Shadow IT Discovery
Find personal data in unauthorized tools and systems
Employees use hundreds of unsanctioned tools that process personal data without your knowledge. TruePrivacy's discovery engine finds shadow IT across your network, classifies the personal data involved, and enables you to bring it under governance control.
300+
SaaS tools discovered avg.
Continuous
Monitoring cadence
48hrs
Onboarding fast-track
40%
Avg. unknown data processing
How It Works
- 1
Detect Unauthorized Systems
TruePrivacy analyzes network traffic patterns, DNS logs, SSO access logs, and browser extension inventories to identify SaaS tools and systems in use without IT approval.
- 2
Classify Personal Data Involved
For each discovered system, the platform assesses what categories of personal data are likely being processed based on the tool's purpose, known data practices, and connected identity sources.
- 3
Score and Prioritize Risk
Each shadow IT system receives a risk score based on data sensitivity, number of employees using it, transfer destinations, and the vendor's security certifications.
- 4
Remediate or Onboard
Choose to block unsanctioned tools, initiate a vendor due diligence process to formally onboard them, or classify them as exceptions with documented business justification.
Benefits
Complete Data Inventory
Achieve a truly comprehensive data inventory by discovering personal data in tools your IT and privacy teams had no visibility into — often 30–40% of actual data processing.
Reduced Breach Surface
Shadow IT is a leading cause of data breaches. Bringing unsanctioned tools under governance control significantly reduces your attack and exposure surface.
Faster Vendor Onboarding
Rather than simply blocking useful tools, TruePrivacy provides a fast-track vendor onboarding workflow that brings legitimate tools into compliance without disrupting teams.
Continuous Discovery
Shadow IT isn't a one-time problem. Continuous monitoring ensures new unsanctioned tools are flagged as soon as employees start using them.
Key Features
- Network-level shadow IT detection
- Browser extension and SaaS app scanning
- Personal data classification in discovered systems
- Risk scoring for unsanctioned tools
- Remediation workflows
- Vendor onboarding integration for new tools
Detailed Capabilities
Network Traffic Analysis
Analyze DNS query logs and network flow data to identify domains and services accessed by employees that are not on the approved vendor list.
SSO and IdP Log Analysis
Review identity provider access logs to discover which SaaS applications employees are authenticating to, including apps using personal email accounts.
Browser Extension Scanning
Inventory browser extensions across managed devices, flagging extensions that access personal data or send information to third-party endpoints.
Data Classification Engine
For discovered systems, assess the likely data categories processed based on the vendor's known data practices, privacy policy, and similar tool classifications.
Risk Scoring
Multi-factor risk scores for each shadow IT system, covering data sensitivity, user adoption, transfer locations, and vendor security posture.
Remediation Workflows
Configurable response workflows for each discovered tool — block, monitor, fast-track onboard, or accept as a documented exception with periodic review.
Who It Helps
Regulations Covered
Frequently Asked Questions
TruePrivacy primarily uses network-level detection — analyzing DNS logs, firewall logs, and SSO/IdP access logs — which provides broad coverage without requiring endpoint agents. Agent-based scanning is also available for managed devices.
The tool is added to a discovery queue with a risk score. Your team can then choose to block it at the network level, initiate a formal vendor due diligence process to onboard it, or document a business exception.
TruePrivacy can flag when business users authenticate to SaaS apps using personal email addresses via SSO log analysis, though the content of personal email accounts is not accessed.
An initial scan analyzing 90 days of network and access logs typically completes within 24–48 hours, after which continuous monitoring takes over.
No. TruePrivacy analyzes log data rather than live traffic interception, so there is no impact on network throughput or latency during or after scanning.
Ready to automate Shadow IT Discovery?
See how TruePrivacy handles this use case for organizations like yours.