Caught a great educational session at ASIS today on proecting trade secrets....some really good stuff from former Dupont security chief Ray Mislock Jr., now with Pamir Consulting. Expect an in-depth article in early 2013 in STE outlining a strategic plan to keeping trade secrets safe – as this subject is quite interesting and has many complicated factors that must be outlined for security executives.
Mislock stressed the need to be transparent with employees so they can understand the threat, how to recognize suspicious activity and know what is acceptable security practice for crucial documents and information. Here's a list of Mr. Mislock's 8 keys to success in this regard when crafting a trade secret protection plan:
- Tone at the top: You need buy-in from your C-suite and board members and their support.
- Clearly define roles and responsibilities – this includes security procedures for employees who deal with secret information.
- Work together among all departments as a team to protect trade secrets.
- Use steady employee education and awareness.
- Deploy IT Security tools including DLP (data loss prevention) and DRM (digital rights management).
- Review employee access periodically, especially those with access to sensitive areas and information.
- Scan inbound and outbound communications
- Publish corporate warning banners.
Again, this is only a brief taste of what’s coming. Be sure to look for our trade secret theft coverage in early 2013 in STE magazine.
