Organisations should monitor employee IT use

Using Web 2.0 technologies like instant messaging (IM) and social networking has its benefits, but employers need to be aware of the risks involved, according to FaceTime Communications.

A survey by the security firm found that 77 per cent of respondents said they could access IM at work, but a third said they had sent a message to the wrong person – for instance sending negative comments about a co-worker to a manager, reports vnunet.com.

Malware was found to be another danger, with 16 per cent of respondents having clicked on an attachment or link in a message that turned out to be malware, and 42 per cent saying that their current anti-virus software did not catch it.

"Enabling IM and other types of Web 2.0 communication can bring great benefits to companies, but IT departments need to consider the risks involved and make sure that security, policy control and compliance are introduced as standard best practice," said Nick Sears, FaceTime Communications vice president.

Last month, analyst firm Gartner said that the potential of social networking for business purposes remains largely untapped, but it is set to become increasingly important to the competitiveness of firms in the future.

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