Data to improve support - social media access blocking Gartner

Social media like Facebook and Twitter increasingly getting entwined with new generation lifestyle, the number of companies blocking access to all social media is dropping by around 10 % a year, according to technology research company Gartner. "Even in those organisations that block all access to social media, blocks tend not to be complete," said Andrew Walls, Research Vice-President at Gartner inc company. About 30 % of the big organizations will continue to block employees' access like social media sites by 2014, compared to 50 % in 2010, according to the United States of America - headquartered company. "Certain departments and processes, such as marketing, require access to external social media, and employees can circumvent blocks by using personal devices such as smartphones. 

Organisations need to turn their attention to the impacts of social media on identity and access management (IAM)," the statement said. The social media environments include mechanisms to collect, process, share and store a more complete range of identity data than do corporate IAM systems. They enable a more complete view of identity, one that extends beyond the bounds of organisations. For IAM managers, this is both a threat and an opportunity, it said. Identity data and social media site platforms can expose organizations and users to a wide variety of security threats, but organizations can also use this identity data to improve support for their own IAM practices and the ambitions of business stakeholders, it was noted.