Simplifying communication across departments and teams is a top priority for IT leaders at small and midsize companies, according to a recent IDG Research Survey. Learn about the challenges and benefits to adopting a social enterprise strategy.

1. MEASURING
THE BENEFITS OF
ENTERPRISE
SOCIAL
TECHNOLOGY

2. MARKETING
RESEARCH
EMPLOYEE
ENGAGEMENT
A WORLD OF INSIGHTS
Research Services
Presented May 2013 on behalf of
MEASURING THE
BENEFITS OF
ENTERPRISE SOCIAL
TECHNOLOGY

3. Level of Priority Placed on Enabling Employees to
Connect and Collaborate in Real-time Across
Departments, Platforms and Devices
3MEASURINGTHE BENEFITS OF ENTERPRISE SOCIALTECHNOLOGY A WORLD OF INSIGHTS
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More than 80% prioritize
enabling employees to
connect and collaborate in
real-time across
departments, platforms and
devices.
Critical
priority
8%
High priority
39%
Moderate
priority
40%
Low
priority
9%
Not a priority
4%

4. Technology that Enables Real-Time Collaboration from
Anywhere/Any Device Offers the Following Potential
Benefits
Connecting
people across
departments
and far-flung
locations is a
top perceived
benefit of
enterprise social
technology.
71%
62%
61%
54%
45%
35%
32%
22%
15%
5%
Simplify communication acrossdepartments
and teams
Improve collaboration from remote locations
Improve ability to locate specific
information, people and skills when needed
Keep colleagues better informed on project
status and decisions
Improve level of connectedness employees
feel toward organization
Increase employee exposure to new
information, opinions, and ideas
Keep employees better informed on company
news and happenings
Ease comfort level of employees when
sharing ideas with top executives
Improve speed with which new hires are on-
boarded
Other
4MEASURINGTHE BENEFITS OF ENTERPRISE SOCIALTECHNOLOGY A WORLD OF INSIGHTS
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5. The potential for
data loss or theft
is a top concern
for IT with regard
to employee use
of social and
collaborations tools
to share business
information.
Challenges Presented to IT When Employees Share
Intellectual Property via Social and Collaboration Tools
77%
59%
58%
47%
41%
31%
2%
Potential for data leaks or theft
Compliance concerns
Data access concerns
Data governance
Integration of tools with current
technology
Need for new IT skills or additional
resources to manage
Other
5MEASURINGTHE BENEFITS OF ENTERPRISE SOCIALTECHNOLOGY A WORLD OF INSIGHTS
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6. Level of Benefit Associated with Enterprise
Social IT Technology
More than 80% state that
enterprise social technology
would benefit their company.
Extremely
beneficial
14%
Very beneficial
26%
Somewhat
beneficial
43%
Not very
beneficial
15%
Not at all
beneficial
2%
6MEASURINGTHE BENEFITS OF ENTERPRISE SOCIALTECHNOLOGY A WORLD OF INSIGHTS
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7. Measures of Success when Deploying Technology Aimed at
Enabling Employees to Connect and Collaborate in Real-
time from Anywhere/Any Device
Increased employee
productivity is the most
common indicator of
success when deploying
enterprise social
technology.
80%
53%
48%
47%
33%
28%
23%
2%
5%
Increased employee productivity
Improved employee
engagement/connectedness
Faster decision-making
Better responsiveness to customers
Reduction in information silos
Increased innovation
Increased revenue
Other
None
7MEASURINGTHE BENEFITS OF ENTERPRISE SOCIALTECHNOLOGY A WORLD OF INSIGHTS
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8. Methodology and Research Objectives
Sample
Field Work May 14, 2013 –
May 20, 2013
Total Respondents 100
Qualifiers Employment at a company with
between 50-499 employees;
Involved in IT purchases (beyond
determining requirements)
Audience IDGE Research Panels
Collection Online Questionnaire
Number of
Questions
5 (excluding screeners and
demographics)
Method
Survey Goals
This survey was conducted to determine:
• The priority placed on enabling employees to connect and collaborate in real-time whenever they need to,
across all departments, platforms and devices
• The benefits associated with technology that enables these objectives
• The challenges presented to those in IT (or those with IT responsibilities) when employees share intellectual
property via social and collaboration tools
• The level of benefit associated with enterprise social technology
• The measures companies use or will use to determine success when deploying enterprise social technology
8MEASURINGTHE BENEFITS OF ENTERPRISE SOCIALTECHNOLOGY A WORLD OF INSIGHTS
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9. Total Respondents Organization Size
Job Title Breakdown Involvement in IT Purchase Decisions
Respondent Profile
100
Executive IT Management 22%
IT Management 35%
IT Professionals 17%
Business Management 19%
Other 7%
250-499 employees 31%
50-249 employees 69%
75%
77%
85%
81%
45%
49%
Determine the business need
Determine requirements
Evaluate solutions
Recommend and select
vendors
Sell internally
Approve/authorize
expenditures
9MEASURINGTHE BENEFITS OF ENTERPRISE SOCIALTECHNOLOGY A WORLD OF INSIGHTS
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10. IDG Research Services specializes in marketing and media-related research
for technology marketers. As a division of International Data Group (IDG), the
world's leading technology media, research, and event company, IDG Research
Services brings the resources and experience of a large, global company to its
clients in the form of a small, customer-focused business. For more information
please visit our website.
Janet King
GM/Vice President
Office: 207-847-9377
Fax: 207-847-9373
Email: janet_king@idgresearch.com
10MEASURINGTHE BENEFITS OF ENTERPRISE SOCIALTECHNOLOGY A WORLD OF INSIGHTS
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