Why throwing more money at IT security isn't the answer

Part of my working life involves being an IT security journalist, while the other part sees me doing some proper work as a consultant in the same field. I mention this as when I'm wearing the latter hat, I'm often asked "how much will it cost to secure my business?" and, frankly, it's the wrong question. The right question, in case you wondered, is what do I need to do to secure my business and how can I achieve that in a cost-effective manner? It's not how long is the piece of string you have; it's what you've wrapped that string around and how well the knots are tied that really matters.