OVER HALF OF businesses in Ireland block access to social media websites in the workplace according to a survey out today.

The Integrity Solutions survey of 84 IT and security professionals at the Irish Reporting and Information Security Service annual conference in Dublin last month also found that 43 per cent believe online shopping at work poses a threat to their business.

The survey breaks down the findings to show that almost one in four businesses (24 per cent) block access to all social media sites, such as Facebook and YouTube, at work.

Of those surveyed, 27 per cent said they allow access to social media sites but with some restrictions, and just under a half (49 per cent) allow access to all social media sites, with no restrictions.

Security

Forty-three per cent of those surveyed said they were worried about employees shopping online at work as it created a threat of identity theft, phishing, viruses, and malware.

Twelve per cent said their organisation’s IT security had been compromised by employees accessing external sites online.

For the year ahead, the largest concern among those surveyed was of data loss with 61 per cent saying this is a major issue. Around 48 per cent said they are concerned by the security implications of using smartphones and tablets in the work place.

Other key security concerns identified are cloud computing security, inappropriate use of social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, and compliance and regulatory commitments.

Poll: Are social media websites blocked in your workplace?