When I worked in government, I regularly delivered generic security awareness briefings. The canned presentations rarely made an impact. Even people who should know better lacked awareness. The whys and wherefores of security are too often dry. War stories make for great copy, but rarely teach effective lessons. 

The problem is that security briefings assume too much. Most Americans do not know how to think about security. They do not have an instinctual understanding for why security matters. The world in which Americans live is safe. Uncertainty is traffic, not whether your neighbor is spying on you. 

I am an analyst. I will not give you a been-there, done-that, had-my-hotel-room-ransacked, kind of briefing. I do promise a briefing that will shift your perspective on the world while giving your employees concrete tips for managing your company’s security. The Responsible Paranoia briefing covers the following:

• The world in which we live
• How the world became more dangerous for innovative companies
• What to watch for and how to respond

There is no profit in security, but intellectual property theft may mean no profit. Seeking legal redress, if possible, may take years. By then it may be too late. No one will make you whole again.