Protect your business from staff when they are leaving

The Australian Financial Review, on 15 October 2010, published a very helpful and insightful article called “Bosses’ Byte Back to Protect Secrets”. The article noted that the increased availability of USB memory sticks and mobile electronic storage devices (including IPODS, smart phones and portable hard drives) made it easier for employees to “steal” intellectual property, data and information and this is particularly more prevalent at or about the time that the worker resigns their employment.

One of the leading authorities quoted in the course of this article was Mr Warren Mallard, Managing Director of Lyonswood Investigations and Forensics. His firm provides Fraud investigation services that through  the clever use of IT “data mining,” can forensically acquire the data from a computer hard disk and conclusively prove whether or not an employee has downloaded data from a computer or server.

The article also noted the use of Anton Piller and Mareva Orders now known as “Search” and “Freezing” orders where helpful in the process of finding and freezing the proceeds of these thefts.