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We Safeguard Intellectual Property and Confidential Information

Information is our business. At Panduit, we rely on confidential information—including customer data, trade secrets, and intellectual property—to provide us with a competitive edge in doing our jobs effectively, so we handle it with care and safeguard it, whether it belongs to Panduit, our customers, or a third party.

Click each box to better understand the kinds of information we deal with day-to-day:

Intellectual property refers to inventions, ideas, and original work that provide or could provide a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Examples:

  • Product development materials.
  • Proprietary software.
  • Creative work including designs, logos, other branding materials, and trade secrets.
  • Similar information entrusted to us by third parties, including our customers, and business partners.

Confidential information includes any proprietary information or data relating to our business, products, technology, customers, or employees that is not generally known outside of Panduit and has commercial value.

Examples:

  • Sales results.
  • Product price and cost information.
  • Technical details about products, manufacturing processes, or product road maps.
  • Sales and marketing strategies.

Protecting our confidential information is critical. The unauthorized disclosure of confidential information can significantly damage our company, its reputation, and business relationships. But safeguarding information in a highly connected world can be tricky. That is why it is vital that all employees know and follow our best practices of protecting our intellectual property and confidential information.

Click through these common questions about how to protect information:

A: Only share confidential information with authorized employees. If sharing confidential information with third parties, ensure there is a signed non-disclosure agreement in place. Exercise extreme care when sharing information by email and ensure all recipients have a business need to know—particularly when sending replies that may go to unintended recipients. Also, avoid discussing confidential information on the phone or with others in public places like elevators, restaurants, restrooms, or planes.
A: Keep all confidential information in a secure location and never leave computers, files, or other storage devices unsecure. File cabinets and offices should be locked and computers and other electronic devices should be password-protected. Also, don’t leave confidential information or computer passwords out in the open, including on sticky notes, in conference rooms, or at copy machines.
A: Even after your employment ends, your obligation to protect the confidential information and intellectual property owned by Panduit continues until the company makes the information publicly available.
A: Immediately report any loss or theft of confidential information or intellectual property to the Legal Department. Report any loss of any laptop or electronic devices that contain Panduit confidential information or intellectual property to the Panduit Helpdesk via an AYS.

No, it wouldn’t. That would breach our policies, your obligations to your previous employer, and possibly also the law. You are obligated to protect your past employer’s confidential information just as Panduit employees are obligated to protect ours. While you may use the general knowledge and skills you learned in your previous job, you may not bring to Panduit any confidential or protected materials produced by you or anyone else for your former employer. Check with the Chief Compliance Officer or Legal Department if you have questions about any specific information.

Two people work together at a computer, ensuring the protection of intellectual property and confidential data.