Symantec execs encourage using Facebook at work

Organisations that block access to sites such as Facebook are limiting the use of critical business tools necessary to a Generation Y workforce, argued Symantec executives in Sydney on Tuesday.

Kicking-off the Vision 2008 + Managefusion Conference in Sydney’s Convention Centre, three keynote speakers including Symantec’s global CTO and COO said business should enable wide-range availability of technologies rather than limiting it.

“Facebook is becoming a critical business tool,” said Mark Bregman, chief technology officer at Symantec as he addressed the 1200 strong audience.

“As this next generation workforce get recruited into your company they expect to use the equipment and applications that they’re used to.”

In theory, Bregman said, these behaviours are driving what's referred to as the ‘Consumerisation of IT’, where consumer apps, traditionally used at home are becoming essential business tools for Generation Y workers.

“They have a deep affinity to social networking, they have loyalty to their mobile devices over corporate issued equipment and they have an instinct to share information that poses a challenge for us, said Craig Scroggie, vice president, Pacific region, Symantec.

“So today workers in general are inclined to put corporate data on their own PCs and are comfortable to share personal info online,” said Scroggie.

The challenge becomes how to find ways to enable the use of diverse technologies while ensuring corporate data remains secure.

Enrique Salem, chief operating officer said information has become the lifeblood of every organisation while also touching on the future of virtualisation technologies.

“The first wave of virtualisation focused on specific platforms and hardware such as storage, servers, networks, and desktops,” said Salem.

“As virtualisation becomes commoditised, the next wave of this technology will change the way software is managed, delivered, and consumed at the endpoint, thereby improving user productivity while reducing IT complexity.”

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