myspace

Firms block access to FaceBook

Judi Hasson — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:00:38 -0400

Concerned about worker distractions, nearly one in four companies are now blocking employee access to social networking websites like Facebook and MySpace, according to a new survey of human resources professionals. Challenger, Gray & Christmas--a consulting firm that conducted the survey--said the use of the social networking sites has grown during work hours and is worrying some employers who view the communication tool of the new generation as a "productivity killer."

The survey found that 23 percent of companies polled block access to these sites entirely. Yet some companies have a totally different perspective, with 8 percent saying they encouraged employees to use social networking sites, and 10 percent viewing them as invaluable marketing, networking and sales tools. At the same time, the majority of firms--59 percent--have no formal policy at all.

To learn more about social networking:
- check out this NetworkWorld article

Relieving overloaded email systems

Mon, 05 May 2008 06:59:58 -0400

Sharing large documents, media files or data files is critical in the workplace and many CIOs rely on email systems because they are easy to use and familiar to most people. But as many IT executives know, making the email system the de facto content management system for communications has its drawbacks including bandwidth and storage constraints and increasing storage costs. Pepperdine University CIO Timothy Chester tells of his trials and tribulations dealing with this issue. At first, he instituted file size limits for the attachments passing through the university's email system but were unable to accommodate users' needs and folks turned to free email services from Microsoft, Yahoo and Google as well as social networks like Facebook and MySpace. That, in turn, created security problems for the IT department.

The solution? Turning to a secure file transfer solution that would be easy to use and cost-effective while at the same time providing relief for the over-burdened email system. In his case, it was Accellion, a product he says allowed students, faculty and staff at the university to use the email technology they already know yet still collaborate on sending large files quickly and easily without an exposure to security risks.

To read more about the Pepperdine IT experience:
- See this CIO Magazine article

For more stories from the FierceCIO network:
> Hard Drive Crusher is serious about security.
> Parallels adds Leopard Server support.
> First Atom devices coming in June.

McAfee: Microsoft Visa a security risk

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 06:59:59 -0500

Are you worried about Microsoft Vista's security? You probably should be. Criticism of Microsoft's latest Windows operating system has been common, especially with regard to security. Now McAfee, an intrusion prevention and security risk management company, has identified Vista as one of 10 pending security threats in the coming year. Vista was not alone on the list. CIOs need to sit up and take note about all of these warnings.

The other threats include continued distribution of malicious software and data mining of personal information through popular online applications such as MySpace and Monster.com. Increased proliferation of Storm Worm, a malicious program that began infecting computers in January 2007, remains a threat. And don't forget viruses spread through Instant Messaging programs. What CIO does not have Microsoft Vista in his shop or plans to get it as soon as the program expands? It may be a big issue for every CIO system in the coming year. And we would like to know what you are doing to make sure your Vista system is protected--let us know in the comments.

For more on Vista headaches:
- See this CNNMoney article

Enterprise social networking 101

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 06:59:59 -0400

What do corporate CIOs and media magnates have in common? A growing fascination with the power of social networking. News Corp's Rupert Murdoch turned the concept into a mainstream element in the media mix when he bought MySpace for $580 million, and--as we have reported with increasing frequency in this newsletter--CIOs are scrambling to figure out how they can leverage strategic value in the enterprise. This week Rich Lyons, a Chicago-based consultant on enterprise social network initiatives, provided Baseline magazine with suggested approaches that businesses can take to deploying social networks effectively. He recommends starting with a structured effort to leverage the corporate brand as a way to organize discussions and solicit input to drive user generated content--a model that many publishing companies are trying. He also notes that businesses should encourage discussions that stimulate innovation. For this, Baseline offers as an example the efforts of AAR, an aviation equipment and services company based in Wood Dale, Ill. The company established a discussion forum to encourage collaboration by providing an environment in which employees can offer solutions to specific pain points.

For more on his blueprint for embracing social networking:
- learn more in the Baseline article

Survey: Beware social networking sites

Tue, 01 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

According to a recent survey conducted during the recent Storage Networking World Conference, CIOs should be extremely wary of employees using company computers to access social networking sites like Second Life and MySpace, as well as using instant messaging technology. Doing so can threaten corporate IT integrity. Part of what's missing is formal policies to manage and prevent data breaches and network attacks arising from these practices. Of the few companies that have social networking policies in place, most cover only "selective blocking"; relatively few block all external networking.

Read more about the effects of social networking on the enterprise:
- read the article in Small Business Digest

ALSO: read this on tapping into the world of social networking

Tapping into the world of social networking

Sun, 04 Feb 2007 19:01:39 -0500

Social networking--like the MySpace account your kids insist on getting or the Friendster account your friend talked you into signing up for--is beginning to infiltrate the workspace. While you don't have to worry that your employees will beg you for a Facebook account, you should be aware that social networking--a system that expands the number of contacts by making connections through a common interface--will eventually come to your organization in one form or another. Since it's inevitable, consider it a valuable marketing tool. Social networking can be used to share important information with co-workers and that content becomes a permanent record that can be useful for other projects. Here is just one example: say your IT manager is spearheading a campaign for Linux within your company. If that manager becomes part of a social networking community, he or she can use the knowledge gained to further the goals of the company.

Learn why social networking will infiltrate the enterprise and how to benefit:
- read the article at Optimize

Cyber criminals to take mob approach

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:01:37 -0500

A new report predicts that cyber criminals may start joining forces with traditional crime mobs in their quest to grab valuable data. Websense, a Web security vendor, reports that cyber malcontents and today's current organized crime families will form "cooperatives" to sell, buy and trade cyber attack toolkits and exploits. The firm claims that security attacks will be much more organized in the future and there will be greater threats to Web 2.0 sites such as MySpace.com and Wikipedia. More importantly for today's IT leaders, it seems that business networks will also become a favored target for the hackers.

For more on future security threats:
- check out the article at InformationWeek

ALSO NOTED: New worm spreads via MySpace profiles; How footwear tech could pose personal security issues; and much more...

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 19:01:33 -0500

> New worm spreads via MySpace profiles. Article

> How footwear tech could pose personal security issues. Article

> IBM expected to double staffing at Indian facilities within four years. Article

> Research reports on government IT's return on investment. Article

> The open source battle between one state and Microsoft. Article

And Finally... Building software that can predict future killers. Article

ALSO NOTED: Nasdaq CIO's to-do list; HP remaking its "stodgy" image; and much more...

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 20:01:33 -0400

> The IT projects on Nasdaq's CIO's to-do list. Article

> How HP is remaking its "stodgy" image. Article

> CIOs' "fly in" to D.C. provides chance to talk with federal lawmakers. Article

> Chip maker slashes prices to stay competitive. Article

> U.K. CIOs want less complexity and less work with software licensing. Article

> Alleged U.S. hacker could get huge fine and over 50 years in jail. Article

And Finally... Why the Marines are marching to MySpace.com these days. Article

Banner ad delivers malware to desktops

Sun, 23 Jul 2006 20:01:39 -0400

While you may think a security issue with MySpace.com doesn't factor in with today's enterprise concerns, think again, as the social networking site is hugely popular with everyone, not just kids. That's why a security alert from iDefense about a banner advertisement that has infected more than 1 million users with adware is nothing to ignore. As the security vendor explains, a "deckoutyourdeck.com" ad takes advantage of a flaw in how Internet Explorer deals with Window Metafile image files. At last count the malware had landed on over 10 million machines. While there is a patch already available, it seems not too many users or enterprises have deployed it.

For more on the banner adware issue:
- read this article at CIO Today