According to Genetec‘s latest analysis, 2026 will bring a major shift in the approach to physical security technology. The market is moving away from a fascination with innovation for innovation’s sake, towards value engineering and operational flexibility. For integrators and IT solution providers, this means the end of the era of ‘one size fits all’ universal deployments.
A key trend is becoming a move away from the binary choice between on-premises and cloud infrastructure. IT decision-makers will increasingly turn to hybrid models that balance performance, cost and strict data localisation requirements. In this landscape, open architecture solutions will win out. Unlike closed ecosystems that make the customer dependent on a single vendor, open platforms allow the free combination of best-in-class devices and applications. This approach not only extends the lifecycle of existing infrastructure, but allows cloud services to be deployed point-to-point – where they generate real added value.
An equally significant transformation is taking place in the area of artificial intelligence. The industry is clearly moving from a phase of excitement about the possibilities of large-scale language models (LLM) to a phase of implementation of intelligent automation (IA). Business customers expect tangible results: false alarm preselection, predictive maintenance and faster evidence sifting. The technology is there to relieve the burden on operators, not to generate information noise. As the market matures, there is also increasing pressure for transparency – end users will demand clear statements on how their data is handled and protected, putting cyber security at the top of the buying agenda.
Modernisation will also affect access control systems, which cease to be merely a ‘door guard’. Thanks to the ACaaS (Access Control as a Service) model and integration with video surveillance, these systems are becoming analytical tools to support the management of office occupancy or energy efficiency.
The year 2026 will therefore be marked by the convergence of IoT and OT. Unified platforms, combining data from IoT sensors, building systems and cameras, will become standard and the role of the partner channel will be to guide customers safely through this increasingly complex hybrid ecosystem.
