Ex Employees represent a security risk, especially if they get pissed for being laid off, fired, downsized or whatever. Why because they usually retain some degree of access to corporate information.
A new report from business applications cloud-hosting vendor Intermedia, which contracted with Osterman Research to survey employees who recently left companies, were fired, laid off -what have you, finds they commonly retain some degree of access to corporate information.
This represents an ongoing security risk – you as an employer or CEO need to be aware of…
How much access? Well, you may be surprised!
According to the report “About 89% of ex-employees retained access to at least one login and password for such services as Salesforce, PayPal, SharePoint, Facebook, Basecamp, Shopify, Desk.com, Office 365, Google Apps, Mail Chimp and WordPress, among other corporate applications.” Source: http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/…/why-ex-employees-are-…
Tips:
1) Get IT involvement – Partner with someone in IT to sever employees’ computer access before, during and after the termination meeting or lay off is taking place. Don’t forget that many staff members have remote access that will need to be taken care of at the same time.
2) Quickly move to restrict access to information, change passwords if need be and monitor computer activity.
3) Check all employee’s files, emails and post employment obligations. These can include non competition agreements to confidentiality agreements. If they exist, make copies and give them to departing employees to remind them of their obligations before issuing out that final paycheck.