Because if you create it, you should have full control of it
What is Intellectual Property? Intellectual property, or IP, is defined by the World Intellectual Property Organization as: “inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce.”
What does that mean for your business? Your business’s intellectual property is priceless. It’s your innovation and your edge over the competition. Whatever your intellectual property consists of, it’s yours and you need to protect it from damage, loss and theft.
Prevention is better than cure. Once you lose something online, it’s really hard to get it back. In terms of data loss, prevention is much better than cure. As digital technologies advance, so too does the risk of IP theft and loss. The government has estimated that IP theft costs UK businesses a staggering £9.2bn a year. So, if you can imagine the potential devastation to your business, you’d want to do all you could to prevent IP theft from becoming a reality. Fundamentally, your business needs to put measures in place to prevent your data landing in the cyber-criminal’s hard drive.
Act now.
With another government report revealing that the UK’s creative industries are worth more than £7 billion to the UK economy, and that they are looking to further deter cyber-criminals with tougher penalties – increasing the maximum sentence for copyright infringement to 10 years imprisonment – it’s clear that there’s never been a better time for businesses to act against IP loss.
With that in mind, here are our top 3 stress-free tips to protecting your intellectual property today:
- Get anti-virus software and keep it updated. According to Kaspersky,malware is the most common cause of data loss for manufacturers. The easiest way to avoid this? By installing genuine anti-virus software, and more importantly, keeping it updated so it’s ready to counter the newest attacks. Read more about security software from Be Cyber Streetwise here.
- Don’t go phishing. Beware of phony emails. Scammers create emails with the intention of stealing your identity or installing malware on your PC – which in turn could result in the loss of intellectual property (amongst other cyber crimes). The problem is, these emails are becoming increasingly “like the real thing,” but be alert and don’t like on any links embedded in emails if you’re not sure.
- Exchange sensitive data securely. In fact, send all your data securely. Ensure that you’re sending your business’s data, regardless of its value and significance, through an encrypted connection to a trusted recipient. The easiest way to send files securely? Using a tool specifically designed for the job, like MX. Because alongside its fully encrypted connection, you have full control over your files – including the ability to revoke specific files, manage user access, and view a complete transaction history of your data. There’s no limit to how much data, or what type, you can send either, and with speeds of up to 700% faster than our competitors, you can have peace of mind that all your data exchange needs are catered for in the most secure, fast and easy way.
Try MX, free for 30 days at: http://www.mymxdata.com/start-your-free-30-day-trial/