It has emerged that a lack of web 2.0 knowledge at management level could be pose a security threat to businesses.

Bournemouth University, in conjunction with staff training firm Parity, conducted a study which showed that many managers do not have the experience or training to embrace the business to business or business to consumer benefits that web 2.0 can offer.

However, the report cautioned that using web 2.0 services on the open internet could potentially lead to security risks and that training is needed to make sure those at management level are aware of the dangers, according to onrec.com.

David Lavenda, WorkLight's vice-president of marketing and product strategy, said: "What concerns me is the fact that business managers may read this report and launch their firms onto social networking sites without thinking through the security consequences."

Other findings from the study show that the use of professional technology at home is outperforming that in most offices for the first time.

It concludes that if businesses do not wake up to the possibilities web 2.0 technology it will remain in the domain of the consumer, which could prove costly in the future.

A recent Guardian report stated that advertising spend on web - you have capped down all other mentions 2.0 social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo was estimated to be around £2.15 billion, according to eMarketer research firm.