How to Use Web 2.0 and Social Networking Sites Securely

This pocket guide tells you the steps your organisation should take to ensure that your employees are using Web 2.0 sites in a secure manner, and that your confidential corporate data is protected.This guide will help you to Protect your business information Web 2.0 technologies are easily exploited as a point of entry for hackers and malware. The use of social networking sites by your employees may make your business more vulnerable to social engineering, when so-called &quote;friends&quote; approach them on Facebook and ask them for confidential information about your company. The pocket guide explains the risks associated with social networking sites, and tells you what you should do to ensure your organisation is secureProtect your organisation's reputation Any confidential or private information relating to your organisation that finds its way onto a blog or a Facebook page is out there for good. This is why your employees need to be made aware of the importance of protecting company data. PR considerations mean it is a good idea to monitor what is being said on Web 2.0 sites about your companyProtect your staff Your staff may have a genuine need to use social networking sites to share knowledge and stay in touch with business contacts. However, the informal nature of social media may give employees a false sense of security, and lead them to disclose personal information that will later be used against them, putting them at risk of credit card fraud or identity theft. With this pocket guide, your employees will be able to enjoy the practical advantages of social media without putting themselves at unnecessary riskImprove productivity In the workplace, social networking sites can become a distraction, resulting in loss of productivity. Establishing an acceptable use policy on Web 2.0 technologies in the workplace will not only improve your information security, but also make your staff more productive.Websites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter have transformed the way we use the Internet. These social networking and file-sharing sites are known as Web 2.0 technologies, and many people now spend several hours a day on such sites. Websites which show user-generated content have enabled greater online cooperation and stimulated creativity. However, Web 2.0 technologies have also led to increased security risks.Many more websites and web pages have appeared but, because they are put up by private individuals rather than corporate entities, they are far less secure, making them a soft target for hackers and malware. The growing use of Web 2.0 technologies in the workplace has made your organisation more vulnerable both to viruses and spyware, as well as to social engineering and phishing attacks.Make sure that Web 2.0 does compromise your information security.