Best Practices For Protecting Trade Secrets

The threat of losing confidential information through targeted cyber-attacks by outsiders is real, but the more likely culprits are a company’s own employees. To protect proprietary data, it’s crucial to foster a culture of confidentiality in the company itself. Doing so is also the key to demonstrating to a court, if that becomes necessary, that the data at issue is actually entitled to legal protection. This Today’s General Counsel article details some cost-effective and common sense steps that general counsel can take to help achieve these objectives. These suggestions primarily entail close cooperation between IT and HR, and a combination of technical measures – such things as password requirements, data restrictions and encryption – and careful formulation and enforcement of legal and HR strategies, including non-disclosure agreements.