Network Security Is Like Eating Crab's Legs - Is the Taste Worth the Effort?

When I sat down at the keyboard to write this paper, I was going to spend my energies trying to show that providing network security was a myth, something dreamed up by the Northcutt's of the world to generate fast cash. However, as I progressed in researching this paper I now feel that there is a valid security concern and I changed the thrust of this document. Now it is the intent of this paper to determine where security should fall in Network Manager's list of concerns. I want to explore what is the right balance between network security, network functionality and ease of operation? Obviously in this time of constrained resources not every dollar can go into security, as Northcutt would suggest. On the other hand, the rightful place of security in Maslow's Hierarchy of Need for computer networks must be determined.