Corporate espionage can often seem like something that only happens in the movies. We imagine Jason Statham or worse Tom Cruise, rappelling in from the rooftops in a stealth suit, creeping along our office floor until they get to the ‘mainframe terminal’. They hack this in record speed, accessing our files which contain information on every wrong we have ever committed, only to escape like a quiet panther in the night. We come into the office the next morning to see the bright, glowing-green ‘HACKED’ message flashing on our monitor, slam our fists on the desk and curse loudly at the sky.

If only things were so dramatic. Unfortunately, corporate espionage is a reality in daily corporate life, and double-unfortunately, it is nowhere as cool as the movies. Sure you may not have an increasing portfolio of hidden secrets you need to hide, but financial information? Sensitive data? Intellectual property? All of these things have value, particularly to your competition, and particularly if you are a market leader in the area or globally.

For this reason, it’s simply good practice to understand how to counteract corporate espionage no matter what size of business you are. With the following advice, we hope you can do just this, although we cannot guarantee it will be Tom-Cruise-proof.

Used Managed IT Services

We often think that the strongest security is that which is the most tight and the most encrypted or locked, but in the daily reality of a business, decrypting each file for some time before use cannot be a practical solution. In fact, the better option is to use cohesive services like paronubi.com, those that are experienced in IT workflow, in how your business operations can run effectively while still being secure. Using a thorough suite like this also entitles you to more security, and it’s live-updated presence means always being on top of cybersecurity vulnerabilities. This can be essential to your growth.

Vetting Staff

Yes, sometimes corporate espionage takes the form of new hires or staff who may not have your best intentions at heart. Vetting staff references, contact information and computer use from time to time can ensure no suspicious activity is taking place, or that permissions are being eroded in a manner that they really shouldn’t. This is both a task for your security and recruitment teams to carry out, but ensure that human resources are briefed and at the forefront of staff care during this. There’s no need to alienate anyone, after all.

Shred Files

Even in a digital world, you would be astonished just how much paper documentation poorly handled can lead to bad outcomes. USB’s instead of cloud storage can even cause some business leaders to forget sensitive files and struggle to counteract said consequence. Shred your files no longer needed. Know where your documents are at all times, and verify any copies made. With this process, you can avoid information from falling into the wrong hands.

With this advice, we hope you can better deflect corporate espionage. It might not be as cool as the movies, but the effects can be damaging all the same.