agribusinessreview.comFEBRUARY 20259new work approach will not disappear. Given this new scenario, here are some essential tips companies should consider:Employee AwarenessEvery organization should regularly educate and train employees about intellectual property and protecting it. Workers need to have heightened awareness of the potential risks home or public internet connections present, especially when it comes to hackers, malware and phishers. If you have not updated your training efforts since the pandemic began, do so now. Your policies and protective measures need to reflect the realities of working in a COVID-19 world.Risk Assessments and AccessThis is a good time to review the level of access each individual employee needs when it comes to files that include IP or sensitive information. While it can be time-consuming up-front, if you prevent IP from falling into the wrong hands, it will be well worth the time and effort. Tightening up access and improving data security protocols can be a real deterrent to third-party IP thieves.LayoffsAn employee termination is difficult under any circumstances, but a remote work situation presents new issues. It is not as simple as returning a laptop or shipping it back to the company. The affected employee can copy sensitive files, trade secrets and other valuable proprietary information. Your IT, Human Resources and Legal departments should work together on protocols and procedures to prevent that theft.Make Cyber-security a Top-of-mind PriorityHacking is a digital pandemic. Every minute of every day, bad actors look for loopholes and weak spots to exploit- networks, email systems, malware, telephone scams- as a way to infiltrate a company and steal its most valuable assets. Training and education should not just be an annual "tick-the-box" exercise; if a company is truly committed to protecting IP, trade secrets and valuable information, it needs to be a tangible priority. While there is no completely effective "cure" when it comes to cyber-theft, training, education, diligence and vigilance can reduce the risk and keep bad actors at a safe distance.Use Available ResourcesFinally, obtain software that detects theft of important information early or partner with governmental authorities to better protect the company. With regard to detection, there are many different types of software available that function from providing alerts if an employee downloads certain information to embedding code that serves no purpose but would be in any software that is copied. One example of partnering with governmental authorities is InfraGard (https://www.infragard.org/), a partnership between the FBI and companies that provides a vehicle for the exchange of information and protection of the critical infrastructure of the company. While remote work is safer from a health standpoint, it makes the organization's intellectual property, sensitive company information, and trade secrets less secure and more vulnerable
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