A recent “Trends in Proprietary Information Loss Survey Report,” sponsored by Pricewaterhouse Coopers, revealed that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the ASIS International Foundation found that both Fortune 1,000 and small- to mid-sized businesses, were likely to experience proprietary information and intellectual property losses ranging from $53 and $59 billion. These losses involved:
Research and development (49 percent);
Customer lists and related data (36 percent); and
Financial data (27 percent)
Data loss occurs every day through various channels, including current and former employees, competitors and on-site contractors.
The report recommends five strategies for better information security:
1. Assess your inventory and risk
2. Implement new policies
3. Access controls and authorization
4. Ongoing communication
5. Maintain a clear accountability trail
An explanation of each of these headings can be found at:
http://securitysolutions.com/corporate/five_ways_protect_data/index.html
http://www.asisonline.org/newsroom/pressReleases/093002trends.xml
The entire report can be downloaded at:
http://www.asisonline.org/newsroom/surveys/spi2.pdf
