Genetec has listed out their top physical security trends for 2025. These include cloud, AI, data privacy, cross-team collaboration and service providers’ increasingly important role. In this Insights article, we spoke with Daniel Lee, MD, APAC, Genetec about these trends and why they are important in security.
A new year has begun. So what’s in store for the physical security industry in 2025? In Genetec’s view, the primary focus for the industry this year is to maximize existing investment to enhance security, increase efficiency and boost collaboration between teams. And while there’s general excitement about new and emerging technologies, the main priorities will be centered around investing in core technologies and cybersecurity. That said, below we hear what Lee has to say about the top trends for the physical security industry in 2025.
Q: Cloud has been cited as a top trend for 2025. Can you elaborate on this? In particular, will the hybrid cloud model see more deployment?
In 2025, a stronger emphasis will be placed on hybrid systems by decision makers as they continue to look for the most effective ways to centrally monitor remote sites from an on-premises headend system and reduce on-site maintenance work with lightweight, quick-deploy hybrid cloud systems. They’ll also want to modernize their video or access control systems without throwing away their existing investments. For those with fully cloud-deployed solutions, they may also want to optimize data processing and storage costs or facilitate broader third-party integrations with on-premises infrastructure.
That said, we believe that software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions that are open, unified, and support hybrid-cloud environments will be the most flexible path forward as organizations can combine video, access control, intrusion, intercom, and other sensors from a variety of manufacturers either in the cloud or as a hybrid-cloud solution.
Organizations who want to bring their existing hardware to the cloud will be significantly assisted by cloud-managed appliances (or edge devices), which will help save time on deploying systems and save on the costs of changing non-compatible cameras or access control hardware. This will make the transition to the cloud easier.
Q: AI is also listed as a trend. How widespread is it in security? And how does AI bring outcome-driven benefits to users?
AI is pretty widespread in security. Our 2025 State of Physical Security Report suggests that 42 percent of respondents who work in procurement, management, or use of physical security technology plan to deploy some facet of AI in their security operations in the coming months.
If things are done right, AI-enabled security solutions can be game-changing – especially when organizations identify key operational challenges and then solve them through intelligent automation (IA), which is a combination of AI, intuitive user experience (intuitive UX), and automation. It should be worth noting, however, that the most effective implementations are rooted in Responsible AI, which ensures that technology is both ethical and transparent. This approach not only mitigates risks but also enhances trust and compliance.
For physical security teams that integrate AI into their security systems, they will want outcome-driven benefits, which entail automating event detection through video analytics and streamlining emergency response dispatch. Thanks to its ability to filter and classify events for human assessment and identify process improvements, IA can transform data overload into actionable intelligence.
Q: With regard to data privacy, why is it important? What should organizations do to ensure data protection?
Organizations will prioritize data privacy as data breaches can result in dire consequences. The global average cost of a data breach hit $4.88 million in 2024. This, combined with the 67 percent of organizations that were impacted by industry regulations like NIS2, CCPA/CPRA, and GDPR in the last year, means organizations will continue to invest in data protection and industry compliance. Yet we should also point out that not all physical security systems on the market are built to support these efforts.
When deploying new systems, it’s imperative that IT and physical security teams choose ones that come with built-in data protection and privacy tools and that have the latest certification such as SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and ISO/IEC 27017. They should also look at cloud and hybrid-cloud solutions as upgrades and fixes automatically get pushed to their physical security system — including new cybersecurity and privacy features.
Q: What’s the importance of cross-team collaboration? What are some of the tools that can be useful in this regard?
Our latest industry survey indicates that many organizations expect difficulty hiring qualified personnel in 2025. This will give rise to more cross-team collaboration, where brainstorming and knowledge-sharing between different teams will help solve problem and meet the organization’s needs even when talent is scarce. This could explain why tools that help with data analysis and visualization and improve collaboration between teams ranked among the top 5 projects for 2025.
To remove bottlenecks and ease stress for security teams, organizations are looking for tools that empower people in IT, facilities, and human resources with greater information and autonomy. Cross-team collaboration can be helped tremendously with work management software, which centralizes information to improve communication with work dispatching, resource management, and reports and audits. Digital evidence management tools, meanwhile, make it easy for teams to collect, manage, review, and collaborate on investigations.
In summary, tools that help different teams take more initiative in getting projects done will help boost productivity and output across the organization.
Q: Why will stakeholders demand more from service providers? What values can these providers offer?
Choosing physical security solutions doesn’t just fall on the shoulders of security professionals anymore. More people are now getting involved in physical security decisions – these include information technology (IT) teams, security operations (SecOps) teams and facilities teams, each with a set of challenges, requirements, and priorities.
For example: Physical security prioritizes streamlining response and investigative tasks. IT attaches a strong importance to data and network protection along with maintenance efficiency. SecOps emphasizes on cybersecurity, process automation, and data optimization. Facilities and others are concerned with the secure and efficient use of real-estate investments and want to gain business insights
Because of this, end users will demand more from service providers including channel partners, consultants, and technology vendors whose deeper understanding of cybersecurity, operations, data, and business automation will be sought after. End users will want more cohesive guidance from service providers to address stakeholder needs and equip them with the right tools.
We believe something positive will come out of this as it will create stronger partnerships industry-wide that are focused both on security operations and the practical application of business intelligence.
Q: Can you comment on the Asia-Pacific market? How did it fare in 2024?
I’m proud to say that 2024 was a great year for the Asia-Pacific, which had minimal disruption of projects and saw strong cloud and hybrid-cloud adoption in physical security environments. In terms of hybrid-cloud, APAC end users reported the highest hybrid-cloud adoption across all regions. And when it comes to cloud access control, APAC users had the highest proportion of ACaaS – all cloud access control use and consequently the lowest use of on-premises access control systems. But most importantly, end users from Asia-Pacific reported the highest portion of 2024 projects which were not impacted by delays. Where there were reported delays, a lower percentage of end users stated this compared with the other regions. End users in Asia-Pacific also reported the highest percentage of projects that had been scaled up (over 20 percent compared to the global average of 14 percent). Based on these positive and exciting developments, we are glad to say APAC had a great 2024 and is in for a great 2025!