Award-winning Australian IT innovator, Netbox Blue says companies are exposing themselves to grave reputational, productivity and even legal risks by allowing staff to use social media without appropriate controls. Netbox Blue has just released a wide ranging white paper - Protection and Promotion: with the right social media policy and technology you can have it all, which outlines how companies can harness the power of Web 2.0 without putting their business on the line.

“Research indicates that around 54% of companies use social media, yet 75% of
businesses don’t have a formal policy in place for social media use during work
hours. This should set alarm bells ringing. Social media is an effective business
tool but used without controls it can be very destructive”.
John Fison, Netbox Blue, Chairman

The white paper outlines some of the key risks to business:

- Reputational damage as a result of inappropriate, offensive or confidential information published on a social network site.

- Productivity loss as a result of employees spending prolonged periods of time on social networking sites on non-work related business or downloading unauthorised applications.

- Legal implications are a significant threat to businesses as they can be held liable for any compliance, legal or OH&S breaches such as bullying, sexual harassment, defamation, downloading and viewing inappropriate content or illegal applications.

“Reputations have been ruined by careless Tweets and Facebook posts.
Companies need to put an Acceptable Use Policy in place for social media and
then enforce it with appropriate technology”.
John Fison, Netbox Blue, Chairman

The white paper explores practical steps to make social networking work. This starts by linking Web 2.0 strategy to the overall business strategy, educating staff on legal issues such as copyright infringement and the implications of posting offensive content, then enforcing policies with the latest technology.

Netbox Blue’s all-in-one Borderless Internet Compliance framework helps manage social media and Web 2.0 use in ways that have not been possible before. This includes controls for all devices on the company network as well as policy enforcement and alerting on devices used outside the network (on 3G or WiFi for example).

Netbox Blue is also offering a template Acceptable Use Policy and a free Cyber Safety Risk Assessment so companies can understand the effectiveness of their existing internet management solutions and see where changes need to be made.

“Social media has been described as a virtual toilet wall and businesses need to
arm themselves with the best information and tools available to make sure their
names don’t end up there for the wrong reason”.
John Fison, Netbox Blue, Chairman

Available for Interview: John Fison, Chairman, Netbox Blue

Click here to download white paper