Security experts are actively preparing for 2026 as 2025 comes to a close. After a year dominated by conversations about AI, proactive threat detection and deterrence, cybersecurity and more, leaders from across the industry share their perspectives on which trends will persist next year.

AI Won’t Budge. Neither Will Human Oversight.

Last year, security experts predicted the industry would see more accurate threat detection, innovative threat response, increased inoperability, new regulations and roles, and more — in large part due to what AI could help the industry accomplish. AI dominated conversations and innovations in 2025, and there is no sign this momentum will slow down.

Genetec predicts that the conversation will shift from AI and LLM hype to practical, outcome-driven intelligent automation (IA) solutions that streamline workflows, improve accuracy and enable faster, smarter decisions. The company’s 2026 forecast predicts IA will increasingly automate repetitive tasks, enhance monitoring precision, support predictive maintenance and extract meaningful insights from growing data volumes.

Experts from i-PRO agree that 2026 will continue to be defined by rapid advances in AI performance at the edge, growing demand for continuous education across the channel and a persistent focus on cybersecurity as the basis for every security workflow. According to the company, “While AI, cloud and cybersecurity remain central themes, 2025 marked the point where these technologies increasingly shifted from conceptual discussions to practical deployments. End users now expect tangible improvements that simplify daily work, cut unnecessary costs and help them make decisions faster.”

Gerard Figols, chief operating officer, i-PRO, says, “AI is no longer a theoretical discussion between manufacturers, integrators and end users. While many AI-powered cameras have been sold, in 2025 we saw meaningful gains in accuracy and usability as more users explored the capabilities of what the technology could achieve for their unique requirements. The next phase is about ensuring the technology is deployed responsibly, efficiently and with the right training behind it.”

A key prediction i-PRO outlines for 2026 is the emergence of generative AI running directly on the edge. The company states, “Improvements in processing hardware now allow models to learn and refine themselves directly on-device instead of relying solely on server or cloud infrastructure. This model significantly reduces bandwidth demands and avoids the steep cost associated with cloud-only analysis, which can reach hundreds of dollars per camera per month when done at scale. By keeping real-time analysis and self-learning at the edge while using the cloud only where it adds value, organizations can improve performance without overspending.”

Pro-Vigil also sees AI as a key trend for 2026, especially given its dramatic impact on security in 2025. “AI will evolve from an operational advantage to an innovation catalyst. Security integrators will increasingly turn to AI-assisted development tools, accelerating how new features and solutions reach customers,” Jeremy White, founder, Pro-Vigil, says. “From automating system testing and optimizing camera configurations to generating customer-ready dashboards and reports, AI will streamline every phase of product ideation, creation and deployment. This acceleration will not only strengthen customer relationships but also expand what’s possible in physical security, enabling integrators to adapt faster, innovate better and deliver smarter, safer solutions with unprecedented speed, accuracy and continuity.”

Satish Raj, chief technology officer, Pro-Vigil, says AI’s impact in the security ecosystem is extending well beyond end users; it’s also transforming the way integrators operate. “By embedding AI into internal processes, integrators are achieving faster, more precise and more efficient workflows,” Raj adds. “Autonomous AI agents are leading this shift, taking on routine but essential tasks such as identifying offline cameras, assisting with customer service inquiries and even generating incident report summaries complete with written narratives and video files. Through this internal evolution, AI is reshaping the industry from within, empowering integrators to deliver smarter service and stronger results.”

The persistence of AI is not going to take humans out of the loop anytime soon, experts say. Interface Systems leaders believe the most resilient security strategies acknowledge that bad actors are also constantly evolving. Hence, businesses are likely to incorporate Security Operations Center (SOC) services to add a critical “human-in-the-loop.” This hybrid model ensures expert analysts are available to handle exceptions, investigate persistent threats and provide the oversight needed for a truly robust security posture, according to the company.

Faisal Pandit, president, global controls and security systems, Johnson Controls, agrees. “Executives and practitioners in security do not trust full automation to make high-stakes decisions, and they shouldn’t. Human oversight must remain a priority for all security teams and applications,” Pandit says. “However, as AI becomes an increasingly important part of security ecosystems, explainability will become a priority, to see how a model reached its decision, rather than blindly letting it make decisions on behalf of teams. This will further improve the user experience and enable manufacturers to identify where the issues are. Explainability will also become essential to unify insights across integrated systems, so that teams can trust automated recommendations and act confidently on data-driven decisions.”

A Focus on Proactive Deterrence

According to Interface Systems, commercial establishments (i.e. retail and restaurant chains, car washes, automotive service centers, other consumer-facing businesses) are increasingly focused on securing their exteriors through preventive measures that detect and neutralize threats before they escalate. Experts say advanced video analytics will be central to combating loitering, vandalism and break-ins in real-time. By leveraging AI-driven detection in conjunction with remote video monitoring, businesses can stop crime before it happens and minimize the costs associated with damage and merchandise or equipment loss.

Raj adds, “Predictive threat analysis represents an emerging frontier for AI in physical security, one that is still under development but holds transformative potential. This technology aims to harness data to identify and anticipate potential risks, such as forecasting the likelihood of theft or intrusion at specific times. Though not yet a reality in widespread use, this proactive capability is being actively pursued and refined. Once realized, it will enable organizations to shift from reacting to incidents to preventing them entirely, empowering security teams to protect assets and people before threats ever materialize.”

Investment in Video Analytics Remains Strong

Greg Parker, vice president, life cycle solutions, Johnson Controls, believes video solutions will be a key driver of proactive business intelligence in 2026. “With global information security spending expected to reach $240 billion next year, businesses will increasingly invest in AI-powered video surveillance to enhance space utilization, heat mapping and overall operational efficiency without compromising security quality or disrupting workflows,” he says. “Video analytics will also no longer sit solely within the purview of security teams. We’ll see IT, operations, HR, real estate and retail stakeholders make a coordinated effort to improve threat response and unlock new insights across the enterprise.”

Beyond safety, experts from Interface Systems expect the use of video analytics to improve operational performance will expand. They say businesses will more widely adopt applications to monitor the speed of service, drive-thru throughput, food-handling compliance, store layout gaps, checkout wait times and risk management scenarios such as slip-and-fall detection. These tools, according to the company, will help retailers and restaurants streamline operations, enhance guest experiences and maintain a competitive edge.

Other Trends to Expect in 2026

There are dozens of other trends experts expect to see continue or come to fruition in 2026:

Access Control Modernization Will Accelerate: According to Genetec’s 2026 prediction for physical security trends, access control will remain a top priority as organizations modernize legacy systems and focus on maximizing ROI. Access Control as a Service (ACaaS) adoption will accelerate as organizations prioritize easier maintenance, greater scalability and predictable operating costs. Enterprises will favor hybrid deployments that combine on-premises and cloud capabilities. Unifying ACaaS and Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaaS) will further enhance visibility and streamline management across sites.

Cybersecurity is a Physical Security Issue: i-PRO believes that cybersecurity will remain one of the physical security industry’s top challenges in 2026. “Cybersecurity underpins every part of today’s physical security ecosystems. It is the baseline requirement that allows organizations to adopt new technologies, from AI to cloud-based services, with confidence,” the company states. Figols adds, “Cybersecurity underpins the entire technology stack. Trust and data integrity are the prerequisites for deploying AI and cloud capabilities with confidence and peace of mind.”

The Software Shift: Tazmin Pirani, vice president, global engineering, Johnson Controls, says the physical security industry will need to focus on a shift from a hardware- to a software-driven mindset heading into 2026. “While hardware has long dominated the mind of security engineers, the path to success in 2026 and beyond will be in delivering flexible, cloud-based architectures that integrate across connected ecosystems,” Pirani says. “This modernization will support building smarter, more adaptive systems that deliver security, privacy and performance across increasingly complex security and wider smart building ecosystems. Employing AI more effectively across software will also reduce the frequency of false alarms. Adopting the SaaS approach that I experienced in technology roles will unlock new levels of agility and innovation to transform physical security.”

Regulatory Mandates Will Drive Security Upgrades: Interface Systems expects heightened scrutiny in 2026 as both insurance providers and legislators tighten physical security standards. “Retailers failing to demonstrate robust preventive measures face significant financial risks, including potential policy cancellations. For instance, New York jewelers are increasingly at risk of losing insurance coverage if they cannot certify that they have protections against specific high-tech threats, such as cell jamming,” the company explains. “Simultaneously, legal mandates are expanding; the New York Retail Worker Safety Act (Senate Bill S.8358-B) now requires retailers to adopt comprehensive violence prevention programs and, for larger employers, install silent response buttons. Consequently, physical security companies must pivot to developing proactive solutions that meet these new regulatory baselines and satisfy insurers’ stringent risk requirements.”

Insider Threat Detection Will Become Unified & Automated: Rick Focke, director, product and market development, access control, Johnson Controls, says insider threat detection will move from a complex, investigative exercise to a unified and automated security capability. “Currently, connecting suspicious digital behavior with unusual access control events and anomalous recorded activity can take weeks, requiring extensive efforts to uncover. With AI helping to unite traditionally siloed data points, organizations will shift toward real-time anomaly detection for credentialed users,” Focke says. “Platforms will autonomously track and flag unusual access control patterns like users repeatedly entering high-security spaces and compare it to digital activity inconsistent with job roles. Combining this data will enable enterprises to reduce false positives while surfacing genuine risks faster, turning insider threat defense from a manual hunt into a standardized, scalable capability.”

Structuring & Aligning Security Budgets: Parker expects security budgets in 2026 will take shape as structured, lifecycle-based investments, rather than ad hoc, reactive expenditures. “Aligning security upgrades with broader, long-term business objectives will become increasingly essential as enterprise leaders demand ROI justification across business functions,” he says. “Rather than scrambling to respond to new threats or replace outdated equipment, organizations will favor phased budgeting approaches to pilot emerging technologies like AI and automation.”

Prioritizing Consumer-Grade, Streamlined Experiences: Parker also believes consumer-grade experiences will become the norm among security platforms in response to increasing demands for seamless, intuitive experiences from end users. “Self-service ticket creation, real-time alerts and online billing will replace repetitive data entry and a lack of personalization,” he says. “Minimizing friction within security platforms will be essential to empower users, speed up problem resolution and elevate the role of security within the broader building ecosystem.”

Balancing Economic Pressures With Sound Security: White believes true resilience in today’s volatile market begins before disruption strikes. “As businesses grapple with shifting economic conditions and escalating trade tensions, physical security can no longer be an afterthought,” he says. “Security must evolve into a strategic investment. Especially in asset-intensive industries such as automotive and construction, where inventory and materials carry major financial weight, the stakes are growing. In construction alone, reports indicate the cost of building materials has risen 34% since 2020, higher than the rate of inflation. By strengthening physical security now, businesses can stay focused on growth and operational efficiency, no matter how the economy evolves.”

The New Era of Home Security: Experts from Brinks Home point to key trends in home security: analytics will minimize false alarms and move protection from reactive to proactive; smarter automation, not more devices, will drive purchasing decisions; homeowners expect increased value from monitoring, video intelligence and expanded protection; and clarity is no longer the biggest selling point for video surveillance. Brinks Home experts agree that these trends collectively point to a new era of home security as a dynamic, intelligent system that adapts to real threats without overwhelming customers.

Education Will Become a Core Industry Requirement: According to i-PRO, 2026 will be the year integrators treat education as a strategic investment, not an optional extra. “Anyone can mount an AI camera. That does not mean it will perform. The market needs deeper understanding and repeatable best practices. Education is how we improve outcomes and build long-term trust,” Figols says.

New RMR Opportunities for Integrators: i-PRO also expects recurring maintenance contracts to become a major revenue growth driver, covering tasks such as ongoing system updates, security hardening and AI-algorithm refinement and evolution. “Technology does not stand still. Integrators who support continuous updates and lifecycle management will strengthen their customer relationships and generate new value,” Figols says.

“Looking ahead to 2026, businesses that combine proactive deterrence, AI-driven video analytics and expert human oversight will be best positioned to stay ahead of evolving threats,” says Sean Foley, chief revenue officer, Interface Systems.

Figols adds, “The installations that succeed in 2026 will be open, collaborative, cybersecure and supported by the right training. The industry is evolving quickly, and staying current will be essential.”