Corporations cannot risk ignoring social media, says Gartner

A Birmingham man is set to be the first in the UK to stand trial for harassment using Facebook. Workers will increasingly turn to insecure public social software if companies do not provide corporate alternatives, a technology and business analyst has warned.

In a report on the use of social software and media in business, Gartner research director Anthony Bradley said that users would turn to social software and techniques, and that businesses must examine their usefulness or risk being left behind. He said that if corporations did not adopt them they risked their data flowing out to consumer-grade, public platforms.

"The demand from workers is escalating and they can and are turning to the consumer internet if their corporate technology provider isn’t offering a solution," he said.

“Some enterprises have achieved substantial results with social software, and many enterprises are now experimenting with the technology," he said. "Organisations need to exploit this growing consumer literacy for business purposes and prepare a social software strategy with a realistic understanding of the associated challenges, risks and benefits.”

Full story at Out-Law