Preventing Commercial Espionage
For the most part it is possible to collect commercial information about competitors through a wide array of different activities, from visiting the competitors' stores and getting an impression of the merchandise offered customers to gaining information from exhibitions and fairs in which the competitors take part and exhibit the latest models of their products to simply surfing the competitor's website in order to learn about his clients and work methods.
Business intelligence gathering encompasses everything involved with and relating to collecting information available to the public.
On the other hand more sensitive data concerning a business competitor can be acquired through business espionage.
If business intelligence gathering is considered to be a passive act, relatively low-key, involving the acquisition of open available information, business espionage, on the other hand, indeed involves much more invasive acts, greater risk-taking, and may even entail acts which are illegal.
Even so companies or businesses do not flinch from engaging in this activity and from turning to investigation agencies and companies in order to get genuine information in true time concerning their competitors, in relation to their future plans, large-scale business transactions which are on the agenda, prices offered in bids and tenders, and much more.
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