Business should not be discouraged from using social software technogy despite a range of significant challenges, according to analyst Gartner.

The research specialist advises businesses to explore collaborative software tools, even if they do not commit to introducing such applications immediately.

Such explorations are important because workers are increasingly opting to adopt consumer-based tools when their employers cannot provide adequate collaborative technology, said Anthony Bradley, research director at Gartner.

“Some enterprises have achieved substantial results with social software, and many enterprises are now experimenting with the technology,” he said.

"Demand from workers is escalating and they can and are turning to the consumer internet if their corporate technology provider isn’t offering a solution. Organisations need to exploit this growing consumer literacy for business purposes."

Gartner says organisations should not expect a networking community to thrive automatically and are advised to ensure time and resources are available for development.

The analyst also says firms can minimise the privacy risks associated with social networking sites, such as Facebook, by creating stricter privacy measures.