The telecommunications industry has a very particular set of needs; just look at the data that needs to be protected from within the company. Telecom providers deliver services that automatically lead to accumulation of large volumes of clients’ personal data. All this information is being stored in databases that are situated within the IT infrastructure of the provider. At the same time the theft of this type of information can cause a variety of negative consequences. First of all, the company sustains significant reputational damage. This is reflected in the outflow of old clients and in the difficulties of attracting new ones. Secondly, the company likely violated the requirements of personal data protection laws, which exist most countries. This can cause the recall of licenses, judicial expenses, and additional damage to the company’s image. Finally, it can lead to the violation of recommendations from the ‘Basic level of Informational Security for telecom providers,’ which explicitly call for the revoking of licenses.

For leading telecom companies today it is quite evident that confidential data must be protected. The main problem is to find a complex system of data leakage protection that would be most effective from the point of view of informational security. (See Solutions) Here are some types of confidential information typical of telecom:

• Clients’ data including personal information
• Information about telecom services provided to clients
• Telecom bills data
• Commercial information
• Marketing information (tariffs, marketing programs etc.)

Besides these industry-specific types of information that need to be protected from leakage there is a lengthy list of documents whose loss could mean serious consequences for the offending business. Here is just a short list to give an example:

• List of shareholders
• Shareholders’ personal data
• Financial and accounting information
• Strategic development documents
• Business development forecasts
• Market analytics, including those procured
• Internal documents of competition analysis
• Internal rules of client inquiry processing
• Reports and minutes of meetings and councils
• Internal orders, instructions, and directions
• Human resources records management
• Employees’ personal data
• Lists of internal phone numbers and e-mail addresses of personnel
• Personnel job descriptions for certain departments
• Descriptions of personnel motivational schemes
• Supplier agreements
• Client database information
• Agreement/contract & report templates (for law firms and audit companies)
• Project data (schemes, diagrams, calculations, road maps, etc.)
• Project realization reports
• Quality control reports
• Internal business process reports
• Flow charts and communications layouts
• Informational system architecture

All the above-listed documents need to be protected from internal threats. To find out how our data leakage protection systems can protect your business, please contact our specialists by phone or e-mail, as listed here.