As Enterprises Embrace Web 2.0 Technology to Drive Business

WorkLight Urges Companies to Secure Their Interfaces

(26.06.08) - As senior managers were this week enthusing over the business benefits of embracing Web 2.0 technologies, WorkLight, the Web 2.0 security specialist, has warned companies to examine the security issues associated with allowing staff unfettered access to such sites.

Speaking at Forrester Research’s annual IT Forum, Peter Hambling, the CIO at Lloyds of London, has been extolling the benefits of Web 2.0 noting there are considerable benefits to insurance companies using these sites as a powerful information resource. Hambling's counterpart at Bacardi Martini, Francois Jolles, meanwhile, referred to significant analysis of customer perceptions through the use of social networks and other Web 2.0 resources.

"To maintain such significant added-value, staff using Web 2.0 facilities should be provided with safeguarded access to protect corporate data,” said David Lavenda, WorkLight's vice president of marketing and product strategy.

According to Lavenda, the Forrester event's speakers confirm what WorkLight has known for some time, namely that the sales and company profile uplift that can result from using Web 2.0 services, such as Facebook and iGoogle, represent an excellent return on investment (ROI).

"Companies looking to drive more business using popular Web 2.0 tools can offer their staff a user-friendly and highly personalised environment much like the one they use at home" he added. "This holds significant value to both internal corporate business interactions, as well as communications with trusted channels, partners, distributors and customers."

Lavenda went on to say that moving staff at companies with 500 or more employees over to WorkLight's technology effectively "consumerizes" the corporate computing experience, and puts the home internet experience into customer and third-party business interactions.

"And perhaps more importantly, it also gives the employees a safe and secure platform within which to help boost the company's bottom line, which is something that all businesses aspire to," he said.

For more on the Forrester annual IT forum speeches: http://tinyurl.com/5uwn4m.

(WorkLight: ra)