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A third of employers are now blocking access to social networking sites according to a new report from Web security firm ScanSafe. Companies blocking such sites has risen 17 percent over the past year.

More Companies Blocking Social Networks

The report indicates that companies are more concerned about security and productivity issues with employees visiting social networks while at work.  ScanSafe says that Facebook usage grew by 270 percent in the last year and has 52 million users globally. MySpace still has the lead among social networking sites with 114 million users and LinkedIn is quickly gaining ground within the business community.

ScanSafe says that 32 percent of all its customers now block access to social networking sites, with MySpace, YouTube and Facebook the most commonly blocked sites, followed by LinkedIn.

Eldar Tuvey, CEO of ScanSafe said, ""Companies are increasingly concerned about keeping usage in check - not just for security reasons, but for productivity and bandwidth considerations as well. Where there are large numbers of users, there is sure to be malware and other risks, as popular sites attract not just legitimate users but attackers as well."

Even though productivity and security issues remain a concern for companies blocking access to social networks Tuvey says there are benefits as well. ""When it comes to social networking, as long as businesses have the right security processes in place and a clearly communicated acceptable usage policy for staff, employers should remain open-minded to sites that can be used for positive reasons, such as exchanging ideas, recruitment and networking."