Social media integral to future IT business

12:38 7th October 2008

The private sector will need to engage with social media to attract customers in the future, according to Gartner.

The technology analyst firm estimates that more than 60 per cent of Fortune 1,000 companies with a website will connect or host some form of online community by 2012, in an attempt to give these companies access to a wealth of customer data and help them focus on customer needs.

Adam Sarner, principal research analyst at Gartner, said: "A key benefit of establishing a community is the amount of information an organisation can gain about its customer base, which can be used for short-term and long-term customer relationships."

However, Gartner has also predicted that more than half of the online communities will fail to establish a beneficial purpose, ultimately eroding customer and company values.

Last month, the analyst suggested that IT directors need to develop IT strategies that help businesses operate flexibly and adapt to changing markets.

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