Some action steps companies can take to maintain trade secret status include limiting lower-level employee access to trade secret information; obtaining non-disclosure agreements from employees; taking extra password and firewall measures to safeguard information kept in electronic format; or placing printed information in safes or off-site. It's worthwhile to develop written internal company procedures on how a company protects its secrets from customers, unauthorized employees and competitors.
Here's one last tip. Employers should highlight to staff members what exactly it considers as trade secret information. Often just asking employees to sign a general confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement may not be enough to demonstrate the company's intent to safeguard trade secrets. Remember, employees can run off with valued trade secrets just as easily as outside competitors.
