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In this age of "instant information" is it shortsighted to block social networking sites within an organisation purely because of stories in the press relating to scams, misuse and threats?
Is it time for a re-think?
With the increase in the number of organisations embracing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) this trend is only going to grow.
So perhaps now is the time to look at educating users about the issues, and empowering them to use these tools responsibly, rather than trying to block access; after all, this may turn into a battle you can’t win.
So, how do you educate users about social networking sites and the issues around them?
- Passwords
Teach users about good password management including password strength (difficult to guess but easy to remember), password security (keep it to yourself) and using different passwords for different sites (a password is only as strong as the weakest system you use it on).
- Scams, clickjacking and fake apps
Teach users how to spot something that is attempting to drive traffic, harvest data or steal identities. If people are aware of what can happen they may be less inclined to click anything-and-everything in the hope of a free gift.
- Sensible sharing
Social networking sites can be restricted to allow only a limited number of people to access data and information. If you have a target audience, do you need to tell ‘everyone’ or only those you wish to educate? Teaching people how to amend these settings to protect themselves will help you protect any corporate data you wish to place on there.
- Monitoring (for employees)
Social networks send emails relating to access, posts and mentions. Monitoring these will highlight any potential misuse which can be stopped before it gets too severe.
- Monitoring (for employers)
Regular checks of internet usage will show any misuse of social networking sites. All employees should be aware you are monitoring internet access and that misuse will be investigated. This should act as a deterrent for anyone who wishes to misuse the privilege and use corporate resources to "check their CityVille..." or "click that link for a free iPad..."
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Via Gust MEES
