The main question here is: do you even know who your competitors are? Here, I am talking about hidden competitors. For example, a soft drink maker name another soft drink maker as their competitor and their entire focus remains on that competitor but they fail to realize that soft juice makers or any health drink maker are also your competitors and there are many hidden competitors who may diversify their business and enter into your segment. Many health-conscious people refuse to buy soft-drinks. They take away your market share and you don’t even realize this. In India, big MNCs did not give more importance to news when Patanjali has come out with Ayurvedic products. But, gradually MNCs were also forced to launch ayurvedic products.
Just like you gather information about your competitors, your competitors are also after you to gain a competitive edge over you. We have seen many companies failed in the past. This is a result when top management of the companies failed to anticipate and deal with the long-term threats facing their companies.
Counterintelligence is an integral part of the decision-making process and is so crucial to the success of the organizations. The companies must have a separate position where a person is in charge of the entire counterintelligence department which is a part of the centralized management structure and his sole focus is on protecting your company’s assets, brand, and intellectual property. He should play a key role in coordinating with security officer of assets or manufacturing units and head of cybersecurity. He must have direct access to the CEO or directors so that CI and security issues can be addressed expeditiously, discreetly, and with the appropriate authority. It has to be well-coordinated efforts amongst all departments to rapidly recognize the contemporary threat environment, identify vulnerabilities, and implement appropriate countermeasures.
The Board of Directors needs a proper briefing about counterintelligence strategies. The company must have a proper risk assessment measures to check the vulnerabilities of your corporate offices, manufacturing locations, information systems and check if the company is capable to counter any kind of threats. The company must implement aggressive security programs to protect their intellectual property, trade secrets, business processes, strategic goals, and the integrity of their brands.
Give counterintelligence a premium space in the agenda of the board of directors meeting.
If your organization does not have counterintelligence measures in place, take action before its too late!