Store · Consulting, Governance & Compliance
Your team has already adopted artificial intelligence. You just were not told.
Shadow IT is the software that enters the company without going through IT; shadow AI is the same thing with artificial intelligence tools. Today, in companies of five to five thousand people, this happens every day, quietly: an employee pastes a sales spreadsheet into ChatGPT to summarize it, marketing signs up for a dozen apps on the company card, a whole team comes to depend on an AI tool no one assessed. None of these decisions went through a meeting, and that is exactly why no one sees them. You cannot protect, budget or govern what you cannot see, and what you cannot see is today most of the software your company uses.
Adoption is already the rule, not the exception. In Microsoft's 2025 work trends index, most people who use artificial intelligence at work bring their own tool, outside any IT approval. (Microsoft Work Trend Index 2025)
Company data is already leaving through AI. About half of employees have already pasted company information into artificial intelligence tools, and most of that goes through personal accounts the company cannot see. (LayerX Enterprise AI and SaaS Data Security Report 2025)
And it already costs money. In IBM's 2025 cost of a data breach report, one in five organizations has already had a breach tied to shadow AI, which added up to $670,000 to the average incident. (IBM Cost of a Data Breach 2025)
If a client or an audit asked today which artificial intelligence tools your company uses and where your data ends up, could you answer with a list, or would you have to guess?
The real problem
Your company's biggest IT risk is what no one decided to adopt
None of these scenes is sabotage. They are good people trying to work faster with the tools at hand. The problem is not the intent; it is the invisibility. Here is where the software and AI no one approved cost you, without making a sound:
The report that became training for some AI
An employee pastes the billing spreadsheet, the client list or the contract into a free artificial intelligence tool to summarize or rewrite it. In seconds, the company's most sensitive data left its control and landed in a service no one assessed, often through a personal account. There was no intrusion. The information walked out the front door, with good intentions.
The dozen apps that came in on the credit card
A team needed a tool, signed up with the company card and moved on. Repeat that in every department and, before long, dozens of apps hold company data without IT knowing they exist. Finance sees the charges, but no one knows which services hold client data, which ask for the corporate password, or which stay active months after the person left.
The licenses you pay for and almost no one opens
The company pays for fifty subscriptions of a tool, and eighteen people actually open it in a month. Two teams bought services that do the same thing, without knowing. This waste does not show up in a meeting because no one has the picture of who really uses what; it only shows up on the invoice, every month, hidden in plain sight.
The audit that asks for the list you do not have
An audit, a demanding client or the cyber insurer shows up with a question that has become standard: list every artificial intelligence tool in use and every place company data lives. Without an inventory, the answer is a days-long hunt, incomplete, that no one can vouch for. And a fragile answer at the wrong moment costs the contract, the policy or the trust.
The tool that became essential without anyone deciding
A team built its entire work around an artificial intelligence tool that came in without assessment. Today, removing that tool breaks the operation, but no one ever looked at the contract, the data security or what happens if the service raises the price or shuts down. The company came to depend on something it never chose, and finds that out on the day it is already too late to choose.
None of these moments is the fault of whoever runs IT. It is the lack of a picture of what the company really uses. That is exactly what Shadow IT & Shadow AI Discovery puts in place of the dark: the light that shows every tool, every AI and every data flow, so you decide with information, not with a scare.
What it is
The light on the software and AI your company already uses, operated by Zamak
Shadow IT & Shadow AI Discovery is a continuous service, operated by Zamak, that reveals the real usage of software and artificial intelligence in your company. A lightweight component, installed on machines and browsers by the same tool Zamak already uses to run your environment, observes what is actually opened and used, not just what was bought. It names the AI tools in use, such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude and Gemini, and the software that came in without going through IT, and classifies each one as approved, unapproved, AI or unused. From there, you have the conversation that was impossible before: what stays, what is reviewed and what should go. It is the first step of artificial intelligence governance: first you see, then you govern, and only then, if you want, you block.
It discovers real usage, not what you imagine
Instead of counting logins or trusting a written policy, the discovery observes behavior: which applications and AI tools are actually opened, how often and where. A lightweight component on machines and browser visibility show the true picture, including web AI tools, so you stop guessing and start knowing.
It names and classifies every tool
Each application and each artificial intelligence tool gets a name and a label: approved, unapproved, AI or unused. The AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude and Gemini, stand out, and the software no one authorized comes out of the shadow. Risk stops being a hunch and becomes a list, with a number beside it, that you can take into a meeting.
It opens the governance conversation, without blocking
With the picture in hand, discovery becomes decision: a catalog of what is approved, a periodic review with Zamak and the savings from licenses no one uses. This service discovers and classifies; it does not block. When you want to stop data from leaving through an AI in real time, that is the next step, managed cybersecurity, and the discovery is the map that says where to point it.
Not sure how many AI tools your company already uses without anyone approving them? Zamak's free AI exposure check shows the first signs in a few minutes.
What is included
The discovery that reveals, and the intelligence that becomes decision
Two deliveries in one service: the map that shows the software and AI your company really uses, and the intelligence that turns that map into governance and savings. All operated by Zamak, alongside your team.
The map: discovery and classification
Where the hidden software and AI are now seen, named and labeled.
- Continuous discovery of real usage of applications and AI tools on every machine and browser.
- Detection of the artificial intelligence tools in use, such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude and Gemini, and others.
- Surfacing of the unapproved software that came in outside IT, with the picture of who uses what.
- Classification of each tool as approved, unapproved, AI or unused, with the risk quantified.
- Monthly usage comparison, so you see AI and software adoption grow before it becomes a surprise.
The intelligence: governance and savings
What to do with the map: decide, standardize and cut the waste, with Zamak alongside.
- A catalog of what is approved, so discovery becomes an operating standard, not a one-off scare.
- Findings of unused and duplicate licenses before renewal, so you stop paying for what no one opens.
- A periodic review with Zamak, which brings the updated picture and the decisions to make in each cycle.
- The foundation ready for compliance governance, when you want the full program with rules and proof.
- Zamak's continuous operation keeping discovery alive and classification up to date, alongside your team.
Tech specs
How the discovery works, under the hood
For those who want to look under the hood: how usage is discovered, what is detected, how each tool is classified and how it is all deployed with no machine-by-machine work. Behavior-based discovery, delivered by the same operations tool Zamak already runs in your environment.
Lightweight component on machines
A lightweight agent on the company's computers observes which applications are actually opened and used, how often and where time is spent. It measures real behavior, not seat counts or stale inventory, so the picture reflects what the team actually does, not what an old spreadsheet says.
Browser visibility
Since much of artificial intelligence and modern software lives on the web, the discovery also sees browser usage, on supported browsers. That is what brings web AI tools into the picture: without this layer, ChatGPT or Gemini opened in a tab would stay invisible, which is exactly where shadow AI tends to live.
Artificial intelligence tool detection
The discovery recognizes the AI tools in use in the environment, such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude and Gemini, among others, and separates them from the rest of the software. That is what lets you answer, with a real list, the question audits, clients and insurers have started to ask: which AI tools your company uses today.
Classification by approval and by usage
Each tool is labeled as approved, unapproved, artificial intelligence or unused, with a monthly comparison of usage among them. It is the classification that turns a raw list of apps into a decision: what to sanction, what to review, what to switch off for risk and what to cut for waste. The judgment stays yours; the discovery only makes it possible.
Deployment through Zamak's operations tool
The discovery component is distributed at scale by the same remote management tool Zamak already uses to run your environment, with no manual machine-by-machine install. That makes discovery feasible across the whole company at once, and keeps it running continuously, without becoming yet another project that drains the team.
Usage reports and license optimization
The discovery generates usage reports that show the adoption of each tool over time and point out unused and duplicate licenses before renewal. It is the intelligence that, beyond reducing risk, finds idle money: the subscription no one uses, the service bought twice, the license left over since the person left.
Shadow IT & Shadow AI Discovery is billed per company served, not per device, which keeps the cost predictable as your team grows. The discovery leans on the same operations tool Zamak already uses in your environment, and this service discovers and classifies; real-time blocking is the managed cybersecurity layer.
It is the difference between hoping no one is using the wrong AI with the wrong data and knowing, with a list, what your company uses, who uses it and what to decide about each tool.
Take this documentation to present to decision-makers.
How it compares
Managed discovery, next to the common ways of knowing what the company uses
Most companies find out what they use in one of two ways: by asking around and trusting a written policy, or by looking at a one-time inventory or the expense report. See what changes when discovery is continuous, behavior-based and operated by Zamak.
How you find out about usage
Zamak's delivery
Zamak's managed discovery
By real behavior, what is actually opened and used
Asking and trusting the policy
By the goodwill of whoever answers the question
One-time inventory or expenses
By what was bought, not by what is used
Web AI tools
Zamak's delivery
Zamak's managed discovery
Detected through the browser and named, one by one
Asking and trusting the policy
Invisible: no one declares what they use on the side
One-time inventory or expenses
Out of reach: they leave no purchase trail
How current the picture is
Zamak's delivery
Zamak's managed discovery
Continuous, with month-to-month comparison
Asking and trusting the policy
Valid only on the day someone asked
One-time inventory or expenses
An old snapshot that ages fast
What you do with the finding
Zamak's delivery
Zamak's managed discovery
Classification, catalog and review with Zamak
Asking and trusting the policy
A list of intentions no one follows up
One-time inventory or expenses
A spreadsheet no one revisits
Unused licenses and waste
Zamak's delivery
Zamak's managed discovery
Pointed out before renewal, with real usage
Asking and trusting the policy
Slip by: no one measures who opens it
One-time inventory or expenses
Show up only on the invoice, too late
Who operates and maintains
Zamak's delivery
Zamak's managed discovery
Zamak operates the discovery alongside your team
Asking and trusting the policy
You yourself, when you remember to ask
One-time inventory or expenses
No one: it is a report that sits idle
Comparison between the common ways of discovering the software and AI in use in the market. The Zamak column describes only what we deliver and operate for you, and this service discovers and classifies, without blocking.
From risk to impact
From invisible usage to business impact
Sensitive data is pasted into an AI tool no one approved.
Company information out of control and a breach cost IBM already measures in hundreds of thousands of dollars.
How managed discovery responds
Continuous discovery that names the AI tools in use, so you act before data leaves in the dark.
Apps bought outside IT pile up client data without anyone knowing.
Attack surface and a compliance gap no one mapped, until an incident or an audit exposes it.
How managed discovery responds
Surfacing of the unapproved software, with the picture of who uses what and where the data ends up.
The audit, the client or the insurer asks for the list of every AI and every software in use.
Days of hunting, an incomplete answer and the risk of losing the contract, the policy or the trust.
How managed discovery responds
A named and classified inventory that answers in one report, not in a week of spreadsheet.
The company pays for licenses almost no one opens and for services bought in duplicate.
Money that leaks every month on the invoice, without ever becoming a topic because no one has the usage picture.
How managed discovery responds
Usage reports that point out unused and duplicate licenses before renewal, to cut the waste.
In all these cases, what changes is not luck. It is trading the dark for a picture of what the company really uses, with the classification alongside, before the problem, or the invoice, arrives.
For every role
What changes for each role in your company
The same discovery that lights up the hidden software and AI, read through the eyes of whoever decides, owns compliance and runs the environment.
Owner and founder
Build it, protect it, grow its value.
You cannot protect or grow the value of what you cannot see. The discovery turns the invisible software and AI of the company you built into a clear list, so you decide with information instead of finding out in an incident. It lowers the risk no one can even measure today and shows a buyer or a partner a company that knows what it uses.
Manager and director
Predictable cost. Proof on the spot.
When the audit, the client or the cyber insurer asks for the list of every artificial intelligence and every software in use, you hand over a report, not a week of hunting. And the same discovery that closes that risk finds idle money: the licenses no one opens and the services bought twice, cut before the next renewal. The cost is predictable, per company.
IT lead and team
A secure extension of your team.
You did not approve the shadow IT, but you are the one who answers for it when something goes wrong. The discovery gives you the evidence you were missing to have the conversation: a list of what the company really uses, with the risk beside it, to take to leadership instead of fighting alone. The discovery works alongside the team, gives you the map and the argument, and you stay in command. It reinforces the team, never takes its place.
IT partner and provider
Enter the AI conversation with data.
Bring your clients shadow IT and AI discovery as a recurring service under your brand, without building the platform and the operation yourself. You enter the hottest conversation in the market, the one about artificial intelligence, with a real picture of what the client uses, not with an opinion. Zamak runs the discovery in the backline at your side, and you keep the relationship and the authority.
Why Zamak
Why Zamak
Discovering what a company uses takes more than a tool: it takes someone to operate the discovery with discipline, read the picture every month and turn the list into a decision, alongside whoever runs IT. Zamak does that. We deploy the discovery through the same tool we already use to run your environment, keep the classification alive and bring the governance conversation to the table. And we are honest about the boundary: this service discovers and classifies; it does not block. We show the truth first, alongside your team, never in its place, and the next step, if you want it, is yours to decide.
In the end, it is the difference between hoping no one is using the wrong AI with the wrong data and having, in hand, the map of what your company really uses, with the classification alongside and someone operating behind it, before any problem arrives.
Serving companies that cannot stop · Microsoft Solutions Partner · Addee (N-able) Elite Group · Great Place to Work.
Zamak operates the discovery with the same governance discipline it applies internally, and is transparent about what the service does and what stays in the cybersecurity layer, alongside your team.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
See also Compliance Management (GRC) · IT Asset Lifecycle Management (ITAM)
Start now
Turn the light on the software and AI your company already uses.
In a few weeks, you trade the dark for a map: every application and every artificial intelligence tool in use, named and classified as approved, unapproved, AI or unused, with the governance conversation on the table and the wasted licenses pointed out. It discovers and classifies, without blocking, so you decide with information. Talk to Zamak and stop guessing what your company uses.
Request a proposal
Tell us in a few fields the size of your team and your moment. A specialist from your country sizes the discovery and the price with you, with no need to replace what you already use, and live in a few weeks.
Talk to a specialist
Prefer to talk first? Book a conversation and we will understand your environment, your team and where AI and software already came in without you seeing.
See managed cybersecurity
After discovering, you may want to block. See Zamak's managed cybersecurity, the layer that stops data from leaving in real time, where the discovery points the way.