National Monitor
Lack of clear policies also contributing to uncertainty
VERNON HILLS, Ill. – February 16, 2010 – According to a new social media survey by CDW LLC, organizations may not be fully using social media due to concerns about maintaining the integrity of confidential information and threats to information security. The survey revealed that 83 percent of corporate IT decision makers and 92 percent of federal government IT decision makers cite information security as their top concern regarding the use of social media in their organizations.
Just over half (51 percent) of IT decision makers at organizations using social media say clear policies about the use of social media have not been provided to employees, contributing to concerns about how information is used and controlled.
“Organizations may be missing key opportunities to maintain existing relationships with current customers and are missing opportunities to reach new prospects through social media,” said Thomas E. Richards, president and chief operating officer, CDW. “As a first step, organizations need to assess their security risk and develop a network security solution to help ease these concerns. From an internal perspective, it’s also important to have clear guidelines to help the entire organization understand how to start taking advantage of the new opportunities that social media provides while still maintaining the integrity of sensitive information.”
In addition to security concerns, 30 percent of IT decision makers whose organizations use social media feel their employer does not maximize its full potential. Small businesses are more likely than their large business counterparts to feel that their companies do not maximize social media to its full potential (41 percent compared to 21 percent, respectively) and government IT decision makers see even greater room for improvement. Almost half (48 percent) of government IT decision makers feel their organization fails to maximize the full potential of social media compared to 28 percent of corporate IT decision makers.
“Government organizations are faced with unique challenges in terms of information security, and social media certainly makes maintaining data integrity more complex,” Richards added. “Precautions such as network controls, clear policies and training are crucial for government organizations to be able to realize the benefits of using social media.”
According to the results of the CDW survey, 80 percent of federal employees and 55 percent of state employees list information security concerns as a barrier to exploring social media further. In addition, 40 percent of overall government IT decision makers provide employees with a list of Web sites that they are prohibited from accessing while at work.
Additional findings from the CDW social media trend survey include:
| Social Media Use Within An Organization | Overall Corporate |
Corporate | Government |
| Blogs | 26% | 27% | 18% |
| Opinion and Review Sites | 21% | 22% | 10% |
| Photo Sharing Sites | 16% | 17% | 7% |
| Social Bookmarking Sites | 12% | 14% | 2% |
| Social Networking Sites | 37% | 39% | 22% |
| Social News Sites | 17% | 18% | 6% |
| Twitter / Other Microblogging Services | 24% | 25% | 16% |
| Video Sharing Sites | 21% | 22% | 14% |
| Wikis | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| No Social Media Are Used | 40% | 39% | 53% |
About the CDW Social Media Survey
The CDW Social Media Survey was created by CDW, and research and analysis was conducted by independent polling firm Richard Day Research of Evanston, Ill. Decision makers are invited from two large national panels of IT decision makers built and maintained by E-Rewards and Survey Sampling International. Data reported in this release is based on a survey of 1,047 IT decision makers conducted between Nov. 17 and Nov. 24, 2009.
About CDW
CDW is a leading provider of technology solutions for business, government and education. Ranked No. 41 on Forbes' list of America's Largest Private Companies, CDW features dedicated account managers who help customers choose the right technology products and services to meet their needs. The company's technology specialists offer expertise in designing customized solutions, while its advanced technology engineers can assist customers with the implementation and long-term management of those solutions. Areas of focus include notebooks, desktops, printers, servers and storage, unified communications, security, wireless, power and cooling, networking, software licensing and mobility solutions.
CDW was founded in 1984 and as of December 31, 2009 employed approximately 6,150 coworkers. In 2008, the company generated sales of $8.1 billion. For more information, visit CDW.com.
