Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bacasper]

This can't be right, can it?

Facebook could cost accountancy firms millions of pounds

Viruses from social networking sites could put firms at risk of closure

Written by Rachael Singh

Accountancy Age, 02 Mar 2010

More than 93% of accountancy firms will go bust within a year due to viruses from social networking sites, an IT expert has warned.

The industry specialist warns firms could lose millions every year due to complications from sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

The closures could occur if firms did not have access to their data for ten days or more due to an IT disaster which are increasingly caused by viruses from social networking sites.

Fewer than half of accountancy firms back-up their data every day putting themselves at further risk.

Jason Fitzgerald, sales and marketing director at technology consultancy Certus IT, said: �These sites are easily manipulated, and by simply accepting an invitation or clicking on a link or application that is sent through these sites, an employee could infect an entire network with a virus, which, if there is no appropriate security or back-up in place, could cause the loss or theft of a company�s data."

He adds that a company recently suffered an IT disaster for four days due to a virus downloaded from a dating website.

�Accountancy is an industry particularly at risk. Should confidential client information be stolen from computer files as a result of malware from these sites and poor internet security, the consequences could be very costly,� he said.

[Fox]

Sounds like hysterics to me. There's always a lot of incentive to be a doom sayer; if you're right, you'll look very insightful, and if you're wrong, it tends to be easily brushed aside and forgotten.

[Senior]

One word. Y2k.

And why just the accounting sector? Plenty of other industries rely on access to information. And where the hell did he get 93% from? Why not 95% or 90%? Is this guy really that certain of his figures?

[Street Magic]

[caniff]

The IT guys are popping open the champagne.

[pkang0202]

[mises]

Why auditors? 93%?

Not a chance. Within a year. Camon, this guy could have learned from the global warming pricks and not given a specific time, just a feeling that is will be real soon.