The business of doing business is complicated. Whether you have corporate, regulatory, immigration or other issues, our firm advises clients on exposure and compliance matters and works to find smart solutions. Good corporate governance means solutions are put in place before a problem occurs. For employers, knowing who is working for you goes a long way to protecting proprietary information and profit.

Following disclosure of sensitive data and information by government contractor Edward Snowden, attention shifted to his access to top-secret government files. In addition to perturbing the National Security Administration (NSA), Mr. Snowden has also started a national conversation about the practices of a government spying on its own people without their knowledge.

Because of their highly sensitive nature, the serious disclosures by Mr. Snowden raise concerns for employers who must protect sensitive and secret information from competitors and foreign interests.

When hiring or considering an employee for an assignment, the government pairs a background check process with the level of confidentiality associated with the position. Types of security clearances include:

• Confidential
• Secret
• Top-secret

The epic failure of the background check on Edward Snowden includes a warning from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 2009 that Mr. Snowden was attempting to access unauthorized computer files and was released from his position as a result.

If the NSA can be led astray by a poorly performed background check, so can you. Protect your company and trade secrets with properly structured and rigorous background checks on personnel with access to vulnerable and sensitive company data.

Make sure your business is protected from within. Speak with a risk management attorney with our firm if you have questions in New York.