About Naomi Fine
Industry Leading Expert on Trade Secrets and Information Protection
Naomi Fine, an industry-leading expert on trade secrets and information protection, was president and CEO of Pro-Tec Data, a firm she founded in 1985 to help companies manage and protect confidential information and intellectual property.
Ms. Fine is the author of Positively Confidential: 10 Proven Steps to Protecting Confidential Information, Private Data, and Intellectual Property in Today’s Interactive Business World, the ultimate how-to guide for creating business confidentiality and trade secrets.
During Pro-Tec Data's inception, Ms. Fine served as the company's principal consultant, applying legal, computer security, corporate security, human resource, and audit disciplines to her comprehensive information protection services.
Ms. Fine's depth of knowledge came from working with hundreds of world-class companies to identify and classify sensitive information, assess needs for protecting trade secrets, develop tailored information protection strategies, establish information protection policies and procedures, and provide information protection training and tools that secure corporate competitive advantage.
Client Portfolio
The roster of clients included many Fortune 500 companies, such as 3Com, Apple Computer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Caterpillar, Charles Schwab, Corning, Eastman Kodak, International Paper, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Levi Strauss, MCI, McDonald's, Michelin, Mobil Oil, National Semiconductor, Nortel Networks, PECO Energy, Procter & Gamble, Qualcomm, Ralston Purina, Rockwell International, SC Johnson Wax, Seagate, Sun Microsystems, Unocal, Varian, Visa, and Xerox.
​
Media Recognition
Fortune, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, USA Today, The New York Times, CyberTimes, the LA Times, and the Industry Standard cited Ms. Fine as a leading expert in her field. KICU TV featured Ms. Fine in the CEO Profile segment of their Silicon Valley Business program.
​
Professional Coverage
Industry trade journals—including The Personnel Journal, The Sales & Marketing Management Magazine, and Security Management Magazine—described Ms. Fine's work for MCI and Apple Computer as exemplary. California Law Business and the Security Management Bulletin featured Ms. Fine in in-depth articles.
​
Patents and Innovation
Ms. Fine held an inventor's patent for a proprietary information identification, management, and protection system. Her more than 25 years of consulting expertise culminated in the IP Platform™, an automated, software-based, turnkey solution for managing and protecting intellectual property.
​
Speaking and Professional Affiliations
An authoritative and enthusiastic speaker, Ms. Fine appeared before many industry associations, including the American Electronics Association, the American Society for Industrial Security, the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals, the Information Systems Security Association, the Practicing Law Institute, the Computer Security Institute, the EDP Auditors Association, the Association of Records Managers and Administrators, the High Technology Crime Investigators Association, the Trade Secret Law Institute, and the Risk and Insurance Managers Conference. Ms. Fine served as a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) accredited speaker for the American Corporate Counsel Association, a guest lecturer for Golden Gate University's Information Security Certificate Program, co-chair of the annual IP Summit, and a member of the National Standing Committee on Safeguarding Proprietary Information for the American Society for Industrial Security.
​
Expert Witness and Legal Counsel
Courts frequently called upon Ms. Fine as an expert witness in both civil and criminal cases to determine if organizations had taken reasonable measures to establish trade secrets. Prior to founding Pro-Tec Data, Ms. Fine practiced as a business attorney, counseling high technology companies on protection, licensing, and intellectual property transactions. She left the practice of law in 1985 to establish Pro-Tec Data and to assist companies with the practical, logistical, and organizational aspects of protecting information and intellectual property.
​
Board Leadership and Community
Ms. Fine served on the Board of Directors for several start-up companies, including 3D Joe Corporation, Regent Solutions, and The AquaStroller Company (where she also held an inventor's patent). She also served as a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum.
Author of Positively Confidential
In addition to her consulting and speaking engagements, Naomi Fine is the author of Positively Confidential: 10 Proven Steps to Protecting Confidential Information, Private Data, and Intellectual Property in Today’s Interactive Business World.
​
Her book provides practical, proven solutions for companies looking to protect their competitive edge and prevent data leaks in the digital era.
​
Though retired, Naomi Fine’s contributions to the field of trade secret protection and data security continue to shape the industry.
Naomi Fine - How to Foster Collaboration and Innovation by Protecting Information.
American Leadership Forum, Silicone Valley (Apple, Inc. Excerpt)
July 11, 2012