According to Tim Walters, a senior analyst with Forrester, whilst collaboration between workers is pervasive - with 99% of workers using technology to share information - the actual take-up of web 2.0 platforms is a lot less.

Only 15% of office workers, says Forrester, uses instant messaging and just 13% use web conferencing.

Interestingly, the research, which polled around 3 000 workers across Europe, found that, whilst 47% of respondents are confident that the information that they share with their co-workers - i.e. inside their organisation - is secure, only 21% remain confident their data is secure when sharing information outside their company.

Detailed analysis of the report's findings show that only 38% of company employees uses some form of password-based controls to protect the data they are sharing with fellow employees or third parties.

Thirty-five per cent of employees, meanwhile, says the report, are using printed paper in preference to computer data files as a means of physically controlling who has access to data when they are sharing information.

The research, compiled during the third quarter of 2008 by Forrester, also found that 23% of respondents do not share their data electronically, although Infosecurity notes that security is not specifically mentioned as the primary reason for this.

Despite this, the report paints a picture of a sizeable minority of company employees eschewing technology-based methods of data collaboration with their colleagues in favour of more traditional means, such as the telephone, face-to-face meetings and email.

The document-centric nature of company collaboration, says Forrester, highlights uses of email and attachments, although the report notes that knowledge workers in Europe are still seeking to improve the speed and efficiency of their collaboration.

Commenting on the results of the survey, details of which will be published on 12 February on Adobe's Web site, Forrester's Tim Walters said that it shows a marked propensity among knowledge workers to stick with what they know for team collaboration, despite the need for better alternatives.

"The challenge for the enterprise therefore is not just to provide improved collaboration solutions but also to support workers' current work habits while transitioning them to new and constantly evolving ways of working," he said.

Over at Adobe, Mark Wheeler, the firm's marketing director for Northern Europe, said that the study shows people's work habits and preferences need to be a top consideration when planning any business and IT endeavour.