A recent survey of over 500 executives carried out by global IT consultancy Avanade has found that social media technologies can have tremendous impact on client relationships in businesses. Around 60% of those interviewed agreed that social networking are becoming intrinsic to a firm's communication strategy.

The advantages to an organisation of adopting such communication strategies lie in the growth of trust and collaboration among the workforce.  This trend is already evident among freelancers for whom communication and networking are essential tools for building business relationships.

Vice-president of Avanade Mike Pazak asserts, "Social media technologies are reaching a turning point - they are no longer lingering outside the domain of IT departments. Companies that do not adapt to these changes or move fast enough will lose customers."

However, there are a number of problems to address before social networking is adopted in the marketplace: results of the survey show worries concerning security (76% ), apathy among senior management (57%) and hesitation with regard to new technology (58%).

In any case most companies agree that it will be the next generation of employees themselves who will bring social networking into the workplace.