Proprietary vs Safeguarded Data
I often see of email correspondence come through that has a message at the bottom included in the signature, something along the lines of "This is/may be company proprietary, delete if it was not intended for you and let me know."
These messages are off-putting because they assume a lack of trust with the recipient. And establish that the sender has no clue what proprietary means and are lazy or too cautious. The trust factor is damaged on both sides.
What needs to happen is better employee training on what is considered proprietary so that they can distinguish that information from what is otherwise 'safeguarded'.
These are actually proprietary:
Project data created in support of contracts with customers
Contract correspondence, performance and deliverables information
Financial, technical, or business information not authorized for public release
Information that gives the company a competitive advantage
Authentication credentials (like IDs, passwords, and PKIs)
Company network diagrams and breach in network information
Vulnerability information and security plans
Project planning and execution documents
Patent-related information
These are simply "Safeguarded," and still treated with care:
Routine internal and external correspondence, including with customers
Targeted marketing materials
Exploratory marketing analysis
Analyses, reports, and presentations
Of course, what starts as safeguarded correspondence or documentation may become proprietary at the time when proprietary data is included.
Guard all your information and know what level of marking it needs to protect your company. Just because someone receives something proprietary does not mean it is automatically protected in the eyes of the law.
Know what is proprietary and what is not, have a Nondisclosure Agreement close at hand for new recipients, and mark information correctly when sharing.
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