Secure Enterprise 2.0 Blog

I just read a(nother) great post on ReadWriteWeb, where Sarah Perez says business adoption of web 2.0 is happening right now. Her conclusion echoes Forrester’s message - any business which has failed to get in line, will lose out.

Interestingly enough she points to a recent 60 Minutes story that focuses on how Millennials are changing the corporate culture –

It’s fascinating to watch, and bit quirky to see how “old media” tries to cover a “new-media” phenomenon. In my opinion, the report slightly exaggerates when describing parents’ involvement in their kids’ professional world. But the underlining message is spot-on – the Millennials are coming!

It’s great to finally see that businesses are coming to the same conclusion – in order to retain and attract the incoming tech savvy workforce, and encourage collaboration and increased productivity, Web 2.0 should be shown through the coveted corporate front doors.

In fact, Gartner has just announced the top ten disruptive technologies to affect business over the next five years, and guess what? Social software and social networking, which are just a couple of elements in Enterprise 2.0 toolbox, are on the list.

Like it or not, it’s primetime for Enterprise 2.0

eWEEK just came out with an interesting survey on how and why businesses are “diving into Web 2.0 Waters“.

Over half of survey respondents said their companies are allowing access to social networks at work. Granted, with a pool of some 282 IT professionals, we can’t claim victory just yet. But this is still an important indicator of how enterprises are gravitating towards social consumer technology.

There is good news and bad news that arise out of this survey:

Want the good news first? - When asked what are the drivers for implementing Web 2.0 tools at work, over 70 percent said they are looking for improved communications and collaboration internally and 49 percent said they are looking to reach consumers. In other words, Enterprise 2.0 tools (social networks, RSS, social bookmarking, blogs, etc) are becoming valid business tools.

The bad news? Wherever access is blocked, workers are using these tools unsanctioned by IT or management, putting enterprise data at risk. Nearly half of respondents revealed at least one rogue Web 2.0 app at their company. The security risks are considerable if companies do not provide a secure environment for their employees.

And how are companies dealing with the groundswell? Not very effectively. When asked whether their companies had implemented policies regulating the use of Web 2.0 technologies by employees, only 28 percent said yes.

So there is still much more work to be done, though the benefits of using Web 2.0 to get things done at work are already stepping into the limelight.

Gartner is reporting on how enterprise 2.0 solutions and social applications can actually drive business.

“The opportunity for social software in enterprise or “Enterprise 2.0 technologies” lies in capturing informal customer comments about products, said David Cearley, research fellow at Gartner.”

Socialprise, as it has also been called, is a catalyst for both internal and external innovation. Internally, Web 2.0 is lowering the fences between employees, business units, teams and organization branches, allowing some to jump right over to collaborate or seek advice and expertise. And when it comes to reaching consumers, the same corporate fences open up doorways for fruitful dialogue between businesses and customers.

Out of these discussions arise innovative thinking and novel solutions.

One pathway for this change is of course the social network, be it MySpace, Facebook, Hi5, or any other popular services. The appeal for these consumer technologies is growing rapidly, with IDC revealing a 191 percent growth rate for social networks in the US in 2007.

Of course, when such powerful social tools make their way to the enterprise, into the “walled garden”, security and privacy concerns often arise. Some organizations prefer to “lock out and lock down“, but social networks are a force that must be reckoned with inside the organization. People simply find ways around these policies - as Stephen Collins says - “If you want to find out what tools your staff are finding most useful at the moment, just go and see what your IT department is blocking.”

Companies need to establish secure environments for Web 2.0 tools in the workplace, and the industry needs to pull together some good minds to address security challenges. One initiative is already under way - The Secure Enterprise 2.0 Forum.

Just keep in mind that at the end of the day it all adds up -

“Enterprise 2.0/Web 2.0 tools aren’t about the technology,” Collins says. “These tools provide an easy-to-use platform for staff, clients and other stakeholders to engage with each other, to share information and collaborate. Failing to allow staff to do their jobs properly with the best tools can cost a big company millions of dollars.”

Think about it.

Yonni

Hi, my name is Shahar, and I am a Web 2.0 CEO.

Don’t worry, this is not a “Web 2.0 Anonymous” 12-step declaration… just the best way to describe how I approach my business.

Web 2.0 drills deep into the organization, affecting employees and managers alike. I have heard critics warn that managers relinquish control when employees are allowed to use consumer tools to get things done at work, but I see it as just a better way to drive innovation and creativity.

Remember how difficult it was to get team members to offer real input on your projects, moreover from colleagues across business units and locations? Or how you had to prepare a presentation on a topic you knew nothing about in 15 minutes for the big boys on the top floor? …Of course the next day you realized that a coworker down the hall had done these presentations just about a million times, and could have lent a hand.

As a manager, your team members can share their expertise and work together in new ways, whether sharing information securely on Facebook, or tracking social bookmarks posted by colleagues through del.icio.us. If you give them the tools, or better yet, allow them to pick their own tools – they will surprise you.

So here’s what I recommend –

• Don’t block technology, embrace it if it can bring you closer to your business goals
• Breed an open corporate culture, one that allows you to hear different and sometimes opposing views from your employees

Simple as that, and you will soon see marked improvement in your team’s performance.

Shahar