So much data to protect, so little time. Or budget. Or expertise. And so CISOs and other security pros prioritize, starting with the most business-critical intelligence and working down from there.

But … what if prioritizing wasn't an option? What if only one type of data could get all the budget and attention, leaving all others to fall by the wayside?

It's a hypothetical bound to make even those security decision-makers with nerves of steel a little woozy. Yet we couldn't help ourselves. And so we asked: If you could protect only one category of your organization's data, what would it be?

With 2019 on track to break the record for the most data breaches and exposed records ever, according to Risk Based Security, it's little wonder why nearly two-thirds of the 197 people who answered our "Tough Choices" poll were on the same page: Protect PII!

It's understandable. The costs of a data breach can be felt in the forms of business disruption, revenue losses from system downtime, damage to a company's reputation, and the cost of lost customers, according to Limor Kessem, global executive security advisor at IBM Security. 

Coming in at a distant second, 20% of poll-takers said they'd protect their IP over all other types of data, followed by classified government info (11%) and other data covered by security/notification mandates (3%).

Tough choices, for sure — and one you'll hopefully never have to make. 

Take The Edge's new poll.