A security-as-a-service provider Proofpoint, Inc, and Social@Ogilvy, a practice connecting social media figures, has launched a Social Media Security Council (SMSC). They say it’s to help organizations better protect their corporate social infrastructure. Membership includes Yahoo and Morgan Stanley. SMSC says it’s for marketing, security and compliance people to use, more safely, social media communication.
Mike Kail, Yahoo Chief Information Officer and Social Media Security Council member, said: “We operate in a world in which social media holds great potential but also presents certain challenges. The Social Media Security Council can help businesses navigate these challenges to build and protect their corporate social infrastructure.”
The council seeks to foster discussions, do research and provide thought leadership about brand protection, technology and compliance risks associated with social technologies. Initial board members represent industries including news and entertainment, banking and financial services, technology and life sciences with roles across digital marketing, information security and compliance.
Mitchell Bompey of Morgan Stanley is a Social Media Security Council member. He said: “The increased use of social media in business presents new challenges for organisations. I joined the Social Media Security Council because it is important to openly discuss social media risk, and to learn from others not just in the financial services industry, but in other business sectors as well.”
Attracting regulators and hackers alike, social media channels introduce new types corporate risk, it is suggested. According to a recent study by Proofpoint’s Nexgate division, the average Fortune 100 company has 320 company-owned social accounts and more than 200,000 followers. Just like email and other communication channels, companies need to track, manage and protect their social communications, the SMSC says. These social accounts are all subject to a range of security and compliance challenges, including fraudulent accounts, spam messages, compliance violations, malware and personal threats. Such malicious acts have caused stock price manipulation, brand degradation, theft of customer data, and have undermined enterprise investments in social media.
“The rise in social media infrastructure is staggering—it is irrefutably part of every corporate communication channel mix,” Devin Redmond, vice president and general manager of Nexgate for Proofpoint and Social Media Security Council member. “One of the key challenges with social is its consumerized nature and that it lives outside of the traditional enterprise infrastructure. Our research indicates that social media has escaped the focus and attention it deserves from key stakeholders. The Social Media Security Council is a key forum for driving cross-functional awareness and sharing guidance for how to protect this powerful new channel.”
To ask the SMSC a question about social media risk, to invite a member to speak, or to contribute to a publication, submit a request at http://socialmediasecuritycouncil.com/contact-us/.
“Social media holds great benefits and opportunities for many companies that are wary to embrace them due to risks,” said, Evan Shumeyko, senior director of Engagement Strategy, Social@Ogilvy. “The Social Media Security Council can help these organizations thrive in today’s social world and harness the power of social media to deliver value far beyond their marketing and communications goals.”
Senior practitioners with social media risk management experience, interested in social media risk reduction, may request membership in the Social Media Security Council at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Social-Media-Security-Council-8136844/about.
