All businesses have sensitive data that must be protected, whether it’s a new product design, project blueprints or financial information. This information is so critical that suffering a data breach could quickly lead to disastrous consequences. For manufacturers with complex supply chains, there are many places where a business’s crown jewel, its intellectual property (IP), can be compromised. With high-profile breaches making regular headlines, it’s now more important than ever that manufacturers take proper precautions to safeguard their sensitive IP, which includes patents, designs, formulas — whatever a manufacturer holds near and dear. In fact, a recent study found that more than one in five manufacturing firms reported a loss of IP in a cyber-attack last year alone. In addition, the survey revealed that IP and internal operational information are the two types of data that manufacturers fear losing the most. To avoid data loss and protect against IP theft, below are six tips that will help manufacturers keep their most valuable asset safe from attackers: 1. Prioritize Intellectual Property and Trade Secret Protection While this may seem simple, and despite all of the chatter in the C-suite about cybersecurity, very few manufacturing firms have meaningful data protection programs in place. They often cite the need to preserve the free flow of information and to not inhibit worker productivity, but the reality is, there are solutions and approaches that balance the need to protect data with the need to drive rapid innovation. IP and trade secret protection has to be an executive priority or it simply won’t get done. 2. Identify the Most Valuable Data Assets It’s not uncommon for a business to have no idea where their valuable data is stored and who has access to it. Companies must know exactly what their IP and trade secrets are […]