Enterprise 2.0 – Can you afford not to be one?

Time and time again CIOs and IT managers we speak to claim they believe that Social Networking and Web 2.0 applications deliver their business value but when further interrogated they cant quantify this.  But the amusing point is… they comment that their corporate security policy prevents access to these anyway, but they know the employee is using them!  So again, security is used an excuse not to adopt something businesses simply don’t understand….

In the recent McKinsey Report: Building the Web 2.0 Enterprise the facts are stark, more and more companies are using Web 2.0 applications within their businesses but crucially they are seeing real benefits.  Of the 1,500 CIOs surveyed during the report a key swing was noted; web based tools usage reduced to 58% from 70%, so what are people using?  Wikis and RSS both saw double-digit growth but the prize goes to Blogs, a huge 61% increase on the previous year. The survey also shows that the use of these tools is both intense and wide-ranging.  Companies report that they are using Web 2.0 both within and outside their walls and they forge tighter links with customers and suppliers and engage employees more successfully.

Also fundamental changes are beginning to take place among companies as a result of their ambitious use of Web 2.0.  These companies are not only using more technologies but also leveraging them to change management practices and organizational structures.  Some are taking steps to open their corporate “ecosystems” by encouraging customers to join them in developing products and by using new tools to tap distributed knowledge, but the key fact is simple; those who have adopted these tools see them delivering a competitive advantage and they will allow them to become more aggressive in the marketplace against their rivals.

Can you afford not to be a 2.0 Enterprise?