In many American corporations, the security function is reactive, responding to emergencies. However, corporations need to use strategic planning, which is proactive and which directs all resources toward the goal of corporate growth and profit. Security's success should not be defined in terms of the numbers of employees disciplined or fired. A corporation's assets are not only its facilities, equipment, and financial resources, but also its human assets, including talents and information. Societal changes which have affected security planning are demographic changes, changes in the political and regulatory climate, changes in the economic and competitive climate, and technological changes. These societal changes have produced attitudinal changes in employees. They are less oriented to passively continuing in the same job for 30 years. Instead, they are better educated, more informed of their rights, and more mobile. They seek challenge, recognition, fair treatment, a safe and secure work environment, and opportunites for promotion. Conventional security controls may feel like undue burdens to them. The organization must clearly explain the need for security measures. The limits of acceptability for any security rules must also be known by management. Staff advice must be sought, and facts must be used to justify controls. Questions that should be asked in undertaking strategic planning for security and an illustration of the planning process are included.