Half of Cos. Block Social Networking Sites

CAMPBELL, Calif. -- Barracuda Networks, Inc., the worldwide leader in email and Web security appliances, today announced that an analysis of data contributed by thousands of its Barracuda Web Filter customers found that 50 percent of businesses using Barracuda Web Filters are blocking MySpace or Facebook, two social networking Web sites.

While 44 percent of the companies using Barracuda Web Filters currently block MySpace, only 26 percent blocked Facebook. The detailed results are:

Barracuda Networks also ran a separate survey of 228 IT security professionals which indicated that 53 percent of businesses currently restrict employee Web surfing via automated Web filtering systems, and almost two-thirds of businesses (65 percent) expect to enforce Web surfing restrictions in 2008, a nearly 23 percent growth from year to year.

Barracuda Networks' poll gauged the top two reasons businesses had for enforcing employee Web surfing restrictions overall: virus or spyware prevention (70 percent) and employee productivity drain (52 percent). Companies cite bandwidth concerns (36 percent) and liability issues (28 percent) as further justification for restricting employee Internet access.

"Businesses are increasingly applying content-control mechanisms to protect their networks and maintain maximum organization productivity," said Dean Drako, president and CEO of Barracuda Networks. "With the changing face of the Internet, companies need the flexibility to continuously monitor and customize Internet policy enforcement while providing their employees optimum use of the Web."

Barracuda Networks Inc.