Banning social networking a bad idea: Gartner

Orlando (Florida): The analysts at the Gartner Symposium have stated that the corporate computing departments should not block social networking and such security must not completely lock down communications with the outside world. The analysts told the attendees that even if the IT authorities want to shut down such activity, they cannot, reports CNET.

"Banning access to social media from the corporate network is futile. The world we live in is digitally enabled and socially connected," said Carol Rozwell, Vice President, Gartner.

Gartner's advice reflects the transformation of the IT world as the internet is spreading through everybody's life. The event has concerned itself with matters such as justifying the expense of a new enterprise resource management computing system, and the broadening show reflects the growing scope of work that IT managers face.

Peter Sondergaard, Senior Vice President, Research at Gartner opined that the companies must acknowledge that everything is not under control of their own top-down administration.

"We're moving from control to greater autonomy," said Sondergaard. The managers also must find an appropriate place on the spectrums of in here versus out there and owned versus shared.

Carol argued that humans are social creatures and that there lies more to employee relations than a paycheck for work. "While a job may be regarded as an economic transaction, the human brain thinks of the workplace as a social system. Social networking can make employees feel valued, a part of a community, and earn the respect of peers," said Carol.

The employees should get used to a greater corporate presence in their social networking lives. These social networking sites can reveal previously unknown influence and performance in employees for the companies, and they should tell employees that corporate conduct rules apply online also.

"We can't stop social networking, but harnessing the passion of employees and educating them about the responsibilities is essential," said Carol.

Another Gartner Vice President Paul Proctor argued that computing security is also changing. The IT security staff should think carefully before exercising a reflex to prevent employees from communicating with Facebook's e-mail or Skype's internet telephony.

The companies should rationally evaluate the services like Gmail and decide whether the potential cost savings might well be worth the risks taken. Also, evaluating such services will be a big step for the IT departments habitual of being able to rule their own domain.

"You cannot protect yourself from everything. You must learn to balance risk and performance. The cloud and software as a service have appeal, but they introduce a huge shift in how technology is managed and controlled," said Proctor.

The software for intrusion detection, antivirus, and firewall protection is still essential, opined Proctor. But he also said that there are limits to what is practical. "Do not try to shut down the two way flow of information, because you cannot stop it. Transparency is in," said Proctor.