McAfee released a new report authored by faculty affiliated with the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS) at Purdue University, finding that business leaders worldwide see the value of Web 2.0 in supporting productivity and driving new revenue , but remain deeply concerned about security threats.
Over 1,000 global businesses in 17 countries were surveyed, and half were concerned about the security of things like social media, micro blogging, collaborative platforms, web mail, and content sharing tools.
According to the report, over six out of ten organizations have already suffered losses averaging $2 million, for a collective loss of more than $1.1 billion in security related incidents last year.
"Web 2.0 technologies are impacting all aspects of the way businesses work," says McAfee CTO George Kurtz. "As Web 2.0 technologies gain popularity, organizations are faced with a choice – they can allow them to propagate unchecked, they can block them, or they can embrace them and the benefits they provide while managing them in a secure way." 
"Web 2.0 and social networking technologies can be used effectively for some business purposes," said Eugene H. Spafford, founder and Executive Director of CERIAS. "But to reap the benefits of Web 2.0, organizations must be proactive about understanding and managing the corresponding challenges. That involves putting the right policies in place, and deploying the technology that can enforce those policies."
According to the report, Web 2.0 adoption rates are highest, reaching 90 percent or above, in Brazil, Spain and India. Adoption is lowest in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.
Worldwide, 13% block all Web 2.0 activity while 81% restrict the use of at least one Web 2.0 tool due to security concerns.
WebProNews is an iEntry Publication