The Security Industry Association (SIA) has identified and forecasted the 2026 Security Megatrends, which form the basis of SIA’s annual Security Megatrends report defining the top 10 factors influencing both near- and long-term change in the global security industry.

SIA’s 2026 Security Megatrends were selected based on 2025 survey data and focus group input received from security industry business leaders, association leadership, key members and speakers for the 2025 Securing New Ground (SNG) conference, which took place Oct. 14 – 15 in New York City.

The 2026 Megatrends report revealed that there is no macro-trend larger or more impactful to the security industry than the new layer of disruption artificial intelligence (AI) introduces in a previously software- and hardware-dominant industry. The report raises the potential implications not only to all systems, but to sectors like alarm monitoring and security operation centers (SOCs).

Another key trend is what the report calls “The Value Chain Replaces the Channel Model,” which challenges the industry to reassess how security systems and services are delivered. Notably, this Megatrend calls for a clear focus on end-user security, risk and operational outcomes, in place of a model that rewarded transactions rather than customer value creation.

The 2026 Security Megatrends are:

• Software Eats the World. Will AI Eat Software?
• The Security Hardware Layer Is Reinvented
• Security Solutions Lose Their Boundaries
• The Value Chain Replaces the Channel Model
• Posthuman Automation of Security
• End-to-End Solutions and One-Logo Approaches
• The Unification of the Security Experience Layer
• SOCS and Monitoring Will Be Disrupted and Automated
• Correcting the Systemic Undervaluation of Security
• Security Technology Refresh Cycles Accelerate

“This year’s Security Megatrends report delivers insights into how AI will dramatically influence software, hardware, SOCs, reshape workflows, automate reporting and enhance analytics,” said Scott Dunn, board of directors chair, SIA. “Among the additional trends shaping our future, the shift from the traditional channel model to the value chain is particularly transformative, as it’s built for collaboration and outcomes. This evolution means security is not just delivered — it’s co-created, driving resilience, innovation and shared success.”

In addition to defining the latest Security Megatrends, the 2026 forecast report shares perspectives on key foundational trends for business leaders to manage as they operate within the security industry, what hardware requires to elevate its value and deliver better outcomes, the converged enterprise tech stack, the value chain model, what practitioners need from AI and more, features a collection of premier executive takeaways and includes numerous challenges and disruptors, as well as predictions for how trends will play out over the next year.

Each year, SIA produces the Security Megatrends report, which is made available to download for free. These Security Megatrends are the top forces at play in security, shaping executives’ business decisions and expected to have far-reaching impacts on businesses across the industry. These trends play an instrumental role in the insights and discussions at SNG, which brings together the leading entrepreneurs, luminaries, CEOs and investors in the security industry for top-quality information sharing, networking and business analysis.