With advancements in technology, working from home has become more prevalent. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this trend when a large portion of businesses quickly transitioned their workforces to remote work. The shift to work-from-home disrupted many employers' protocols and practices for protecting confidential information and trade secrets, which exposed companies' sensitive information to a heightened risk of misappropriation by employees, as well as third-party hackers.

As a result of this forced work-from-home shift, many employers realized that productivity had not decreased and meanwhile cost benefits increased. Now, even as the COVID-19 pandemic becomes endemic, many employers plan to maintain full or partial remote work-from-home arrangements, at least for some of their employees in the future. While work-from-home does offer its unique benefits, the increased risk of information theft and cybersecurity threats are not going away, and it is important for employers and employees alike to understand what is required to limit their exposure when confidentiality and trade secret agreements are signed.