Shadow IT: The Elephant In The Room During Healthcare M&A

As the VP or CIO of a health system about to undergo acquisition, you're likely already intimately aware of the challenges ahead.

With hundreds of apps running across your network, and new digital tools appearing every day, keeping your organization secure is a constant challenge. Shadow IT presents a very real threat to your operations — 71% of healthcare respondents to the Ponemon Institute's 2022 study said just that.

As you plan for integration, here's a stark reality: A data breach could cost your organization over $9M on average (IBM, 2022). And with a staggering 43% of data breaches attributed to shadow IT (Ponemon Institute, 2022), the risk is very real.

A Proactive Approach: Auditing Shadow IT Before It's Too Late

To reduce the threat of shadow IT, the first step is to see it coming. Mobtronic has developed a comprehensive approach to identifying and addressing shadow IT risks during the due diligence phase of M&A.

We recommend starting with a network-wide app inventory. With hundreds of tools in use across your organization (IT security blog, 2022), it's critical to identify:

• Mission-critical apps that require seamless integration post-merger
• Apps that pose security threats or compliance risks
• Duplicate or redundant tools that can be decommissioned

This approach ensures you're not overwhelmed post-acquisition trying to manage and secure numerous unknown tools and services.

A Proven Process For Success

At Mobtronic, we've refined a methodology over dozens of healthcare M&A integrations to ensure a systematic, thorough approach to shadow IT discovery:

1. Discover: Conduct a deep network scan to identify all active apps, including those running in the cloud.

2. Prioritize: Using our proprietary risk assessment framework, we score each app for security, compliance, and operational criticality. This reveals the tools that require immediate attention.

3. Strategize: For each high-priority app, we help you develop a customized migration or decommissioning strategy, ensuring no tool is overlooked.

Ensure A Smooth Transition

With Mobtronic's audited app inventory in hand, you'll be prepared for Day 1 of the integration. Instead of scrambling to secure countless tools, you'll have a clear roadmap for a seamless transition, reducing the risk of data breaches and downtime.

If you are navigating a healthcare acquisition right now and want this level of confidence in your IT integration, let's talk.