The Security Industry Association (SIA) has identified and forecasted the 2020 Security Megatrends, which form the basis of SIA’s signature annual Security Megatrends report defining the top 10 factors influencing both short- and long-term change in the global security industry.

The selection of 2020’s Security Megatrends was based on fall 2019 focus groups and survey data gathered from top security industry business leaders, association leadership, key volunteers and speakers for the 2019 Securing New Ground (SNG) conference.

Each year, SIA produces the Security Megatrends report, which is made available to SIA member companies and registered attendees of SNG, the security industry’s executive conference. The Security Megatrends are the top forces at play in security, expected to have far-reaching impacts on businesses across the industry. 

For the second year in a row, cyber security was identified as the predominant trend shaping the security industry and a major concern for C-suite executives, government buyers, enterprise organizations, integrators and more. Moving up the list from being ranked fifth in SIA’s 2019 Security Megatrends report to second for 2020 was the trend of artificial intelligence (AI). 

A resounding number of respondents called for facial recognition to be added as a 2020 Security Megatrend, bringing the newcomer to the number three position. Also new to the 2020 Megatrends are national security concerns and identity as the new perimeter.

The 2020 Security Megatrends are:

1. Cyber Security Impact on Physical Security
2. AI
3. Facial Recognition
4. Emphasis on Data Privacy
5. Cloud Computing
6. National Security Concerns
7. Connectivity and IoT Everything
8. Workforce Development
9. Move to Service Models
10. Identity as the New Perimeter

“Cyber security resoundingly tops the list of Security Megatrends again for 2020,” said Scott Schafer, chairman of the SIA board of directors. “With the increased risk and frequency of cyberattacks, today’s systems integrators and product developers are working to make sure that security solutions meet or exceed an organization’s cyber-preparedness standards. SIA also forecasts that the trends of artificial intelligence and facial recognition will dramatically impact the industry in coming years. Both AI and facial recognition are experiencing clear technology advancements, and SIA will continue to track the industry and consumer tech adoption rates and emerging applications for these dynamic Security Megatrends.”

In addition to defining the latest Security Megatrends, the forecast for 2020 also denotes potential disruptors in the security industry and other forces at play that may have a clear impact on some or all businesses.

The official 2020 Security Megatrends report will be published in Dec. 2019 and available online for download and/or purchase.