More companies block social networking sites

While more organizations, from financial institutions to government agencies, are using social media as a staple of their businesses, more companies also appear to be cracking down on it.

Web security provider ScanSafe reported a 20% increase in the number of companies blocking access to social networking sites in the last six months. The analysis of Web requests received by ScanSafe found that 76% of companies are choosing to block social networking. 

Before we get too excited about the data, remember two things: First of all, companies have cut back on bodies and are taking strides to make employees more productive than ever. The study also found that companies are banning other categories of Web sites, such as travel (28% increase), sports (26%), online shopping (26%), job searches (19%) and Webmail (16%). So it doesn’t appear to be a particular attack on social media; it’s an attack on time wasting. Spencer Parker, director of product management at ScanSafe, said:

Social networking sites can expose businesses to malware and if not used for business purposes can be a drain on productivity and bandwidth ... Given the option, companies are increasingly taking a sterner approach to the sites that their employees are allowed to access. I imagine before long, social networking will be up there with pornography in terms of categories blocked.”

Of course, there are plenty of arguments about why social networking can be productive at companies, however, perhaps some companies just don’t want to take chances right now.

Another thing to glean from this study: Many companies that might not have paid attention to social media are finally developing policies. While that means we could see an uptick in social media bans, much to the chagrin of social media strategists, it’s probably a positive step demonstrating that companies are consciously making the decision about what to do about social media. After all, social media isn’t going away.