Executive's Guide to IT Governance: Improving Systems Processes with Service Management, COBIT, and ITIL

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

Impact of Social Media Computing

NEW TYPES AND STYLES OF IT APPLICATIONS AND CONCEPTS have grown massively in recent years, with some significant new applications based on what are called social media systems, with names such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and many others. These applications were originally directed at individual users, allowing them to post notes, pictures, and other friendly message materials over the Internet and among generally personal friends. Examples would be a teenager posting her picture and descriptions of a high school prom dance or proud parents posting photos and information on their new baby. These systems and messaging processes are generally known as social media computing applications, and many of their messages are very brief and sent via the texting functions available on many cellular phones. Social media systems are great tools for communication and certainly go beyond and for many are more popular than the Internet e-mail so common in today’s business environment. Social network computing applications often can raise IT governance issues when used in enterprise business environments.

The objective of this chapter is not to provide detailed guidance on the use or technical aspects of these social computing systems or applications but to discuss IT governance issues when an enterprise that has freely allowed or even installed these systems is confronted with social computing governance and internal control issues. These ...