Cyber security is the number one new megatrend shaping the industry, according to the Security Industry Association’s (SIA) yearly report defining the major trends and forces at play in the global security industry. By nearly 30 percentage points, industry leaders said cyber security’s impact on physical security solutions was the greatest they were expecting to face in 2019. 

The Security Megatrends report is provided yearly to SIA member companies and registered attendees of Securing New Ground, the security industry’s executive conference. These megatrends are identified based on survey data generated in September and October of this year from security industry business leaders, association leadership and key volunteers and speakers for Securing New Ground. 

To be considered a bona fide megatrend, the force must be a top factor influencing both short- and long-term change in the global security industry, and is expected to have a sweeping impact on almost all businesses within the industry.

“Today modern physical security solutions are comprised of IoT devices and sensors that generate high volumes of security data. Applying analytics and artificial intelligence systems makes this data more actionable and increases responsiveness for security systems users,” said SIA Chairman of the Board Scott Schafer. “Cybersecurity continues to be at the top of the list of the most important trends . . . and SIA will continue to address this trend over the next year and in the foreseeable future.”

Behind cyber security, the internet of things (IoT) and the big data of things were determined the second most impactful; then cloud computing, workforce development, artificial intelligence, emphasis on data privacy, move to service models, security integrated in smart environments, advanced digital identities and finally, the impact of consumer electronics companies was determined the 10th most impactful trend. 

In addition to defining the latest security megatrends, the report for 2019 also identifies other forces at play in the security industry that may have a noticeable impact on some or all businesses, and three potential areas of business disruption the security industry may face in 2019.

The official 2019 report will be published and available online for download or purchase in late November. The 2018 report is currently available to all SIA members and non-members here.