There is a misconception that electronic surveillance devices are just a concern of mega business, pharmaceutical, or other multinationals are the only ones at risk from corporate espionage. This is far from the truth – all businesses are at risk, particularly if you have an advantage or access to corporate secrets; your intellectual property is highly prised by your upstarts and competitors and may save them a wealth in R&D expenses as well as that most treasured commodity time.

Some of the warning signs that you may need to undertake a technical surveillance countermeasures (TSCM) security sweep are:

– People outside your inner circle have knowledge about the business they should not
– Competitors catch up on R&D quicker than expected
– Staff members defect to a competitor
– A disturbance in the office, a possible break-in with nothing missing
– Your office door unlocked when you are sure you locked it

If you note more then one of the above at your office or other suspicious or coincidental circumstances it maybe time to consider a security sweep by a counter espionage consultant or full due diligence business counter espionage sweep. However, there are steps all business should take to help reduce the risks of economic espionage look at your general security posture. Are you aware of who is in your office and why there are there? Do you have a policy in-place to escort all visitors including external contractors whilst they are onsite? Escorting all visitors even when repairs are undertaken outside of normal office hours goes a long way to protecting privacy and reducing the risks of electronic bugging devices being quickly installed. Regrettably, occasionally, you also need to look inwardly at your own staff, more so agency and temporary staff whom have legitimate access to your office, meeting, and conferencing areas.

At Risk3 Consulting, we have been protecting the spoken word in Asia for almost 20 years, and our founder and chief TSCM security ronin, has resided in Hong Kong since 1992. We always take your concerns for your business seriously. We can normally respond to calls for electronic security sweep quickly anywhere in Asia. We operate at the highest levels of confidentiality and integrity and will keep your countermeasures eavesdropping investigation as low key as possible. To find out how we can help protect your business and keep your competitive edge please give us a call – away from the suspected area!