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THE BEST WAY TO BE SAFE IS TO BE OPEN
Security is, in many organizations, the last bastion of IT power and influence, but what are we so afraid of? Are our worries about security limiting our ability to work? Might using social tools be the safest thing we could do?
Fears about security are amongst the reasons most frequently given for not allowing the use of social media in organizations. The perceived risk is presumably that allowing people to use these tools while at work makes it easier for them to be indiscreet and share inappropriate information. There are a couple of problems with this – which people are we talking about and what is our current definition of “at work”?
Firstly who is it that leaks important information from organizations? Is it the lowly member of staff “wasting time” on Twitter – or is it the senior executive poached by a competitor specifically for his ability and willingness to share with them what he knows about your organization? In truth it is anyone who has become disaffected enough with your organization to wish to do you damage.
The second problem is with “at work”. Increasingly people are “working” at all times of the day or night – any time they can get a connection to the Internet. This can be at work, at home on their work computer, at home on their own computer, or even in a local cafe on their smart phone. The clear lines between what is at work and what is not have long gone. Likewise the firewall. Organizations still have firewalls, ...
