A trade secret is only protected if you treat it like one. Courts ask whether you took reasonable measures to keep information secret, and a signed NDA alone rarely answers that. We build trade secret protection programs that identify what matters, control who can reach it, and document your efforts so you can both deter theft and prove your case when misappropriation happens.
Finding What Actually Qualifies
Protection starts with knowing what you have. Many companies guard the obvious source code while leaving formulas, manufacturing processes, pricing models, customer data, and hard-won know-how undocumented and exposed. We sit down with your technical and business teams to catalog the information that gives you a real competitive edge, then separate genuine trade secrets from information that is already public or better protected by patent or copyright.
Classification That Drives Handling
Not every secret needs the same lockbox. We build classification tiers that sort information by sensitivity and value, and we tie each tier to concrete handling rules: where it can live, who can touch it, how it gets marked, and how its use gets logged. Clear tiers keep you from smothering routine work with over-protection while making sure your crown jewels never get treated like ordinary files.
Access Controls and People
Most leaks come from inside, so need-to-know access is the backbone of any program. As former software engineers, we get specific about physical security, role-based electronic permissions, and the procedural gaps in between. We pair those controls with employee onboarding that spells out confidentiality duties and exit procedures that protect your secrets when people leave, including interviews and reminder letters that close the door cleanly.
Documentation You Can Use Later
If you ever have to enforce, you will need proof you took your own program seriously. We help you generate and keep the record that matters: policies, training logs, access histories, confidentiality agreements, and incident responses. That paper trail does double duty, deterring bad actors who know you are paying attention and giving you credible evidence the day you walk into court.