A new survey on information technology risk, conducted among 556 IT executives. sponsored by IBM and conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit, finds social networking activities rank high as a risky activity.
Private clouds seem insecure, but SOA and virtualization seem okay
Of five key technology categories measured, social networking, mobile platforms and cloud computing presented the highest causes for concern, the survey finds. Social networking tools were the biggest worry in terms of “extreme risk” for 64 percent of those surveyed, with mobile platforms and cloud computing not far behind (54 and 43 percent, respectively).
Most of the risks have to do with the accessibility, use and control of data, especially regarding social networking and the danger of having unauthorized access to confidential, proprietary information. “Many organizations have not yet established processes and methods to integrate social networking tools into their infrastructure and workflow,” the study observes.
Even “private clouds” make some IT executives nervous about security. When asked to cite the two highest risks they associate with cloud computing, the majority of survey respondents pointed to data protection and privacy. Business continuity was clearly on the minds of more than half of those surveyed, whereas 44 percent believe that private clouds are riskier than traditional IT services, and 77 percent expressed concerns about privacy.
Handing data over to a third party was also considered risky by 61 percent of respondents, while only 23 percent worried about network breaches.
Only 26 percent of survey respondents indicated that virtualization posed significant risk to their organization. Similarly, service oriented architecture was a concern for only 25 percent. This clashes a bit with the insecurity over private clouds, since SOA and virtualization are the foundation to the private clouds.
Joe McKendrick is an author, consultant and speaker specializing in trends and developments shaping the technology industry.
Disclosure
Joe McKendrick
Joe McKendrick is an independent consultant, editor and speaker.
Joe has performed project work (white papers, articles, blogs, research and presentations) for the following companies in the IT marketspace:
- CBS Interactive/CNET/ZDNet (this blog)
- ebizQ
- Evans Data
- Gartner
- IBM
- Informatica
- IDC
- Microsoft
- Systinet/HP
- Teradata
- Unisphere Reseach, a division of Information Today, Inc.
- WebLayers
Joe has also performed research work for the following sponsoring organizations in partnership with Unisphere Research, a division of Information Today, Inc.
- IBM
- Luminex
- Noetix
- Oracle Corp.
- Teradata
- Informatica
- International Oracle Users Group
- Oracle Applications Users Group
- Professional Association for SQL Server
- International DB2 Users Group
- International Sybase Users Group
- SHARE (IBM large systems users group)
Biography
Joe McKendrick
Joe McKendrick is an author and independent analyst who tracks the impact of information technology on management and markets. Joe is co-author, along with 16 leading industry leaders and thinkers, of the SOA Manifesto, which outlines the values and guiding principles of service orientation. He also speaks frequently on Enterprise 2.0 and SOA topics at industry events and Webcasts, and serves on the program committee for this year's SOA & Cloud Symposium in London. As an independent analyst, he has also authored numerous research reports in partnership with Unisphere Research, a division of Information Today, Inc. for user groups such as SHARE, Oracle Applications Users Group, and International DB2 Users Group. In a previous life, Joe served as director of the Administrative Management Society (AMS), an international professional association dedicated to advancing knowledge within the IT and business management fields. He is a graduate of Temple University.
