Microsoft says exec took secret 'trove' to Salesforce Microsoft is claiming a CRM executive who defected to Salesforce.com took hundreds sensitive documents to its cloudy competitor. The company has filed legal documents saying former Dynamics CRM general manager Matt Miszewski left Microsoft with a "trove of materials" on his PC. The "trove" amounted to 25,000 pages of …
Unless MS is proposing a lobotomy it is extremely hard to delete a thought process from someone's brain.
If their strategy is so wonderful they should have done a Jobs on the thing and filed numerous, if weak, patents.
If you can't look after your staff, they will always gravitate/percolate to something better.
think you will find that any work you do in most companies as well as any work you may come in to contact with is the property of that company and can not be taken else where.
Its happen several times in the past and MS has every right to stop this guy doing what his doing.
its not a case of copying an idea to another company his taken physical work, although taking an idea is probably also in breach of contract
There's a difference between thought processes and theft of documents. Normally in these sorts of situations Miszewski would have been put on gardening leave or it be stipulated in his contract that if he were to leave he would not be able to work for a competitor for a 12/18 months, so the competitive advantage is removed.
I would be very surprised if he didn't violate that agreement in some way.
Fail Microsoft.
SOP for employees at that level is 2 to 3 months notice period. When termination of employment is received, that employee's access to the office building is immediately revoked (I have seen them being escorted out of the building within minutes of HR receiving the termination letter). All network accounts of the employee are locked. Allowed into the building once only with a security or IT staff member to clear their desk of personal belongings.
The remainder of the notice period is paid leave - taking the employee out of the loop. And as part of the terms of employment, the employee is not allowed so much as saying "hello" to any of the corporate clients.
Damage that can be caused by that employee going to work for a competitor can be very effectively contained.
None of this adds up. Other posters here are right: corporations have policies (some of which OUGHT to be illegal but aren't) to protect their secrets. AA noted the internal procedures and sab0tage got the contract arrangements right. If this guy had access to truly sensitive information, those policies should have been in place. If he got info past those practices they aren't real practices. And yes, I know the sales guy usually pilfers the customer contact list when he goes. If the company being deserted is worth its salt, it won't make a difference.
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