But there is a wrinkle in all their chatter. Uncle Sam taxes U. S. citizens on their worldwide income. So in another one of those too good to be true scenarios, setting up offshore won’t get you off the hook for federal income and capital gains taxes.

Of course, this is not enough of a deterrence for some. They will listen to the promoter and not to their U.S. advisors, who the promoters successfully argue don’t “understand” the benefits of offshore strategies. The promoter will tell them once you are set up offshore there are no filing requirements ever again for U.S. taxation purposes.

This is not the case. And the failure to file the proper form has just gotten very expensive.

The form in question is I.R.S Form 5471. All U.S. citizens who have equity in, or a controlling interest in a Controlled Foreign Corporation (”CFC”) must file one. Most offshore asset protection promoters put their U.S. clients into entities that are considered CFCs. As of January 1, 2009, the IRS will now assess an automatic penalty of $10,000 for each CFC filing that is missed. That is $10,000 for each entity in each year that is not filed.

So let’s review an example of what can and now does happen in the offshore world.

Joe listens to an offshore promoter in Nevis about the benefits of offshore asset protection. The promoter never mentions the need to file Form 5471 each year. Joe spends tens of thousands of dollars to set up five CFCs in 2009.

In 2012, the Nevis promoter’s mistress realized the promoter won’t leave his wife. She is spiteful and turns all of the promoter’s files in to the IRS. Very quickly, the IRS is calling on Joe demanding $200,000 in penalties for the five entities for which no Form 5471 was filed for four years. And that’s just the start. Joe will have penalties, interest and taxes due on all the income he made over those years.

If you think it is unlikely the IRS could ever receive information in such a way, think again. If it is not from the promoter’s mistress, it may be from your own spouse or mistress or other aggrieved party. The IRS counts on domestic troubles as one of its best sources of information. But even if your life is trouble-free you can count on the authorities to be monitoring your wiring instructions and banking activities for offshore violations. And with this new $10,000 automatic penalty they have ever more incentive to do so.

You can complain about Big Brother and Big Government if you want (and you should; it’s healthy and to be encouraged). But it is important to know that certain offshore promoters will never tell you about these crucial requirements, to your great financial detriment.

The days of buying and holding stocks and mutual funds for years are gone; nowadays, futures and option markets offer some of the best opportunities to make money trading in volatile times. But like all investments, high risk is involved, and in order to become a successful trader you must be prepared to work as a geopolitical analyst, a money manager, and an expert in all types of commodity markets. Futures & Options For Dummies will show you how trading is done and how to survive and succeed in these ever-changing markets. Filled with nuts-and-bolts advice, you’ll soon discover how to manage the risks involved and reap the rewards of futures and options trading. This straightforward guide gives you the tools you need to understand: Ins and outs of trading futures and options How to analyze the markets and develop strategies Interest-rate futures and speculating with currencies How to stock up on indexes The direction of commodity fut (more…)

Introduction

First, let’s take a look at the carry trade. In short, the carry trade is used when an investor or speculator is attempting to capture the price appreciation or depreciation in a currency while also profiting on the interest differential. Using this strategy, a trader is essentially selling a currency that is offering a relatively low interest rate while buying a currency that is offering a higher interest rate. This way, the trader is able to profit from the differential of interest rates.

With the introduction of the carry trade , yen currency pairs have become the speculator’s preference. Currency crosses like the GBP/JPY and NZD/JPY have been able to net small intraday or even longer term profits for the currency trader as speculation continues to support the bid tone. But how can one enter into a market that is already seemingly overheated? Even if a trader could, what would be a good price, and doesn’t everything that goes up come down? The answer is easier and simpler than most believe. In this article we’ll show you how to use carry trades to profit from overwhelming market momentum.

Definition

A strategy in which an investor sells a certain currency with a relatively low interest rate and uses the funds to purchase a different currency yielding a higher interest rate. A trader using this strategy attempts to capture the difference between the rates – which can often be substantial, depending on the amount of leverage the investor chooses to use.

For example, taking one of the favored pairs in the market right now, let’s take a look at the New Zealand dollar/Japanese yen currency pair. Here, a carry trader would borrow Japanese yen and then convert it into New Zealand dollars. After the conversion, the speculator would then buy a Kiwi bond for the corresponding amount, earning 8%. Therefore, the investor makes a 7.5% return on the interest alone after taking into account the 0.5% that is paid on the yen funds.

Now on the earning side of the trade, the investor is also hoping that the price will appreciate in order to make further gains on the transaction. In this case, anyone that has invested in the NZD/JPY trade has been able to reap plenty of benefits.

Evolution of the carry trade

The first wave of carry trade started in the late 1980s when financial speculators borrowed in yen and invested in European securities. This first phase ended in 1993 after the Japanese bubble collapsed, Japanese investors retreated home and the yen appreciated.

The second round of carry trade began in the summer of 1995 and ended in late 1998 after Russia defaulted, the Long-Term Capital Management hedge fund collapsed, and the Japanese government planned to recapitalize the distressed banking sector. The yen rose 15% against the dollar in a week.

The recent wave of the yen carry trade is built on the Japanese government’s policy of keeping its interest rate and currency low in order to export its way out of recession and deflation. It has continued until (10-17 August) when the yen jumped 10% caused by the default in sub-prime mortgages and the knock-on effects on equity markets worldwide.

Profitability in carry trade

Over the past five years, official interest rates have been lowest in Japan and Switzerland, and the yen and the Swiss franc are the most commonly cited funding currencies (Graph 1). The Australian dollar, the New Zealand dollar and sterling have appreciated steadily and have been cited as popular target currencies, although a number of other currencies are often used as well (eg the Brazilian real and the South African rand). Since 2004, with the normalization of policy rates from historically low levels, the US dollar has moved from being a funding currency to a potential target.

The carry-to-risk ratio is a popular ex ante measure of the attractiveness of carry trades. It adjusts the interest rate differential by the risk of future exchange rate movements, where this risk is proxied by the expected volatility (implied by foreign exchange options) of the relevant currency pair. By this measure, carry trade positions that were short yen and long target currencies such as the Australian dollar were increasingly promising from 2002 to 2005.

Graph: 1

Sources: Bloomberg; JPMorgan Chase; national data; BIS calculations

These positions have remained so on average, despite two bouts of higher volatility which led to significant, albeit temporary, declines in the attractiveness of some target currencies (eg the South African rand).Over the longer term, however, the attractiveness of carry trades relative to other investments is less clear (Burnside et al (2006)).

Risk reversals – or the price difference between two equivalently out of the-money options – potentially provide an alternative market indicator of perceived risks in carry trades. If the risk associated with carry trade returns is not generalized uncertainty about future values of the exchange rates, as the carry-to-risk measure implicitly assumes, but rather directional uncertainty, this will be more effectively captured by risk reversals calculated from out-of-the money options. A strong correlation between the two measures is apparent in Graph 1. In addition, Gagnon and Chaboud (2007) argue that movements in risk reversals tend to post-date large exchange rate movements in periods of high volatility.

The Mechanics of Earning Interest

One of the cornerstones of the carry trade strategy is the ability to earn interest. The income is accrued every day for long carry trades with triple rollover given on Wednesday to account for Saturday and Sunday rolls. Roughly speaking, the daily interest is calculated in the following way:

(Interest Rate of the Currency that you are Long – Interest Rate of the Currency that you are Short) x Notional of Your Position

———————————————————————–

No of Days in a Year

For example one lot of NZD/JPY that has a notional of 100,000, we compute interest the following way:

(.8 – 0.005) x 100,000 = approximately $20 a day

365

It is important to realize that this amount can only be earned by traders who are long NZD/JPY. For those who are fading the carry, interest will need to be paid every day.

Flags and Pennants in carry trade

At present in this currency rising trend, how can a trader really capture market profits in the bull market? One such formation that has proved to be a great setup may be the all too familiar, flag and pennant formations. This has been especially useful in carry currency crosses such as British pound/Japanese yen and New Zealand dollar/Japanese yen. Both formations are used in similar capacities; they are great short-term tools that can be applied to capture nothing but continuations in the foreign exchange market. They are both even more applicable when the market, especially in the case of carry trade currencies, has been trading higher and higher in every session.

To get a better sense of how this works, let’s quickly review the differences between a flag and a pennant:

• A flag formation is a charting pattern that is indicative of consolidation following an upward surge in price. The name is attributed to the fact that it resembles an actual flag with a downward-sloping body (due to price consolidation) and a visually evident post. Targets are also very reliable in flag formations. Traders who use this technical pattern will reference the distance from the bottom of the post (significant support level) to the top. Subsequently, when the price breaks the upper trend line of the flag, the distance of the post will more often than not be equivalent to the next level of resistance.

• A pennant formation is similar to the flag formation – it differs only in the form of consolidation. Instead of a body of consolidation that moves in the opposite direction of the post (as in the case of a flag), the pennant’s body is simply a symmetrical triangle. Although pennants have been known to slope downward as well, the textbook formation has also been noted as a symmetrical triangle, hence the name.

Similar setups are seen in the cross currency pairs, giving the trader plenty of opportunities in the currency market, with or without dollar exposure. Taking another market favorite, the British pound/Japanese yen, let’s take a look at how this method can be applied to the chart.

In the short-term 60-minute chart in Graph 2, a typically long flag formation is coming around in the GBP/JPY currency pair. In order to establish the formation initially, it is recommended that the chartist draw the topside trend line first. This rule is a must as an initial drawing of the bottom trend line may lead to varying interpretations. Once the initial downward-sloping trend line is drawn, the bottom is a simple duplicate. Here, the trader will make sure to note a touch by the session bodies rather than the wicks in verifying the formation as true. This is to isolate only true price action and not volatility or common “noise” that may occur in the short term.

Step by Step procedure for carry traders:

Now let’s take a look at a step by step process that will allow traders to enter on the carry trade momentum in the market. Figure 3 shows a great opportunity in the New Zealand dollar/Japanese yen cross pair. Following the complete downturn that occurred July 9 – July11, 2007, a visual burst can be seen by chartists as bidders take the currency higher over the next 48 hours, establishing a temporary top at Point A.

Source: FX Trek Intellicharts Figure 3: Following A Sharp Decline, NZDJPY Vaults Higher Off Of Support

1. After consolidation, draw the topside trend line first, completing the formation with the duplicate bottom trend line giving the chartist the flag boundaries.

2. On a sign of a trend line break, measure the distance from the bottom of the post to the top. In this instance, the bottom support of the post is 93.81 with the top at 95.74. This gives the trader a potential for 193 pips on the trade after a break of the top trend line.

3. Once there is a confirmed break of the trend line, place the entry that is at the session close or lower of the finished candle. In this case, the break occurs approximately at 95.40 with the entry being placed at that session’s close of 95.46 (Point C). Subsequently, a corresponding stop is placed five pips below the session low of 95.37. Ultimately, the position is well within normal risk parameters as it is risking 14 pips to make 193 pips.

4. Set initial and full targets. With the full move estimated at 193 pips, we get a partial distance of 96 pips (193 pips / 2). As a result, the initial target is set for 96.42 (Point B).

5. Set contingent trailing stops. Once the initial target is achieved, the overall position should be reduced by half with the rest being protected by a trailing stop set at the entry price (or break-even). This will allow for further gains while protecting against adverse moves against whatever is left. Longer term strategies will hold to the entry price as the ultimate stop, promoting a worst-case scenario of break-even.

Best Way to Trade Carry

With the pros and cons of carry trading in mind, the best way to trade carry is through a basket. When it comes to carry trades, at any point in time, one central bank may be holding interest rates steady while another may be increasing or decreasing them. With a basket that consists of the three highest and the three lowest yielding currencies, any one currency pair only represents a portion of the whole portfolio; therefore, even if there is carry trade liquidation in one currency pair, the losses are controlled by owning a basket. This is actually the preferred way of trading carry for investment banks and hedge funds. This strategy may be a bit tricky for individuals because trading a basket would naturally require greater capital, but it can be done with smaller lot sizes. The key with a basket is to dynamically change the portfolio allocations based upon the interest rate curve and monetary policies of the central banks.

Conclusion

The carry trade is a long-term strategy that is far more suitable for investors than traders because investors will revel in the fact that they will only need to check price quotes a few times a week rather than a few times a day. True carry traders, including the leading banks on , will hold their positions for months (if not years) at a time. The cornerstone of the carry trade strategy is to get paid while you wait, so waiting is actually a good thing.

Partly due to the demand for carry trades, trends in the currency market are strong and directional. This is important for short-term traders as well because, in a currency pair where the interest rate differential is very significant, it may be far more profitable to look for opportunities to buy on dips in the direction of the carry than to try to fade it. For those who insist on fading AUD/JPY strength for example, they should be wary of holding short positions for too long because with each passing day, more interest will need to be paid. The best way for shorter term traders to look at interest is that earning it helps to reduce your average price while paying interest increases it. For an intraday trade, the carry will not matter, but for a three-, four- or five-day trade, the direction of carry becomes far more meaningful.

Thinking of trading options, but not sure where to start? Trading Options For Dummies starts you from the beginning with clear, step-by-step advice on how to use top option strategies to reduce your risk while boosting your income and enlarging your retirement portfolio with index, equity, and ETF options. This plain-English guide explains the common types of options and helps you choose the right ones for your investing needs. You find out how to weigh option costs and benefits, combine options to reduce risk, and build a strategy that allows you to gain no matter what the market may bring. You’ll learn the basics of market and sector analysis and what to look for when trying out a new option strategy. You’ll also find what you need to know about options contract specifications and mechanics. Discover how to: Understand option contracts and orders Determine and manage your risk Guard your assets using options Trade options on securities (more…)

A limited partnership provides protection from liability to the limited partners much as you would find with a corporation or LLC. If the partnership is sued for something, the limited partners cannot be named as defendants in the lawsuit. Ah, but there is a tradeoff for this protection. To maintain the liability protection, the limited partners cannot participate in the day to day running of the business. In practical terms, this means the limited partners are essentially the deep pockets for the business. They contribute the funds to get the business up and running, but don’t do much else. You will often see this form of business used for restaurants and other high risk business ventures.

What if you are considering investing in a limited partnership, but also want to participate in the running of the business? Depending on the law of your state, there may be a way to do this. It works like this. The general partner in the limited partnership is converted into a corporation. The limited partners then invest in the corporation in exchange for shares of corporate stock. One or more limited partners may then be hired by the corporation as employees to help run the business.

This is a unique strategy that is viable in some states, but not in others. Make sure to get competent legal advice from a business attorney in your area before implementing it. If it is viable in your state, it can be a great way to approach high risk business ventures.

It is time for organizations to get back to basics. It is time for developing simple strategies and sticking to them. It is time to remember what is known about human behavior and how to change it. It is time to stop doing what everyone else does and do what gets results.

Nearly 18 years ago I opened my own business to specialize in face-to-face communication. I decided to stop doing many of the commonly used print forms of communication. Why? My work in public relations with three global corporations and a state government agency had convinced me that it was my relationship building techniques and face-to-face communication activities that were getting the desired results – and quickly.

There is ample evidence of the frequent failure of print communication:

- Research shows that only seven percent of people get information about what is going on at school by reading school newsletters.

- A TARP study (Technical Assistance Research Programs) found fewer than 15 percent of employees read employee magazines and newsletters.

- An internal communication study by a large West Coast employer discovered only four percent of top managers in the company read a three-page corporate memo.

Print communication fails because it is not communication. It is sending messages. It is one way. It does have a role in public relations and that role is to support what works: face-to-face communication and word-of-mouth using opinion leaders.

There is abundant evidence demonstrating the significance of word-of- mouth and the success of face-to-face communication:

- Dialogue is typically credited as a key element in successful corporate turnarounds. Navistar CEO John Horne said openness and face-to-face meetings played key roles in the company’s success.

- My own research and that of many others show that employees want information one-on-one from their supervisors or in small group meetings. Large organizations often find two-way meetings broadcast by satellite get results, too.

- Research says 70 percent of people get information about their schools word-of mouth. (Unfortunately, the number one information source is students.)

- At Hewlett-Packard, managers are expected to walk around and find out what is going on by talking to people. The open door policy is not just symbolic, there are no doors on offices. At monthly all-hands meetings, general managers tell their staffs details about business results.

- When Dow Corning announced it was considering Chapter 11 protection during the breast implant crisis, it used face-to-face meetings with employees to build trust. Key executives and middle managers were trained to provide information in small groups and answer questions. One result: turnover was below industry averages.

Here’s another example. I recently helped a natural gas pipeline company in Michigan build trust with a fearful public and quickly resolve a problem of vocal opposition to startup of a new pipeline. Natural gas produced from wells in the area includes hydrogen sulfide, a poisonous gas. Some residents feared a pipeline leak would endanger them.

The public was unaware that pipeline safety design features far exceeded legal requirements for protection. Nor were they aware of extensive emergency response plans in case of a leak. Neither the company nor the public were listening to each other.

A face-to-face program was begun to build trust with leaders of the most vocal opposition group. Within two weeks of talking and listening to each other, the group reversed its opposition tactics and talked about the company with respect, demonstrating the power of personalized PR.

Randy Nickerson, general manager of the parent company MarkWest Michigan, said, “This program showed me we must do more than build pipelines. We also have to build relationships.”Use behavioral science research for guidance

Few people are aware of the thousands of diffusion studies that describe how people behave in adopting new ideas. The majority of people change not because of something they read, but because someone they know and trust says it’s a good idea. Mass media is impersonal and creates only awareness and knowledge. It takes personal interaction and dialogue to cause people to go beyond awareness and actually change their ideas and behaviors.

Regrettably, while these studies have been around for more than six decades, they are known to relatively few public relations professionals. Those who are knowledgeable use what has been learned from behavioral research studies to develop public relations strategies that get results.

What we know from diffusion studies around the world is compelling. Whether we seek to get farmers to use hybrid agricultural products, or school superintendents to use educational innovations, or doctors to use new wonder drugs or third world villagers to use birth control devices, publicity doesn’t get the job done. What works is word-of-mouth.

More specifically, it is word-of-mouth that begins with influentials in the group. A little more than 10 percent of any group are opinion leaders who influence two-thirds of the rest of the group to believe and act as they do. When you identify and build relationships with opinion leaders, your messages get delivered by leaders who are trusted and believed.

A school superintendent in Oklahoma talks to two opinion leaders on his staff when he wants information and opinions from employees. He says what he is thinking to a specific custodian and a teacher. The word gets out quickly. Soon his phone begins to ring with staff people telling him what they think about what they heard.

Using opinion leaders can cause remarkable change in an organization. One company wanted to reduce its healthcare costs, the fastest increasing cost of doing business. Employees paid nothing for their healthcare benefits. The company was turned down flat when it asked its union to agree to have employees pay a small percent of the cost.

A strategy using opinion leaders was created. About 25 union and non-union employees were invited to participate in meetings to talk about corporate issues. A year later, the union volunteered to have its members pay a portion of healthcare costs. That’s an example of the power opinion leaders have to create change within a group.

Behavioral scientists and consultants also have a rich history, not widely known, of successful interventions to change organizations relatively quickly. The process involves face-to-face communication working with large groups. In today’s high-speed world, leaders in organizations need results now, not six months from now.

Meaningful change comes from getting people throughout the organization involved in identifying problems, then creating action plans that will get the desired results. Involvement creates commitment. Organizations who have used this approach include Ford, Boeing, Corning, Chrysler, Marriott, EDS, plus schools and government. But that’s a story for another day.Tactics for the face-to-face strategy

There are a number of tactics you can begin to use to develop more successful public relations results using face-to-face communication.

1. Use more two-way communication tactics

When creating tactics for public relations programs, ask about each one: “Is this two-way?” If it is not, you may want to rethink the program idea. Or plan so that one-way information tactics support and reinforce a two-way tactic. For instance, get the word out to employees or specific external audiences face-to-face in small groups or one-on-one, then support the messages and answers to questions with print media.

2. Teach leaders to listen

Leaders need help to learn the most important interpersonal communication skill – active listening. Even passive listening would be a good start. Listening is a very effective problem-solving skill. When I talk to people in organizations, they typically have excellent ideas to solve problems. When I recommend they tell their bosses their ideas, they often reply: “They never listen.” Or: “Nothing ever happens when I make suggestions.” No wonder people keep their good ideas to themselves!

3. No more speeches

Encourage executives to stop reading boring speeches and simply talk to people with brief key messages and stories that bring their ideas to life in a meaningful and memorable way.

4. Help supervisors to take a more active role in spreading the word

Supervisors cannot be the message bearers when they don’t know the message. Make sure they are kept up-to-date on the important stuff employees want to know, as well as the information they should know. You also need to work with supervisors to help them learn specifically how to deliver key corporate messages effectively when talking with their employees.

5. Identify opinion leaders and build relationships with them

Who are the top three audiences your organization needs to be supportive? Identify them and then find out who the most influential members are. Those are the people you need to get to know, feed information to and listen to.

6. Create a speakers bureau

I have taught thousands of people how to stand up and talk to others in an interesting and credible way. While at the Michigan Department of Transportation, we had employee volunteers delivering about 500 speeches annually to groups throughout the state. It is a fine way to reach many influential opinion leaders at once.

In our high-speed world, it is essential that we become more effective. For most of us, that means doing something different. Once you start using face-to-face techniques and seeing the results you get, it will encourage more use of two-way communication tactics. Face-to-face works. Make it your foundation strategy. Use dialogue and relationship building first, print communication later.

By Tim RhodesChief Executive Officer, Provizio, Inc.

It was just a decade ago when companies could mandate that all employees, vendors and partners sign a confidentiality statement upon hire or project collaboration and feel reasonably confident that proprietary company information would remain safe. After all, data leaks can considerably damage a company’s reputation, revenue stream and competitive positioning. Even worse, it can impact stock price, lead to unfair trading or violate federal or industry regulations such as HIPAA or Sarbanes Oxley.

But today, with widespread Internet use, employees can – and do – leak information without ever knowing it. These accidents typically occur when individuals post information for internal collaboration, never realizing they inadvertently posted documents on a public web server. Businesses also face ongoing exposure threats as they freely share and exchange digital documentation. Emailed documents can easily fall into the hands of external and internal partners, current, former or disgruntled employees and competitors.Minimal Legal Recourse To Guard Against Online Disclosure

While most leaks are accidental, a handful have been the result of malicious intent. Corporations have started to take legal strides to punish perpetrators and cease such disclosure. Two recent, high-profile legal cases involving Eli Lilly & Company and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are just a few examples. These cases also bring to the forefront the startling judicial limitations available to safeguard companies from online disclosure and its immense consequences when left uncontrolled.

In a recent confidential document disclosure case concerning the anti-psychotic drug Zyprexa, a federal judge in Brooklyn, New York ruled that all information posted online be returned to Eli Lilly & Company, enjoining the attorney and physician responsible for the leak from further online distribution. These individuals distributed documents, confidential by court order, to several news organizations showing that Eli Lilly & Company, for up to a decade, tried to minimize the risks associated with Zyprexa use. While the decision patched the problem, the same court rejected the company’s request to ban future web sites from further publication of the same confidential data on grounds that the task was impossible to enforce. In case after case, intellectual property settlements, like that involving Eli Lilly & Company, rarely protect its victims.

The ruling states:

“To extend the reach of the injunction further [beyond those responsible for the leak] might involve the court in attempting to control a constantly expanding universe of those who might have, or will have, access by reason of the original breach. That such an amplified injunction could be enforced effectively is doubtful. Even if enforcement were possible, on policy grounds the risk of unlimited inhibitions on free speech should be avoided when practicable.”

In another high profile online information security case, a website published alleged U.S. Department of Homeland Security proprietary documentation including reports of suspicious activity – from water supply tampering to an airline attack plot and bomb threats. While this documentation was erroneously posted and removed promptly after discovery, it reached the public domain via routine Google indexing.How Can Companies Protect Their Intellectual Property?

Once in the public domain, this data can be disseminated instantly to millions of individuals worldwide. The key to data protection is ongoing, routine threat monitoring to ensure unintentional confidential postings are taken offline as soon as possible. Another safeguard is minimizing exposure. There are several measures businesses can take to protect their proprietary data from landing in the wrong hands.

The following are best practice strategies companies can take to protect their intellectual property:

1.Use Internet meeting services like WebEx, GoToMeeting or Live when conducting meetings with partners, vendors, employment candidates and customers. These services display confidential documents within a web browser, avoiding document distribution or download. Internet meeting services take extreme precautions in safeguarding their customers’ confidential information.

2.Use a digital document security solution to prevent users from opening or reviewing documents without a secure access code or prior authorization. These solutions protect email communications, CAD, Office and Adobe PDF files, among others.

3.If using Outlook, set email preferences to restrict forwarding with or without attachments. This protects email communications from redelivery to unauthorized parties.

4.Implement a threat monitoring and protection service, such as webArgos (webargos.com), to monitor, locate and remove confidential and proprietary documents from the Internet before they spread. This might be the single, most important strategy a business can take to ensure data leaks are caught and rectified as soon as possible.

Overall, the best approach businesses can take is using a layered security strategy, or the implementation of multiple techniques to safeguard confidential electronic data. Threat Monitoring and Protection Services: A Proactive Approach

To ensure confidential data is brought offline as soon as possible, companies are discovering the benefits attainable through dedicated, ongoing threat monitoring and protection services. These services, like WebArgos, proactively monitor online intellectual property visibility, protecting companies from widespread Internet exposure and misuse. Threat monitoring and protection services specialize in locating and eliminating publicly accessible documents that pose harm to their clients including defamatory data or information that violates the company’s copyrights or trademarks.

These documents include:

Trade secrets

Proprietary communications

Concepts

Discoveries

Techniques

Drawings

Customer lists

Studies and reports

Formal policies and procedures

Technical diagrams

With a broad range of service plans, threat monitoring and protection services automate discovery, monitoring public information sources, quickly identifying inappropriate data, working diligently with the offending parties and leveraging various non-litigious techniques, relevant partnerships and relationships to remove this data as quickly as possible. Thus, possible damage is minimized, if not eliminated.

With laws limiting corporate rights regarding the protection of compromised data online, companies are discovering that a proactive, rather than reactive, approach is the most effective. Smart companies take it upon themselves to ensure their own data security. Threat monitoring and protection services provide a simple, professional solution to the growing danger of online security leaks.