·Select a contractor with a successful track record and reputation for working on projects with sensitive IP.

·Have both parties sign a mutual NDA.

·Ensure there is no conflict of interest between the client and the contractor.

·Verify that the contractor’s internal employment agreements with their own employees and contractors bind them to the appropriate terms of confidentiality.

·Verify that the contractor’s internal IT systems secure the working files such that only those resources working on the project have access to these files.

·Verify that the contractor’s IT systems include state of the art firewalls and disaster recovery plans.

·Agree on code names for all projects and documents.

·Request that the contractor perform the work in a secured area limited to only those working on that project.

·Consider resource exclusivity to restrict personnel from working on other projects in a similar domain.

·Consider entering into an exclusivity agreement restricting the contractor’s ability to work with certain competitors for a period of time.

·Ensure contractor communications with external suppliers is bound by the appropriate level of confidentiality.

·Limit sensitive work to be conducted on-shore in a single location rather than spread across multiple global locations.