MAY 2016
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Monday, May 30, is Memorial Day. Our offices will be closed in honor and remembrance of the brave American warriors who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of liberty.

Find out ways to ensure your investigator adds value to your case and enables you to "Achieve a Superior Position."  We are approved by the State Bar of Texas as a CLE sponsor, and are available to speak at your firm. Call us at (713)781-9040  to make
a convenient appointment that could make a difference.

Next Edition Topics:

Since the Beginning: Even founding employees can break bad

Consider the Source: Scrutinizing the credibility of the witness

"We must inspire a commitment to
Security rather than merely describing it."
 
~Mich Kabay


 

In this month's issue of VantagePoints, we submit two pieces related to information security in the workplace.
 
The first deals with preventing unintended disclosures of internal investigations. Companies make significant financial commitments when conducting probes within their ranks, and it is imperative that safeguards be implemented to avoid leaks that result in wasted time and money, and can undermine organizational integrity.
 
The other presentation addresses some ways that corrupt competitors exploit internal security weaknesses to illegally acquire valuable proprietary information. Inadequate security can enable an opponent to pilfer and use hard earned trade secrets.
 
The professionals at ResultQuest® are at the ready to analyze your operation and recommend and enact steps to safeguard your investigations and information assets.      
 
We value your comments concerning VantagePoints, and hope you will recommend our newsletter to your associates. We also welcome input regarding topics in which you have an interest. Send your suggestions to
news@resultquestinc.com .

J.R.Skaggs
Founder, Owner, and Manager

Loose Lips: Office chatter can ruin an investigation
Among the most pronounced threats to an internal company investigation is workplace gossip. Disclosing details of an investigative project to the person under scrutiny can have a range of consequences-none of which are good.
 
In a matter handled by ResultQuest, the subject of a surveillance operation began implementing countermeasures such as making U-turns and pointless excursions. These actions led to the suspension of the operation after three fruitless days. It was soon discovered that this individual had been alerted to the investigation by a co-worker, who in turn had been told of the operation "in confidence" by a superior at a happy hour gathering.
 
Fortunately, word that the surveillance operation was cancelled was rerouted back to the subject through the leak; following a suitable pause in coverage, efforts were productively re-implemented. The company's suspicions that the targeted employee was making visits to a competitor were confirmed. It was ultimately discovered that the employee had been supplying the competitor with trade secrets.
 
Despite the ultimate success of the investigation, the company... Read More
Tight Ship: The need to secure your information
Throughout the years, ResultQuest has been involved in numerous investigations in which client competitors purloined valuable information assets. In most cases the thefts were made possible by a security breach or oversight, often exploited by a disgruntled or opportunistic employee.
 
Information security is a critical component in conducting business, especially for companies who have a competitive advantage that is based on specialized knowledge, systems, or procedures. Failure to adequately protect your unique information can be disastrous.
 
Trade secrets such as specialized processes, product designs or blueprints, manufacturing techniques, pricing lists, marketing strategies, and customer rolls should be tightly controlled, with access restricted to essential personnel. Company policies should also expressly forbid unauthorized access to confidential information. In addition, databases should be designed to prohibit copying or printing of restricted files, and to alert management of any attempt to do so. Managers should also receive automatic notification of any effort to gain unauthorized access.
 
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for companies to hire unscrupulous investigators to pose as job applicants or potential customers in a bid to obtain trade secrets. It is critical that such interactions be handled with measure, deliberation, and discernment. Anyone tasked with fielding these contacts should be on guard against impostors.  
 
On a more fundamental level, making certain that...  Read More