Businesses have spent the past few years investing heavily in AI, unified communications, collaboration platforms, and digital transformation. However, we’re increasingly seeing employees bypassing the systems organizations have invested in, causing significant security, compliance, and operational risks.

In fact, our recent research found a growing disconnect between technology investment and the realities of how people work. We’re experiencing a lack of cohesion between approved tools and employee requirements, with 71% of employees using non-approved communication tools at work when official systems do not meet their needs.

The concerns here are twofold: firstly, employees feel the need to seek out tools that better suit the way they work; secondly, the use of unapproved communication tools creates security and compliance risks while undermining the return on organizations' technology investments.

Channel partners are increasingly having to help customers and organizations navigate these challenges. It’s no longer enough for a customer to simply add new communication tools and technologies to their IT stack. They also need support to ensure the tools they’re implementing will bring impact and value to their employees, as well as ensuring that employees are actually using it in a way that will reap the benefits it promises.

The risk of shadow IT for businesses

The question to ask is, why are employees abandoning approved communication tools in the first place?

To uncover the reasoning, we need to delve into the uptick in ‘shadow IT’ use in the workplace. Shadow IT refers to employees using unapproved tools ‘in the shadows’, with organization leaders having little or no awareness of what is being used or how. This, in turn, creates a multitude of security issues, as these tools have not been properly vetted by an organization and therefore may have data security challenges that employees are unaware of when using them.

However, shadow IT is not a result of employees deliberately ignoring company policy, nor does it happen overnight. It develops gradually over time as employees become increasingly frustrated with the tools they are presented with at work that do not meet their own individual needs.

Particularly over the last six years, as hybrid work has increased dramatically, communication platforms often don’t fit naturally into day-to-day workflows.

Research shows that 71% of workers feel compelled to "make it work" with tools that were not designed for their needs, a figure that climbs to 79% among frontline workers.

The expectations around workplace communication have changed so much that many organizations are simply not set up to support employees in the right way anymore. Quick access to communication tools that offer flexibility is now crucial, but so is having systems that are easy to navigate.

For example, frontline or hybrid workers may need to respond quickly while away from their desks, making consumer messaging apps more convenient than approved workplace systems that were designed primarily for office-based use. The technology itself is not necessarily wrong, but it is not designed around the way people actually work, leading many employees to take matters into their own hands instead.

This complexity increases when we add AI into the mix. Shadow AI has seen a major uptick in UK organizations as legacy communication tools lack the AI capabilities employees today need to drive efficiency and innovation in their work. Our research found that 76% of workers use non-approved communication channels at work, significantly increasing the risk of cyber and compliance risks. To stop employees turning to their own preferred AI models, enterprises need to consider communication tools that already embed AI into workflows to improve productivity and day-to-day impact for teams.

We must remember that control, innovation, and employee experience are not competing priorities, but deeply interconnected. It is possible to provide the workforce with a streamlined communication tool stack that is efficient, easy to use, and supports their use of AI, while meeting compliance and control requirements.

Closing the communication experience gap is now essential for organizations that want to regain control, reduce risk and ensure technology investments deliver meaningful business impact.

The opportunity for partners

For channel partners, helping customers improve communication adoption presents far more than a services opportunity. It creates a route to becoming a trusted strategic adviser, supporting organizations with adoption, governance, integration, and AI readiness long after the initial deployment is complete.

The end goal for business leaders is to maximise ROI from their AI and communications tools. The ultimate way to achieve this is by streamlining tool overload to reduce spend and maximise operational efficiency, while ensuring that the chosen tools are delivering impact to employees in their day-to-day.

Channel partners are uniquely positioned to help businesses close this gap between technology implementation and real-world adoption. Customers need support not only with deploying new technologies, but with ensuring communication platforms are secure, intuitive, and aligned with how employees actually work. To maximise this support, there are four key areas that I believe channel partners can focus on to deliver real value to enterprises:

Assess organizational needs

Before implementing any new solutions, channel partners can help organizations take a step back and assess how their workforce is actually communicating. Different worker profiles, roles, and working environments will typically need different requirements, so a one-size-fits-all approach likely won’t deliver the best results.

By auditing existing tools, identifying gaps, and understanding the needs and working patterns of different employee groups, partners can help their customers determine the communications stack and solutions that will best support their workforce. This will ensure that technology decisions are driven by real-world needs from the start and create a stronger foundation for adoption and usability, as well as long-term value.

Training and usability

Channel partners can work with customers to establish robust and relevant training regimes that improve confidence, encourage adoption, and help employees get the most from the tools available to them. By improving adoption and confidence, partners can help organizations reduce reliance on unofficial communication channels and maximise the value of existing technology investments.

Strengthen governance

Governance is another area where many organizations continue to face challenges. Laws are changing all the time, especially when it comes to AI and automation. Channel partners have the opportunity to be the trusted voice that guides customers through the process with confidence, ensuring their chosen communication tools are compliant with evolving regulations while maintaining efficiency and usability.

The goal should be to embed governance into everyday workflows, rather than allowing it to become a barrier that encourages employees to seek alternative solutions.

Integration alignment

The final piece of the puzzle is ensuring communication tools fit within the wider organizational workflow. Can they connect to other business applications for a more integrated experience for the employee, or do they create additional steps that make the process more time-consuming?

By working closely with customers, channel partners can ensure communications infrastructure serves as a foundation for future AI initiatives, rather than a standalone technology investment.

The road ahead

The greatest opportunity for channel partners lies in helping customers bridge the gap between technology and employee experience.

Organizations are no longer looking for suppliers that simply deliver communications platforms. Indeed, they need trusted advisors who can help ensure those platforms are adopted, governed, and integrated in ways that improve productivity, reduce risk, and unlock greater value from AI and digital transformation investments.