How to Use Web 2.0 and Social Networking Sites Securely: A Pocket Guide

by Alan Calder

Overview

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 “friends” 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 secure
• Protect 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 company
• Protect 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 risk
• Improve 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781849281140
Publisher:	IT Governance Ltd
Publication date:	01/15/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	75
File size:	746 KB

About the Author

Alan is the author of "IT Governance - a Manager's Guide" and a founder director of IT Governance Ltd. Before that, he was CEO of Wide Learning, a supplier of e-learning, of Focus Central London and, before that, of Business Link London City Partners (BLLCP). He was also a member of the DTI's Information Age Competitiveness Working Group.

He was for many years a member of theDNVCertification Services Certification Committee, which certifies compliance with international standards including ISO27001/BS7799.

Alan works with a wide range of clients on IT governance and information security projects which include design, implementation and deployment of management systems and thedevelopment and writing of White Papers.He alsospeaks at seminars and presentationson IT governance, regulatory compliance and information security. Alan can be contacted [e-mail].