Let us delve into strategies to safeguard your business's intellectual property (IP) and avoid leaks. Explore how Confiex's Virtual Data Room acts as a fortress against unauthorized access, ensuring your sensitive data and valuable IP remain protected at all times. Source- https://confiexdataroom.com/blog/data-room/virtual-data-room/how-to-avoid-business-ip-leaks/

1. How to avoid business IP leaks?
Last updated on June rd, 2023 at 09:38 am
INTRODUCTION
Your company’s Intellectual Property is data in the form of customer records,
business innovation tools and processes, patents, trade secrets or just employee
know-how. In fact they are more valuable than your physical assets. Unless
su ciently protected, you’ll risk IP leakage that is dangerous and can open up
your business to IP theft.
IP theft is a major ongoing concern worldwide as that can cause massive loses
both in terms of property and reputation. IP leaks cost millions of dollars. There
can be nes associated with releasing IP across borders without a proper export
license in place or there are certainly cases where leaked IP has been used for
nefarious reasons as well.
by Con ex Team


2. nefarious reasons as well.
With every passing day, global trade and export rules are becoming more
complex. Governments in various countries across the world are increasingly
getting sensitive to the leakage of high-technology. IP that nds its way into the
wrong hands can provide a boost to enemies or other hostile actors.
Why IP Leakages Happen?
As companies expand their workforce around the globe, acquire other
companies, or get consolidated into larger enterprises, a vast network of teams
located across many di erent countries often collaborate providing design
assets and other collaterals to multiple projects. Plus, a complex and often
overworked IT infrastructure of storage, data centers, and network connectivity
underpins these teams. It is essential to track access and visibility of data by
limiting access only to the data that is relevant to that particular person or
team’s role in the whole process.
Malicious users are always a threat that needs to be taken seriously. But IP leaks
can happen due to multiple reasons, often without any intention of wrongdoing.
Here’s how an IP can be leaked accidentally due to
inadequate IP management:
1. Insu cient Access Controls
Users are free to view and download or use IPs without a proper system that
prevents their access.
2. Avoid Use Model Problems
Avoid use models that encourage IP delivery outside of managed interfaces.
3. Embedded IPs
IP management platforms that lack traceability usually end up compacting IP
hierarchies. This leads to situations where IPs that might have no restrictions
themselves are embedded with restricted IPs — without the user’s knowledge.
4. Traveling Users
IPs can leak due to traveling users. If a user goes into a restricted geography and
builds out project workspaces in that geography, it results in a leak. Even with

3. builds out project workspaces in that geography, it results in a leak. Even with
adequate permissions, this might lead to the user exporting an IP without
realizing it.
User Access Control & Audited Access:
Having important data in Excel Spreadsheets or a business system often means
that almost anyone internally can access it with little to no security measures to
prevent them. This makes it simple to copy, print and email important customer
information to anyone, both internally and externally. Under new regulations,
data breaches must be reported or there are major consequences.
Using simple features such as passwords on spreadsheets or implementing user
access control to regulate who has access to sensitive data is a commonly used
feature in modern systems today. With this type of role-based security you can
also control what people can do with les or system data and limit the copying,
sharing, editing or creation of customer data records. These features help limit
the ability to share valuable IP but they are not completely secure. Extra
measures should be taken including regularly auditing access and user actions,
segmenting your data so only the relevant teams can work with it, or preventing
bulk exports to safeguard your business sensitive data.
Employee Training and Regular Refresher Courses:
Cyber security training, once in a while is no enough because a majority of cyber
security breaches occur due to human error. The best way to prevent it is an
‘always on’ approach to employee training. Your employees are your rst line of
defence in protecting your IP, so you must ensure that your sta not only
complete cyber security courses, but also continue to undertake refresher
courses in cyber security to keep up to date with the latest threats, red ags to
look for, defensive procedures and threat reaction plans.
Security defence systems, IT protocols and rewalls will help prevent many
dangers, but it’s the embedded culture of cyber security awareness amongst
your sta as well as the systems and preventative measures you have put in
place as an organisation that will forewarn and protect you against any
attempted cyber threats.
System Security
The most common security threats include scammers impersonating a business
you may be familiar with or have worked with in the past, fraudulent emails as
well as viruses, malware and ransomware. Hackers and spammers have got

4. well as viruses, malware and ransomware. Hackers and spammers have got
more and more sophisticated, to the extent that sometimes it’s hard to tell a
phishing email from the real thing.
Besides there is the threat of your data walking out of the building in the hands
of an disgruntled or unhappy employee or when someone leaves the company?
A recent survey by IT services company Accenture found that data theft by
employees a ects 69% of businesses.
That’s why internal use controls and employee awareness are only two parts of
the security puzzle. Your technology team needs to be able to closely manage,
monitor (and quarantine if necessary) every device with access to your networks
and data. Cyber threat and data protection tools need to be built-in and the
threat defenses constantly updated. Cloud back-ups are also essential today, to
restore data and systems if the unthinkable occurs.
When it comes to data protection, your business should be proactive about its
protection. Keep your security solutions up to date, and don’t be afraid to reach
out to a consultant for advice.
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