IP risks in offshore outsourcing: 3 tips for protecting your IP when collaborating offshore

Offshore collaboration means that your IP is passing through the hands of people you don’t know, through networks you don’t control. And because your IP can account for as much as 80% of your business value, an IP breach can be financially devastating to your business.

Offshore outsourcing IP protection services can give you built-in assurances that your offshore partner has security in place to prevent your IP from falling into the wrong hands, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, processes, techniques and methodologies.

So what should you look for in an off-shore outsourcer to ensure the safety of your IP?

Physical and logical security: Choose an offshore outsourcer that has physical and logical security in place to protect your IP from physical or cyber security threats or breaches. Among the security features to look for are: building security, secure data rooms, secure servers, data access control, network security, and backup and data recovery to protect your IP from downtime or disaster.

Document security: Look for an offshore partner with established document security policies that ensure that your corporate collateral is managed, tracked and protected as it travels through the life cycle of your development project. This includes secure handling during document possession and a policy in place for either shredding documents upon project completion or returning them.

Employee security: Nondisclosure agreements and confidentiality contracts should be signed by your offshore outsourcing partner and all employees assigned to your project. This ensures that employees will comply with agreed-upon standards of IP protection and privacy.

Shinetech offers one of the most comprehensive IP protection service packages in the business that’s validated by a third-party audit program and in full compliance with laws and international agreements on IP, including those of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Learn more.