How to Safeguard Your Organization's Trade Secrets
Be clear about what constitutes a business secret., Get your employees to commit to the preservation of company trade secrets., Have employees sign a non-disclosure agreement., Plan digital security of trade secrets.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Be clear about what constitutes a business secret.
First you need to figure out what is considered a trade secret in your industry.
Every business is distinct.
A unique fabricating process can be considered a trade secret for a manufacturer.
A secret recipe could be the success behind the growth of your restaurant.
If you are in a service industry, it may be a list of customers willing to pay generously for your services.
It could be a list of things to avoid in the running of your business.
In each case, the "property" is simply information vital to the commercial success of a particular business. -
Step 2: Get your employees to commit to the preservation of company trade secrets.
It all starts with a good policy which should be outlined in the employee handbook.
The policy should first define why secrets are important to the success of the company and what can happen if company secrets are shared.
Clearly define and explain what constitutes breach of intellectual property.
This way employees truly understand the issues.
Get your employees involved in the process, and highlight their role in preventing theft of company trade secrets. , Employees who will have access to your company’s trade secrets must be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
This will allow you, in case of an infringement, to sue successfully for damages and specific performance.
Non-disclosure agreements can be supplemented with non-competition provisions which can prevent employees from working for a competitor within a specified geographical location. , It’s quite possible that lower-level employees or thieves from outside your organization may intend to steal company trade secrets, and it’s possible that you have unprotected files containing those secrets within your computer system.
Such files could be discovered and copied if you have not protected them with data security software.
Investing in good security software is imperative. -
Step 3: Have employees sign a non-disclosure agreement.
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Step 4: Plan digital security of trade secrets.
Detailed Guide
First you need to figure out what is considered a trade secret in your industry.
Every business is distinct.
A unique fabricating process can be considered a trade secret for a manufacturer.
A secret recipe could be the success behind the growth of your restaurant.
If you are in a service industry, it may be a list of customers willing to pay generously for your services.
It could be a list of things to avoid in the running of your business.
In each case, the "property" is simply information vital to the commercial success of a particular business.
It all starts with a good policy which should be outlined in the employee handbook.
The policy should first define why secrets are important to the success of the company and what can happen if company secrets are shared.
Clearly define and explain what constitutes breach of intellectual property.
This way employees truly understand the issues.
Get your employees involved in the process, and highlight their role in preventing theft of company trade secrets. , Employees who will have access to your company’s trade secrets must be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
This will allow you, in case of an infringement, to sue successfully for damages and specific performance.
Non-disclosure agreements can be supplemented with non-competition provisions which can prevent employees from working for a competitor within a specified geographical location. , It’s quite possible that lower-level employees or thieves from outside your organization may intend to steal company trade secrets, and it’s possible that you have unprotected files containing those secrets within your computer system.
Such files could be discovered and copied if you have not protected them with data security software.
Investing in good security software is imperative.
About the Author
Judith Jackson
Committed to making organization accessible and understandable for everyone.
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