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How to Discover Shadow IT with Unmanaged Tenants

This guide explains how to use meshStack's unmanaged tenant discovery features to identify and address shadow IT—cloud resources or accounts created outside of official processes.

What is Shadow IT?​

Shadow IT refers to cloud accounts, projects, or resources that are provisioned without central IT oversight. These unmanaged tenants can introduce security, compliance, and cost risks.

How meshStack Helps Discover Shadow IT​

meshStack can scan connected platforms for tenants (accounts, subscriptions, projects, namespaces, etc.) that are not yet managed within meshStack. These are called unmanaged tenants.

Steps to Discover Unmanaged Tenants​

  1. Access the Unmanaged Tenants View

    • In meshPanel, navigate to the administration area or platform overview.
    • Look for a section labeled "Unmanaged Tenants" or similar.

  2. Review Discovered Tenants

    • meshStack will list all detected tenants on connected platforms that are not yet managed.
    • Review details such as platform, tenant name, and creation date.

  3. Investigate and Take Action

    • For each unmanaged tenant, determine if it is legitimate or a case of shadow IT.
    • Contact the owner or responsible team if possible.
    • Decide whether to onboard the tenant into meshStack for proper management, or take steps to decommission it if not needed.

  4. Onboard Legitimate Tenants

    • Use meshStack's onboarding process to bring unmanaged tenants under central control.
    • Assign them to the correct workspace, project, and payment method.

Best Practices​

  • Regularly review the list of unmanaged tenants to catch new shadow IT early.
  • Establish clear policies for onboarding and managing all cloud resources.
  • Communicate with teams about the risks of unmanaged cloud usage.