What are the best ways to safeguard your company's and customers' confidential and proprietary information?

2 Follow policies and procedures

Your company and your customers may have specific policies and procedures for handling confidential and proprietary information. These may include rules for data classification, access control, retention, disposal, sharing, and reporting. You should familiarize yourself with these policies and procedures and follow them diligently. You should also sign any non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) or confidentiality agreements (CAs) that are required for your role or projects. If you have any questions or concerns about these policies and procedures, you should consult your manager, legal team, or compliance officer.

3 Be aware of your surroundings

When you work remotely or on-site with customers, you may be exposed to various risks and threats that could compromise your data. For example, you may encounter insecure networks, phishing emails, malware, physical theft, or eavesdropping. You should be aware of your surroundings and take precautions to avoid these risks and threats. For instance, you should use a VPN, firewall, antivirus, and password manager to protect your devices and accounts. You should also lock your screen, encrypt your drives, and secure your devices when you leave them unattended. You should also avoid discussing or displaying confidential or proprietary information in public or crowded places.

4 Educate and train yourself and others

One of the most common causes of data breaches is human error or negligence. You should educate and train yourself and others on how to handle confidential and proprietary information safely and responsibly. You should stay updated on the latest trends, threats, and best practices in data security and privacy. You should also participate in any training sessions, workshops, or webinars that your company or customers offer or recommend. You should also share your knowledge and experience with your colleagues, peers, and customers, and encourage them to adopt good data hygiene habits.

5 Report incidents and breaches

Despite your best efforts, you may still encounter incidents or breaches that affect your company's or customers' confidential and proprietary information. You should report these incidents or breaches as soon as possible to the appropriate authorities, such as your manager, IT team, security team, or customer contact. You should also cooperate with any investigations, audits, or remediation actions that follow. You should also learn from these incidents or breaches and take steps to prevent them from happening again.

6 Respect and uphold ethical standards

As a sales engineer, you have a professional and ethical obligation to respect and uphold the confidentiality and proprietary rights of your company and your customers. You should not use, disclose, or exploit any confidential or proprietary information for your own benefit or for the benefit of others. You should also not engage in any activities or practices that could harm or undermine the reputation, trust, or value of your company or your customers. You should also comply with any applicable laws, regulations, or codes of conduct that govern your industry, domain, or region.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?