Enterprise social networks and security concerns to be at the
forefront of the "Consumerization of IT" in the corporate world
YAKUM, ISRAEL & BOSTON--(Business Wire)--WorkLight(TM) Inc., an Enterprise 2.0 company, announced today its
predictions of the top trends to affect enterprises considering Web
2.0 technologies in 2008. The company compiled its list based on
extensive conversations with top executives and IT decision-makers at
Fortune 500 companies, who are intent on implementing consumer-style
tools in the workplace in the coming year.
In recent years, industry experts have discussed the shift towards
"consumerization of IT" and its effect on how work is getting done.
Analyst firm Forrester Research estimates that 78 percent of IT
organizations are concerned about the use of Web 2.0 tools by their
employees. Gartner Research has maintained that the consumerization of
IT is an "irreversible mega-trend," urging forward-looking companies
to embrace these technologies. Moreover, Yankee Group has concluded
that over 86 percent of corporate users already utilize one consumer
technology at work.
As these technologies become more widespread, WorkLight predicts
that usage of Web 2.0 technologies in the enterprise will affect
companies across three dimensions - People, Business and Technology:
People
-- The personal and professional lives of employees will continue
to blend, and workers will seek to mirror the convenient home
computing experience at the office
-- Workers will increasingly build social networks in the
corporate environment with the same dynamics that drive their
popularity in the consumer world
-- As the workforce becomes younger and more tech-savvy,
employees will continue to introduce consumer tools and
services into the enterprise, with and without the blessing of
IT departments. These tools will include web-based services,
and collaboration and social networking tools
Business
-- Businesses both large and small will seek to increase employee
acquisition/retention and productivity through the use of
flexible, scalable Enterprise 2.0 solutions within their
"walled gardens"
-- Organizations will look to improve effectiveness and
efficiency by facilitating access to proprietary data through
the use of consumer Web 2.0 tools
-- Enterprise social networks will blossom in 2008, as social
tools with open APIs (like Facebook) drive adoption
-- Forward-thinking organizations will anticipate these
developments and harness, rather than hinder, Web 2.0
technologies in a secure and innovative manner
Technology
-- Security threats that target corporate data via Web 2.0 tools
and services will become a topic of high priority
-- The top concerns for corporations will be most visible in the
following areas: data theft, access control, identity
protection, privacy, information leakage and liability for
information misuse by employees
-- Attempts to handle these concerns will be reminiscent of
experiences with email and Web 1.0 adoption in their initial
corporate introduction
-- Use of consumer-style tools without adequate safeguards may
lead to a high-profile security incident in 2008, prompting IT
departments to seek out Enterprise 2.0 solutions with
top-of-the-line protection
"This past year we have seen a significant spike in interest among
companies and organizations intent on deploying consumer Web 2.0-style
tools, a trend that will gain momentum in 2008," said Shahar Kaminitz,
CEO and founder of WorkLight. "From the insight and experience that
customers have shared with us, we see that senior management is
becoming increasingly responsive to the groundswell being generated by
the younger generation entering the workforce."
About WorkLight
WorkLight(TM) Inc. develops and markets a line of WorkLight server
products that consumerize the corporate computing experience, by
making popular consumer services like iGoogle, MS Live, Netvibes, and
Facebook "enterprise-ready." Through WorkLight, employees and
consumers connect to protected enterprise data (and to each other)
using Web 2.0 services.
WorkLight is a venture-backed company with offices in Boston,
Massachusetts and Yakum, Israel. WorkLight has received prestigious
industry accolades including being named one of the "Five Enterprise
2.0 Startups to Watch," by Information Week magazine, being selected
as part of CIO Magazine's Web 2.0 Product Suite, and being singled out
with an honorable mention as one of Computerworld's "10 Cool
Cutting-edge Technologies on the Horizon." WorkLight also received the
"Stay Organized" award at Microsoft's Under the Radar Conference, and
was named a Red Herring 100 International finalist. For more
information, visit www.myWorkLight.com.
Articulate Communications for WorkLight
Mark Van Hook, 212-255-0080 ext. 33
mvanhook@articulatepr.com
or
WorkLight
Yonni Harif, 617-674-3261
Marketing Manager
yonni@myworklight.com
Copyright Business Wire 2008
