery run
  2. Collect expense lines, sign-in logs and extension reports
  3. Match each tool to the approved software list
  4. List unknown tools with the teams using them
  5. Check each tool's data handling and vendor terms
  6. Is the data risk known for each unknown tool?If not: search the vendor's terms again or mark the risk unknown and high. Back to step 5.
  7. Ask each owner for the business reason and alternatives
  8. CIO approves keep, replace or block for each toolThe agent waits here for your OK.
  9. Update the approved list and notify owners
  10. Shadow IT register

How it decides

A tool is shadow IT when it appears in any source and is not on the approved list. Risk is high when it handles sensitive data without a contract.

  • Treat any tool not on the list as unknown
  • Rate high when sensitive data goes in without a contract
  • Look for an approved alternative before keeping a tool
  • Treat unknown risk as high until checked

Make it yours

Every agent is a starting point. You choose these settings for your own situation.

  • Sources to scan
  • Risk criteria
  • Run frequency
  • Approved list location

What keeps you in control

It always asks you first

  • CIO approves every keep, replace or block decision

Hard limits

  • Never blocks a tool itself
  • Never shares usage data outside IT leadership

It stops when

  • Done: every unknown tool has a decision
  • Stop: a data source is not available

Set it up

We guide you through the set-up, step by step

Members get the full set-up guide for this agent. No technical skills needed: you copy, paste and upload.

10 minto set it up in your AI
5 AIsChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini, Grok
  • One set of instructions to paste into your AI, with the clicks for ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Gemini and Grok
  • The agent then walks you through connecting your own data, one source at a time
  • A downloadable copy with the flow chart, the rules and the full guide
Get access to this agent

An example run

What happensA scan found 23 unknown tools. One AI note-taking app appeared in sign-in logs for 14 people but not in expenses. The vendor terms said inputs may train models, so the risk was high. The owner said it was for meetings. An approved transcription tool existed. The CIO chose replace and set a 30 day transition.

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