No one likes to think Big Brother is watching, but active policing and enforcement of data security measures will have a deferent effect. It is critical to monitor employee access to secure company databases and limit access to important data to need know basis. There are many software programs available for assisting with these functions. However, companies should not stop at these basic procedures and should implement additional preventive means to prohibit employees from stealing the company’s most critical trade secrets, such as configuring computers to restrict access to external devices, blocking a user from uploading information to a web-based site, and/or utilizing software that blocks employees from sending emails to certain domain names and either highlights or restricts the amount of data that can be sent out by a user. Companies may also wish to consider prohibiting employees from sending emails to certain domain names that are commonly used for personal email accounts and/or block such emails from being sent. In an era in which data is becoming increasingly portable, companies must increase their vigilance in monitoring the use and export of their data and trade secrets. Industry experts also warn against storage of critical company information on remote severs, in the cloud or on laptop computers. If your secret is akin to the Coca-Cola formula, then keep it under lock and key, literally.