| Knowing about the competitor business moves is a | | | | Database of customers are also very important for |
| primary concern of some of the largest businesses in | | | | competitors since they will know the behavior of the |
| the world. They have annual budget and manpower to | | | | market and implement a more effective program. |
| handle these concerns. The intelligence that they | | | | Other information pertaining to tender bids, expansion |
| gather is transformed into strategic actions which | | | | plans, and mergers is vital if intercepted by the |
| impact sales, pricing, positioning, merchandising and | | | | competitor. |
| profits. | | | | The collection method varies. Some companies send |
| Some companies though have gone beyond the legal | | | | off their own employees to work for the competition. |
| boundaries of studying what their competition offers. | | | | The internet has given way for more high technology |
| Illegal Collection of information violates the code of | | | | industrial espionage. Even trash cans are a gold mine |
| ethics. Such illegal activity of obtaining competitor | | | | for information about the business set up of the |
| information is called industrial espionage. | | | | competition. |
| Definition | | | | High Tech Stealing |
| Industrial espionage pertains to the covert activities | | | | The most obvious way of industrial espionage is by |
| performed by businesses to get information about their | | | | stealing computer hard disks, laptops, or by intrusion |
| competition. They use this information to formulate | | | | into the office of the competition. There is software |
| strategies to gain a bigger share of the market. Bigger | | | | available which can be installed in the system network |
| Profit is the primary goal why spying is being | | | | of the competition to record key strokes. These key |
| performed in the corporate world. | | | | strokes can be analyzed to decode passwords and |
| The term corporate espionage is equal to industrial | | | | gain access to personal profiles of employees who |
| espionage. Industrial espionage target rival companies | | | | may be handling sensitive or key positions. Spyware |
| or sometimes even government agencies to gain | | | | have evolved and have become more difficult to |
| favor or get vital information. | | | | detect. The competition may be watching without the |
| A lot of monetary losses are attributed to industrial | | | | other knowing about it. |
| espionage. Unfortunately, most companies do not | | | | Digital Forensics can be used to Point to the Guilty |
| report incidents of industrial espionage in fear of losing | | | | Party |
| credibility among its stake holders. | | | | Some employees who spy for the competition can |
| The Golden Information | | | | send files and delete them after. Unknowingly, these |
| Competitors in the business will value any information | | | | deleted files might no longer exist in the system but the |
| they can get about their counterparts. Strategies, | | | | activities of the perpetrator are embedded in the hard |
| product design, product flaw, business process are | | | | drive. This means that the deleted file can be |
| among the most sought after intelligence about the | | | | recovered and the spy can be held liable for his |
| competitor. Specialized units process this information | | | | actions. |
| and forward them to top management so that | | | | There are Special tools that are employed by |
| countermeasures can be taken. | | | | computer experts. All that it takes is to dig into what |
| Some companies resort to reverse engineering where | | | | has been deleted and study the possibilities and |
| a competitor buys a product and disassembles it so | | | | patterns of spy activities. With such tools, all measures |
| they can dissect its components to gain technical | | | | must be taken to counter industrial espionage which |
| knowledge. | | | | might lead to loss in productivity and market share. |