O’Reilly published an article by our VP of Strategy, Kelly Stirman, How Self-Service Data Avoids the Dangers of Shadow Analytics. This article provides a working definition for Shadow Analytics, and goes into technical detail on the risks and how they can be addressed by Self-Service Data Platforms.
Interestingly, the original title for the article included the term “honeypot.” A honeypot is a concept in computer security that has been around for many years. An IT team would “bait” hackers with a system that appears legitimate. As intruders seek out the “honey” they would be monitored and trapped. It’s not such a crazy idea to apply this concept to any IT-provided system, with a benevolent twist. Ultimately users need tools and systems that work for them, and they must work better than something they could create themselves, including external 3rd party systems.
Worth reading …
