Genetec shared the results of its 2025 State of the Physical Security Report relating to the healthcare industry.

Based on insights from over 5,600 physical security professionals worldwide, the report features data drawn from respondents working in or with the healthcare industry, offering a comprehensive analysis of evolving trends in physical security operations. As the healthcare sector navigates increasing security challenges and regulatory requirements, new data highlights a growing shift toward hybrid and cloud adoption for physical security infrastructure.

According to recent findings, 43 percent of healthcare organizations still operate entirely on-premises, reflecting the industry’s traditionally cautious approach to cloud adoption. However, hybrid and cloud models are gaining traction, with 48.3 percent of organizations utilizing some form of hybrid-cloud solutions for their physical security environment. 8.7 percent have fully transitioned to cloud-based security.

The momentum toward cloud adoption is accelerating, with 68 percent of healthcare organizations planning to move more of their physical security data to the cloud within the next 18 months. 

“Our State of Physical Security report data underscores the healthcare industry's gradual yet strategic movement toward hybrid and cloud security deployments,” said Mark Feider, national director, enterprise, Genetec Inc. “With compliance demands and the need to scale their security operations quickly, healthcare organizations are adopting these models to balance control, cost, and flexibility.”

Healthcare organizations are prioritizing hybrid and cloud solutions to reduce their hardware footprint and simplify maintenance across multiple sites. By deploying a mix of on-premises and cloud-based security technologies, hospitals and medical facilities can maintain compliance with stringent regulations and ensure data sovereignty while optimizing resource allocation.

Key drivers for hybrid and cloud adoption in healthcare include cost savings (62 percent), continuous updates and software enhancements (55 percent), speed and ease of deployments (47 percent), disaster recovery (35 percent), and data ownership (32 percent).

In addition to cloud, healthcare organizations are prioritizing advanced security initiatives in 2025, with top project focus areas such as the implementation of AI and large language models (34 percent), access control systems (31 percent), and video surveillance (28 percent). Digital evidence management systems (DEMS) and incident management follow closely behind at 24 percent each.

These evolving priorities come amid a concerning rise in physical threats throughout 2024. 46 percent of healthcare facilities reported an increase in injuries to employees and 31 percent to visitors, alongside 39 percent reporting a surge in physical attacks on staff and 36 percent on insider theft. Break-ins and robberies were also reported by 34 percent of organizations. The efforts to focus on security initiatives such as access control, video surveillance, and DEMS reflect a proactive stance in embracing innovative solutions to protect patients and staff.