Public Cloud vs. Internal Social Networks
Stacy Collett from Computer World recently published an article that highlighted some of the key reasons why companies are turning away from public networks like Facebook and Twitter and adopting private, internal networks, such as OfficeMedium (although she didn't mention us in the article). The article, "Public cloud vs. internal social networks", shared interesting information from a poll taken by over 2,000 executives. The data showed that 23% reported that their companies are using social networks as an internal communications tool. The data also showed that 22% of executives said that they wanted to begin using social networking software in their business but haven't yet figured out how to.
In my mind, these are some great numbers to look at. It shows that the growth and awareness of social collaboration in the workplace is growing nicely and will continue to. It shows that businesses are discovering the real benefits from software such as the type we offer and that it's here to stay. Also brought up by the article are the risks and downsides to using public networks as opposed to private solutions - mainly privacy concerns and sensitive data protection.
Check out the article below:
Comments
I would love to see this offered not only as a SaaS solution, but something small to medium companies can download and install on their own secure systems. Many industries have legal and privacy reservations in sharing all info that's hosted elsewhere.
3 August 2009
1 day 4 hours
Security and privacy concerns are definitely understandable. If there are legal restrictions involved, then there really isn't anything that can be done. As of now, we are not offering a self-hosted version. Not only do web-based solutions offer a handful of important benefits, the security, in a lot of cases, can be better.
First, for the benefits: A web-based solution costs less, requires no servers, requires no networking, requires no I.T. staff, comes without contracts or commitments, requires no upgrading and patching, requires no backing up, is instantly deployable, and remotely accessible. That's a serious list that can't be ignored.
And second, for the security: Self-hosted internal servers aren't immune to attack. You have to put a lot of trust in the hands of your technical staff and employees who have access to the servers. What happens if there is a server problem when your staff isn't working? What about physical security if your office is broken into? Our servers are monitored 24/7, in a highly-secured facility, by one of the largest hosting companies around. What about power outages? Our servers are located in advanced data centers making them virtually immune to downtime.
That's a lot of information and benefits that should be reviewed by any company still weary about web applications.