The Security Industry Association recently released its 2026 Security Megatrends report, and it’s clear that our industry is entering a period of fundamental transformation rather than incremental change.

From the rapid maturation of artificial intelligence to the blurring lines between hardware, software, and services, today’s security landscape is being reshaped by technologies and business models that demand a more integrated ecosystem.

The 2026 Security Megatrends include:

1. Software Eats the World. Will AI Eat Software?
2. The Security Hardware Layer Is Reinvented
3. Security Solutions Lose Their Boundaries
4. The Value Chain Replaces the Channel Model
5. Posthuman Automation of Security
6. End-to-End Solutions and One-Logo Approaches
7. The Unification of the Security Experience Layer
8. SOCS and Monitoring Will Be Disrupted and Automated
9. Correcting the Systemic Undervaluation of Security
10. Security Technology Refresh Cycles Accelerate

To help navigate these shifts, we asked Northland’s subject matter experts a simple question: “Which of these trends will most impact Northland’s clients and why?”

Here’s what they had to say.

Pierre Trapanese | CEO

Trend: The Unification of the Security Experience Layer

I always look forward to SIA’s annual Megatrends report, and this year’s list is particularly compelling. Since our inception, we’ve operated on the belief that true value lies in software and its ability to integrate across platforms and regions. Through Blackbear Labs, we’ve been collaborating with manufacturers to build a more seamless, interoperable ecosystem. A key outcome of this interoperability is the normalization of data; by breaking down silos, we allow our clients to extract significantly greater value from their information.

Our mission has always been to provide holistic, reliable solutions on a global basis. From delivering comprehensive designs for every project to prioritizing high-quality installations and ongoing maintenance and further differentiating ourselves by managing technology and operations on behalf of our customers, we have always taken a thoughtful, end-to-end approach. By handling the technical and operational complexities, we empower our customers to focus on high-level strategy and react to events with greater agility.

Danny Chung | Global Director of Consulting

Trend: Software Eats the World. Will AI Eat Software?

Software, and its corresponding data, is now where most of the value lives in the security ecosystem. With customers increasingly talking about platforms and applications, rather than individual cameras or panels, it’s clearer than ever before that the overall client experience is being driven by software. The continued shift to cloud and SaaS models is only further accelerating this trend by making security systems easier to manage, update, and scale, clearly signaling that software is on the upswing.

That said, software cannot exist without hardware - cameras, readers, and sensors are essential for generating the data that software and AI rely on. And so, while we know that AI is beginning to transform security software through automation and advanced analytics, strong integration between hardware and software remains critical to delivering effective security outcomes.

Trend: The Security Hardware Layer Is Reinvented

As software and AI continue to advance rapidly, security hardware has to evolve alongside them, becoming more complex, intelligent, and data driven. Devices are no longer “dumb” sensors with cameras and other hardware now having the ability to incorporate built-in analytics and multiple sensors to capture richer, more meaningful data. As a result, the value of hardware is increasingly defined not by the device itself, but by the quality and depth of the data it generates for software and AI to leverage. In fact, as software grows more powerful, hardware will become even more critical, serving as the foundation that enables effective, AI-driven security solutions.

Sujoy Dutta | APAC General Manager

Trend: The Value Chain Replaces the Channel Model

Our tagline, “Bring your greatest security challenge to us,” has never been more relevant. Today, business leaders are operating under an 'AI-first' mandate, yet security professionals are tasked with executing that vision within existing architectures and fixed budgets. This friction is driving a demand for bespoke solutions that simply don’t exist off-the-shelf.

At Northland, we are leaning into the SIA trend where The Value Chain Replaces the Channel Model. While the physical act of mounting a camera or hanging a panel has become commoditized, the true value of a global service provider has shifted toward strategic expertise and regional knowledge-sharing. We aren't just installers; we are consultants and lifecycle partners. Our role is to guide clients through interoperability, future-ready standards, and best global practices to ensure they receive maximum value for their investment in an increasingly complex landscape.

Brendan McFall | AMER Operations Manager

Trend: Software Eats the World. Will AI Eat Software?

AI remains the hottest buzzword in our industry, and as I think about this trend, there are two use cases that I am keen to see AI solve for our clients: natural language queries for easier extraction of data and investigations and more proactive anomaly detection.

As access control and video surveillance systems continue to generate vast amounts of data, the ability to query these databases using plain language is becoming both possible and practical. This shift will allow security teams to ask simple, intuitive questions for operational insights, such as how many people used a specific office on a given day, as well as streamline investigations by quickly locating relevant video based on descriptive criteria like clothing, time, or location. Ultimately, this approach reduces manual effort, lowers costs, and allows security teams to focus on higher-value actions rather than time-consuming searches.

Beyond just retrieving data, the evolution toward autonomous anomaly detection will enable systems to recognize irregular behavioral patterns, such as an off-hour badge-in to a sensitive area and automatically trigger secondary verification to neutralize risks in real-time. By establishing a baseline of normal behavior, I am expecting more systems to be able to identify deviations that may indicate a risk, even when access permissions are technically valid. This level of recognition will help to validate legitimate activity while surfacing subtle, high-risk events that would typically go unnoticed by traditional security monitoring.

Terry Browne | Global General Manager Data Center Group

Trend: Software Eats the World. Will AI Eat Software?

In the current landscape, AI is essential, but execution is everything. While the tools are advancing rapidly, the real challenge lies in deploying them within complex, live environments where data quality and system design often limit success. The goal for 2026 is to use AI to bridge the gap, reducing friction for our operators and automating the 'busy work' of investigations. We must move beyond the hype and ensure that these intelligent capabilities are reliable, scalable, and operationally sound before they hit the headline. If we can’t execute in the field, the intelligence of the model is irrelevant.

The Year Ahead

2026 is set to be a transformative year for the security landscape. While AI and software continue to dominate the conversation, the foundation of our success remains rooted in strategic expertise and precision-driven data. We look forward to helping you navigate these changes and building a more secure, interoperable future together.

Want to dive deeper? Check out the full SIA 2026 Security Megatrends report to see all ten trends shaping the industry this year.