CIOs getting stricter about social networking

Twitter may have finally found a business model and Facebook may be getting more serious about privacy and safety on its site, but social networking doesn't appear to be getting any easier in the enterprise. More than a third of CIOs recently surveyed have been cracking down on social media.

The survey, created by Robert Half Technology, asked 1,400 CIOs in the United States how they have had to re-evaluate their IT policies concerning social networking. Twenty-three percent said they have implemented stricter policies regarding personal use of social media sites, and 15 percent they have become stricter regarding business use. Only 17 percent said they have become more lenient.

"The challenge for companies is balancing the benefits of social media in the workplace with the risks," said Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half Technology. "To be effective, guidelines should include input from stakeholders throughout the organization, including IT, legal, human resources, marketing, public relations and front-line employees."  

There is tremendous pressure on organizations to allow workers to use social networking sites, and it comes not just from employees but from analysts and even the federal government. As we reported earlier, the White House last week joined the chorus of social networking proponents by clarifying the paperwork burden that agencies face when interacting with the public online.

Ed Sperling writes this week in Forbes that social networking isn't as perilous for enterprises as it once was. As companies have streamlined datacenters, networks have become more secure. With less complexity, less data and consistent processes, it is easier to detect breaches and discover their origin. What's more, there are improved technologies for monitoring traffic and spotting potential compromises. All of this, in Sperling's view, means that it is harder for hackers and other bad elements to use social networks against the organization.