What is a type of information system solution developed and utilized outside of the IT department?

Shadow IT refers to information systems and solutions that are developed and used by individuals or departments within an organization without the direct approval or oversight of the IT department. This phenomenon often arises when employees seek to work more efficiently by using tools that are not sanctioned by the organization's official procedures or systems. For example, a marketing team might use a cloud-based tool for project management without consulting IT, simply to meet their immediate needs.

The significance of shadow IT lies in its potential to improve productivity and innovation, as employees leverage resources that they find more effective or user-friendly. However, it also raises concerns around data security, compliance, and integration with existing systems, as these unsanctioned solutions might not adhere to the organization's standards or security protocols.

The other options, while related to information systems, do not reflect the aspect of being developed and utilized outside of the IT department. Enterprise IT focuses on organizational-wide systems managed by the IT department, cloud computing often involves resources managed by service providers rather than individual departments, and distributed systems refer to a network of independent computers that work together, typically managed within an IT framework.