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Genetec has shared its top predictions for the impending new year, highlighting a shift towards hybrid cloud models, outcome-driven AI, and deeply connected security ecosystems.
Physical security firm Genetec has laid out its vision for the physical security industry in 2026, forecasting a year defined by choice, interoperability, practical automation, and the rapid convergence of systems and data.
The company said organisations will increasingly demand platforms that reduce complexity, extend infrastructure investments, and deliver measurable business value rather than empty hype.
Cloud adoption becomes a question of flexibility, not ideology
According to Genetec, organisations will no longer debate whether to move to the cloud. Unsteady, they’ll focus on choosing the right environment for each workload. Performance, cost, and data residency will drive these decisions, with enterprises mixing on-premises, cloud, and hybrid set-ups.
Open architecture platforms will be critical, giving organisations the freedom to select the devices, applications, and cloud services that best meet their operational needs.
AI evolves into intelligent automation
The conversation will shift away from AI buzzwords and towards practical intelligent automation that can streamline investigations, reduce false alarms, strengthen monitoring accuracy, and boost situational awareness. Intelligent search, predictive maintenance, and data-driven insights will become standard expectations.
As adoption grows, Genetec believes transparency will be essential: users will demand visibility into how AI systems are trained, where data is processed, and how cyber security safeguards are built into automated features.
Access control modernisation accelerates
Genetec expects access control to expand far beyond doors and badges. As ageing systems are replaced, organisations will prioritise solutions that deliver operational insights, support energy efficiency, and enable richer occupancy data. Access control as a service (ACaaS) will gain momentum, often paired with hybrid architectures that unify ACaaS with cloud-based video services for better cross-site visibility.
Mobile credentials, biometrics, and ultra-wideband-powered authentication will continue reshaping identity management and decentralising control of identity data.
Connected devices drive smarter, more unified operations
The number of IoT sensors, smart devices, and building systems feeding into security platforms will surge.
Genetec predicts organisations will increasingly expect real-time data sharing across IT, operational technology, and physical security, giving teams a unified operational picture. With environments becoming more complex, enterprises will look to vendors that can securely connect heterogeneous devices, support cloud-native and hybrid architectures, and embed cyber security and data residency protections by design.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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