January job hunting season could see companies lose more than just employees

As the business world leaves the excess of the Christmas party season behind, many employees will approach the New Year with the aim of leaving their current job behind. January is notoriously the time for fresh starts with as many as one in three employees making it their resolution to find a new job. In order to ensure confidential data does not depart with them, so its crucial that those in management begin taking steps to secure corporate information now.

The lack of prospects in 2009 resulting from the recession meant that many people stayed in jobs which they would otherwise have left. With the first signs beginning to emerge that 2010 might herald a turnaround in the job market, it is certain that many will be eager for the opportunity to move elsewhere.

Unfortunately we see that that many employees will take confidential information with then when they leave. Company documents, passwords and online information are often seen as being ‘fair game’ when leaving an organisation, with few feeling guilty about retaining access to information or databases that they’ve used for years. Well meaning employees can also take sensitive information with them by simply forgetting to hand a memory stick back or wipe their personal mobile device before leaving. It is important that companies have policies in place to protect against such ‘accidental theft’ as well.

The vast majority of ex-employees will not take information out of any malicious intent but simply to retain access to data they feel they created, or passwords that will allow them to maintain access to paid for databases. However, regardless of their intent, employees do not own this company data and by taking simple moves such as regularly changing passwords and tracking the internal movements of confidential documents, companies can ensure their information is protected not just from external attack but also from past employees.

Chi-Chi Liang

January 15, 2010 | Filed Under Insider, Storage, cyber-crime, data-loss, security 

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