The Security Industry Association (SIA) has identified the top 10 forces expected to reshape the security sector through 2026 and beyond. At the top of the list stands artificial intelligence’s impact on software, a trend that promises to transform a field long dominated by hardware and software systems. This emphasis places AI at the core of future technology road maps and investment plans.
SIA’s 2026 Security Megatrends were chosen using input from a 2025 industry survey alongside focus groups involving business executives, association leaders and speakers at last October’s Securing New Ground conference in New York City.
This annual Security Megatrends report, offered as a free download, defines the leading factors driving both near- and long-term change in security markets worldwide.
These megatrends carry weight in guiding executive decisions and are expected to produce far-reaching effects across companies and projects within the global security industry.
Each trend serves as a pillar for discussions at Securing New Ground, which gathers entrepreneurs, luminaries, CEOs and investors for high-level networking, market analysis and strategy sessions. Attendees attend keynote addresses, breakout panels and vendor showcases throughout the event.
Past editions of this forecast have highlighted trends like the Internet of Things, cloud adoption and cybersecurity integration. This year’s findings elevate artificial intelligence to a position above these developments.
The report finds no larger macro trend than AI’s disruption of a historically hardware- and software-centric field. Its analysis highlights the potential effects on alarm monitoring networks, security operation centers (SOCs) and beyond. It anticipates that AI-driven tools will revolutionize threat detection, predictive maintenance and operational efficiency across networked devices.
A second major trend, labeled “The Value Chain Replaces the Channel Model,” urges companies to shift from a transaction-driven approach toward a framework focused on end-user security, risk management and operational outcomes. This model advances partnerships based on shared risk, real-time performance metrics and aligned objectives among manufacturers, integrators and clients.
The 2026 Security Megatrends are:
- Software Eats the World. Will AI Eat Software?
- The Security Hardware Layer Is Reinvented
- Security Solutions Lose Their Boundaries
- The Value Chain Replaces the Channel Model
- Posthuman Automation of Security
- End-to-End Solutions and One-Logo Approaches
- The Unification of the Security Experience Layer
- SOCs and Monitoring Will Be Disrupted and Automated
- Correcting the Systemic Undervaluation of Security
- Security Technology Refresh Cycles Accelerate
Scott Dunn, chair of SIA’s board of directors, says, “This year’s Security Megatrends report delivers insights into how AI will dramatically influence software, hardware, SOCs, reshape workflows, automate reporting and enhance analytics.”
He adds, “Among the additional trends shaping our future, the shift from the traditional channel model to the value chain is particularly transformative, as it’s built for collaboration and outcomes. This evolution means security is not just delivered—it’s co-created, driving resilience, innovation and shared success.”
The forecast report also offers perspectives on foundational trends that business leaders must navigate, recommendations for hardware vendors to improve performance and outcomes, strategies for integrating converged enterprise tech stacks, insights into value chain models and a closer look at AI requirements for practitioners. It features executive takeaways, a range of challenges and disruptors and forecasts for how each trend will unfold over the next year.
