aUTHORED BY dR. tOM gROOMS
“Whisper Intelligence” Part I of V
As silently as a leaf blowing gently through the
breeze, some people want to know about company strategies, plans, research
activities, product development and key personnel. A
power shift is constantly in motion among those trying to get ahead as a
fundamental change in how society functions. The power shift is the
increasingly important role of information in every aspect of society and how
it influences the organization. Information is now more important to success
and survival of a business than access to capital. This new level of importance
for information requires that CEOs, senior executives and government agencies
take a fresh look at the entire issue of commercial information security in the
form of market intelligence.
To communicate very softly, quietly and
cautiously a secret or confidentiality undetected is to “whisper
intelligence”.
Business organizations, government agencies,
and the news media have expanded their coverage of business affairs. Many
reports, briefs, and new publications came into being or expanded, creating a
demand for "hot" information. As a result, the "no holds
barred" approach to acquiring sensitive
information adopted by some firms, agencies, and business writers and
journalists, and the growth in competitive intelligence gathering has formed a
unique paradigm pattern and perspective of what is and is not acceptable
behavior.
It is accepted behavior that innovative new
products will be reverse-engineered, that anything published will be analyzed
and critiqued, and that employees will be cleverly probed for competitive
information. There is a line; however, that distinguishes acceptable (ethical)
intelligence-gathering from industrial espionage (business intelligence,
unethical). Examples of acts the courts have found to be unacceptable means of
obtaining competitive information are: theft and unauthorized copying of
documents or computer files, trespassing, intentionally breaching access
controls to obtain information in a computer system, offering or accepting
bribes, taking aerial photographs of key areas of plants under construction,
and obtaining employment for the sole purpose of learning and disclosing or
using for personal gain information with which one is entrusted, and breach of
nondisclosure agreement.
Business success in this high-tech world may
well belong to those who best manage access to their corporate data. The most
fashionable, effective, and complete intelligence system in the world today is
market intelligence. Thus, information protection requires a broad
understanding of the material to be guarded, and information, in all forms,
written and electronic, visual and oral is what makes any business succeed.
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is intended solely for the viewer or entity to which is seen and contains
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printing or editing are encouraged by the author only with full
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Disclaimer of Liability: Information and research provided herein is believed
to be reliable, but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The author is not
responsible for actions taken based on the information provided. The
information does not purport to be complete; therefore, consult with expert
legal, tax, business, and financial counsel before taking any action. The Latin
maxim "caveat emptor" applies.