5 ways to protect trade secrets during, after pandemic

As we hopefully head toward widespread COVID-19 vaccinations and back to some sort of new normal, employers should remember business information is often valuable because it’s secret, and it’s secret and protectable only when you use reasonable efforts to preserve its confidentiality. Almost every business relies on trade secrets that, if properly preserved, can be protected in the courts if an employee tries to depart with them. Read on to learn five things you can do to keep the secrets more secure.

Trade secrets more vulnerable away from office

During the COVID-19 crisis, nearly every company (mine included) made changes to the manner in which they ordinarily conducted business. The principal challenge of 2020 may have been adapting to a workplace that no longer centered on an office headquarters.

The movement allowed many employees to work from home. Employers focused on making sure each individual employee had the home infrastructure in place to adapt and contribute. Once the home office was set up, they continued to drive employees to deliver opportunities, sales, results, and advice.

It should be no surprise, then, that over the past 10 months, I have received more messages and texts than ever before from existing clients and their employees via personal e-mail addresses and cell phones. They sometimes attached sensitive correspondence and analyses for me to review.