Keeping companies safe on social media
A growing number of companies are turning to social media sites like Facebook as an affordable means of promoting their brand and interacting with customers. However, there are a number of online security risks managers should be aware before moving ahead with projects on these platforms.
According to a recent study from MarketTools researchers, 68 percent of the companies surveyed reported having an active presence in social media. Facebook was the most popular site, with nearly half of all organizations using the platform. However, the customer-facing nature of these projects make it all the more important to avoid embarrassing, and potentially costly, security issues.
"Companies are pumping more and more time and money into a platform over which they have little control," noted InformationWeek contributor Debra Donston-Miller.
To protect their online identities, Donston-Miller suggests that companies begin by implementing acceptable use policies to govern employee behavior and let them know how to get the most out of their efforts on the site. Changes to these policies should also be communicated to both internal and external end-users to foster understanding and enhance accountability.
Password protection is also a key area identified by Donston-Miller. Instead of sharing passwords across teams and departments, setting up a centralized password manager may help companies establish a better first line of defense.
