Towards ‘social’ security

Social networking is a common Catch-22 for businesses – allow access to social media sites and the business is opened up to malicious content, phishing schemes and other evils. Declare all social media sites off-limits and employees become frustrated, find workarounds or work elsewhere. The key is to achieve a safe compromise – through an acceptable-use policy tailored to each specific organisation''s risk profile, and enforced through next-generation technologies. Clearly documenting ground rules, expectations and repercussions for out-of-policy behaviour will ensure that end users are aware of what''s considered acceptable use of social vehicles, explains Chris Jenkins of Dimension Data. It''s a common Catch-22 for many business and IT departments: allow access to social media sites and the business is opened up to malicious content, phishing schemes and other evils. Declare all social media sites off-limits and employees become frustrated, find workarounds or simply elect to work elsewhere. The key is to achieve a safe compromise – through an acceptable use policy tailored to each specific organisation''s risk profile, and enforced through next-generation technologies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]