SLA Competitive Intelligence Division Blog

Inside Jobs

On the heels of my last post on CI teachable moments come developments from another case frought with lessons. The alleged theft of Goldman Sachs proprietary trading code by their former programmer shines the spotlight once again on organizations' internal intelligence defense. (See an article at: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20090810/FREE/908109981.) Cases like this and, famously, that of theft of a Coca-Cola's formula in 2006 (http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2007-05-23-coke-sentencing_N.htm), highlight the need for awareness of internal intelligence risks as well as for clear and consistent training on employee do's and don'ts. While we don't have complete details regarding the Goldman case, my experience working with various firms has taught me that, more often than not, employees are under-educated about ethical and lawful conduct. While awareness and training will not inform and deter everyone, these measures can help prevent misconduct and breaches of non-disclosure or non-compete agreements by those who are ignorant or claim ignorance of policies, ethical behavior, or the law.

What do you think? Are awareness and training worthwhile? If so, how and for whom?

Have you encountered situations that involve internal breaches? What were the outcomes and did the organization apply any new measures?

Cheers,
Cynthia Cheng Correia

CI Teachable Moments

Once in awhile, the darker side of corporate intel makes the news and this recent article in USA Today, "Tech Gadgets Help Corporate Spying Surge in Tough Times," is among the compelling ones. It raises some great (and perennial) points: That...

• Many organizations' staff know little about formal CI and ethical or legal practices. (And, if they do, they understand little about how to protect themselves.)

• Corporate espionage continues to tarnish ethical CI.

• CI and intelligence defense is constant and evolving.

• Desperate times can lead to desperate (and unethical/illegal) methods. (Although temptation and one's own misdirected cleverness can be ever-present.)

• One can't ever use enough common sense, combined with forethought and technical & physical security, to protect oneself and one's organization.

• We need to understand the technology we use not only functionally, but from a security standpoint. (And creativity can be used for defense.)

• Solid CIKM (CI knowledge management) remains vital.

What does this mean to the CI pro?

1. It's imperative that we stay on top of techniques (ethical/unethical and legal/illegal) in order to achieve and maintain solid CI and defensive intelligence practices.

2. Teachable moments and opportunities for internal training remain constant, as long as technology evolves, practices become more sophisticated and global, and organizations seek to achieve competitive advantages.

3. We can never leave our guard down, and we should encourage our colleagues to do the same.

Tales like the ones in this article are valuable lessons for us and our organizations, and it's up to us to share the cautionary tales with our colleagues and sustain the case for good intel and defense.

Cynthia Cheng Correia