It cuts both ways, I believe.  Putting the necessary safeguards in place by their very nature imposes limitations.  Doing these well protects your employees and customers and is good for business.  Customers see the value when they feel like their information is secure.  The organization's history and reputation are the best advertisements for a well-implemented security program. 

Jim,

I agree.   Engaging the organization and its customers is really how you address social engineering which, as you point out, is at the heart of most hacking.  Following the bank example, this means regular, clear and concise reminders about phishing, what these types of schemes look like, and reminders to never give out personal or account information to anyone, especially in response to an e-mail.  

I think it depends somewhat on your industry.  For instance, for banks, credit card companies, hospitals and others that utilize personal or financial information, good security is a competitive advantage.  My bank regularly reminds me that the “security of your personal information is important to us.” This is a double-edged sword, however.  Boast too much about how secure you are and you will likely invite cyber attacks.  Hackers love a challenge. If you are in the R&D business, protecting your intellectual property has a direct long-term impact on your bottom line.  For some industries, heavy equipment manufacturing for instance, security is more of a defensive proposition.  The most likely damage a hacker could do is disrupt your production schedules.  No distinct competitive advantage but a business necessity.

Well said Ravi.

It is true that all of our careers consist of mini-seasons, times when we focus on one area, finish our work there, and move on. When we see our lives and careers as a series of seasons we look back fondly at that time from the perspective of what we learned, accomplished, and the wisdom and perspective we gained from our failures.  Instead of wishing for "the good old days" we see past times for what they really were, a valuable but completed season of life. We learn and then move on. 

Between the two of them and Lennon and McCartney they wrote just about everything!