Protection of software by trade secrets

You can protect (certain aspects of) your software as a trade secret. This is particularly useful in the early steps of software development. Trade secrets apply only when the information is commercially valuable because it is secret, is known only to a limited group of persons, and reasonable steps are being taken by the rightful holder of the information to keep it secret. Keeping the software secret can be done in different ways: the software can be compiled, kept "in the cloud" or in a "black box". This way you can use the software without exposing the code. Another way to secure your source code is the use of Web-based/Web-hosted software. In this method of cloud computing the software is stored on a server instead of on a PC. This makes securing your software easier.