How many of us would hire a home security company that sent a representative to our house to tell us to remove all our lightbulbs so that it was pitch black inside? Sure, it would make it much more difficult for the burglars to find their way around. But with no way to turn the lights on, it would also be almost impossible to find the intruders—or determine whether there had been a break-in at all.

As absurd as that may sound, it is essentially the position many organizations may find themselves in if they have followed an approach to data security that is more tactical than strategic.