Today, everything is digitized, from banking and social media to more avant-garde cases like the television or the car you buy. This makes security a dicey issue, what with the majority of end users being unaware of the myriad of things that can happen each and every time a laptop is opened or a smartphone is powered up. Content security is a must for enterprises that are looking to stay out of the crossfire—the kind that Target recently encountered and made headlines for—but concrete security processes can also throw a wrench into achieving a seamless customer experience. Too tightly restricted processes can hinder productivity on the customer’s end.

So, how can enterprises strike a balance of ensuring that their data is protected and that their customers are satisfied? That was the topic of the today’s panel session, “Why Content Security is Critical to User Experience,” which took place today during ITEXPO 2014, happening now through August 14 at the Rio in Las Vegas.

Panelists included: Adam Boone, Certes Networks; Erik Knight, SimpleWan; Mike McAlpen, 8x8, Inc. TMC’s own Eric Lebowitz serving as moderator.

“To protect content or consider content to be secure, you must protect its confidentiality, its integrity and its availability,” Boone said, nicknaming this combination “CIA.”Some major enterprises will simply turn off their security protocols because they found it negatively impacted their performance. In other words, they would rather put their organization at risk for being attacked than jeopardize the customer experience in any way. It’s a tricky balance to strike, but it’s a necessary one.

Knight added that most companies do actually have the correct policies in place but somehow, something goes awry along the way. He revisited Target as a prime example. “It was three months before somebody even noticed something was wrong,” he says. “They were in the hands of the attackers for three months and it was six months down the line until customers were getting new credit cards.” Simply put: the company got hit too hard to wait so long to begin countering the horrendous effects of the breach. Therefore, a huge piece in solving this security debacle lies in how long it takes organizations to detect these issues—rapidity is the name of the game.

Additionally, a contributing factor lies in too many organizations resting on their laurels: “A lot of organizations stick to what they know,” Knight said, “they’re stuck in their own ways and they don’t want to adapt—that’s when security problems emerge.”

So, what can your business do to ensure optimum security and customer loyalty? Do not let the prospect of customer churn or dissatisfaction deter you from taking all of the necessary security precautions. And, if something does happen, be open, transparent and honest with your customers—it will help significantly streamline the resolution process at the end of the day, as your customers will be working with you as partners, as opposed to victims of theft or fraud.