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In the craze to put everything on the Web, some companies say too much
From: mea culpa <jericho () DIMENSIONAL COM>
Date: Sat, 9 Oct 1999 01:54:08 -0600
From: darek.milewski () us pwcglobal com http://www.computerworld.com/home/print.nsf/all/990927C36A In the craze to put everything on the Web, some companies say too much By Gary H. Anthes 12 Things Rivals Search For On Your Web Site Product announcements and preannouncements: Features and availability indicate product strengths and gaps. Executive changes: A person's background may provide clues about his decision-making style. Facilities openings and closings: Plants are key to capacity; offices may indicate strategic direction. Lawsuits and court rulings: Could indicate future liabilities. Job openings: The skills sought may offer clues about product or strategy direction. Suppliers or subcontractors: May show key dependencies and sources of competitive information. Key customers: Could become target accounts. Prices and price structure: Competitors can use this information as benchmarks for their own pricing. Financial results: For a private company, the Web site may be the only place such information is available. Mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances: Signal future direction. Customer feedback: Offers information about perceived product strengths and (rarely) weaknesses. Strategy statements: Indicate strategic intent and direction. Source: T.W. Powell Co. New York (www.knowledgeagency.com) 09/27/99 Stealing your company's secrets could be like taking candy from a baby -- and perfectly legal. Indeed, you may have posted a virtual "kick me" sign on your digital derriere by telling your story just a little too thoroughly at your Web site. The Internet has prompted many to see information as a free resource available to everyone, all the time; and it has allowed companies to blab and brag as never before. But often those companies don't stop to consider that it isn't just customers and job seekers who are surfing their sites. "Companies give you information about their customers and case studies about their products. A good analyst can look at that and kind of reverse-engineer what the company is up to," says Robert Aaron, president of Aaron/Smith Associates Inc. in Atlanta and an expert on gathering competitive intelligence. Web site development is usually driven by marketing people who are cheerleaders for the company and its products, says Ira Winkler, president of Internet Security Advisors Group in Severna Park, Md. "But they often are not aware of proprietary information issues, and they put out more information than they should." [snip..] ISN is sponsored by Security-Focus.COM
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