

They may take a more casual view of IP integrity and information security. Another important development is the influx of employees shifting from traditional, longer-term tenure expectations at a single employer to a workforce with less organizational loyalty. One is the growth of programs organized by some governments to obtain IP by fair means or foul the Thousand Talents Program is an example of such an effort. Several recent developments have intensified the urgency of broadening business’ approach to insider risk. That awareness promotes a proactive stance toward such risks - a stance that most businesses already take toward external risks.

#Integrity plus property management full
The first step toward managing insider risk is to cultivate awareness of potential insider risks across the full spectrum of an organization’s activities. Those methodologies and digital tools support experienced IT professionals, HR managers and compliance officers in identifying data usage patterns and behavioral anomalies that warrant a closer look. EY professionals can provide clients with industry insights, leading practices and technology solutions needed to implement enhanced security programs effectively, using digital tools from vendors such as Microsoft and adopting innovative technology solutions such as user and entity behavioral analytics (UEBA). To help companies defend themselves, EY teams have developed a holistic approach to insider risk. With insider risk incidents growing 44% since 2020, 3 the need is clear for businesses, especially those whose strategies rest on a foundation of IP and proprietary data, to actively protect themselves from damage that insider risks can inflict. They might not consider that information in their possession could be misused by a malicious actor in a way that negatively impacts the confidentiality, integrity and availability of critical company data assets. Or they may feel entitled to retain data they helped to design or implement. Those employees may not realize that their laptops, tablets or smartphones may be storehouses of their employer’s proprietary information, even after their term of employment has ended. 2Īt the other end of the spectrum - and occurring with much greater frequency than malicious exploits like the one described above - are employees who have been working remotely since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 1 Prosecutors said Lieber hid from federal authorities the money China paid him to publish articles, organize international conferences and apply for patents on behalf of Wuhan University of Technology. In December 2021, he was convicted in federal court of illegally concealing his links to the Thousand Talents Program, a Chinese government initiative to recruit people to obtain IP and foreign technology for China. Harvard University chemistry professor Charles Lieber participated in just such a program, to his cost.


At one extreme are state-sponsored programs focused on obtaining, legally or otherwise, technology and intellectual property (IP) from foreign companies and governments.
