by Christopher Graham and Joseph Kelly

Unfortunately for some companies their trade secrets don’t stay secret. (Not sure if information is a trade secret? See our post “What’s a trade secret?”)

Too often companies fail to take the necessary steps to protect that information.

Here are some of the steps businesses can take to protect trade secrets and confidential information:

• Stamp documents as confidential;
• Limit access to trade secrets and confidential information to employees on a need-to-know basis;
• Password-protect electronic files containing trade secrets or confidential information;
• Restrict physical access to documents containing trade secrets;
• Require employees and contractors to sign confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements.
• Establish a written confidentiality policy and enforce it.

Companies that don’t take proactive protective measures run the risk of the losing their most valuable assets.

Tags: Trade secrets, confidential information