Based on a global survey of more than 180 physical security professionals in the region, the findings point to rising demand for unified security platforms that provide a single operational environment for video surveillance, access control, analytics, and cybersecurity.

The report shows that over 70% of organisations globally now operate unified or integrated security systems, reflecting a broader move away from siloed technologies toward consolidated platforms that enhance visibility and operational efficiency.

Markets such as South Africa, where surveillance infrastructure is widely deployed across retail, mining, financial services, and transport, the focus is moving beyond basic monitoring to intelligent, data-driven platforms that support both protection and operational decision-making.

Organizations across South Africa are rethinking how security systems fit into their broader digital environments,” said Quintin Roberts, Regional Sales Manager at Genetec Inc. “Unified platforms allow teams to move away from reactive monitoring and toward security operations that deliver real‑time insight, stronger control, and closer alignment with IT.”

System upgrades driven by integration and IT alignment

Modernisation is accelerating as organisations replace legacy infrastructure. Around 60% of respondents cite the need to integrate new technologies as the primary driver for upgrading existing systems, underscoring the importance of interoperability and scalability.

In Africa, 73% of end users report that IT departments receive physical security data, significantly higher than the global average of 52%, signalling stronger alignment between IT and security functions. As organisations expand digital infrastructure, many still operate fragmented systems, creating challenges around integration, scalability, and real-time monitoring.

Connected systems raise cybersecurity stakes

Cybersecurity is becoming a critical priority. Africa’s rapid adoption of connected devices, including IP cameras and smart access control systems, is expanding the potential attack surface, driving closer collaboration between IT and security teams.

At the same time, regional interest in AI driven analytics has more than doubled among end users, with organisations increasingly using automation to enhance monitoring, improve incident response, and generate actionable insights.

“Unified security systems are no longer just about consolidation,” added Quintin Roberts. “They are becoming a foundation for how organizations across Africa manage risk, resilience, and operational complexity as digital transformation accelerates.”

Adoption challenges remain

Despite progress, challenges persist across emerging markets across Africa. Skills shortages in cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, and data analytics continue to limit adoption, while supply chain constraints impact deployment timelines.

The report notes that 38% of respondents in Africa cite training and upskilling as a key challenge, compared to a 21% EMEA average, highlighting a widening skills gap.

Overall, the findings reinforce the evolution of physical security into a strategic business function, one that supports operational resilience, improves decision-making, and drives long-term growth.

Survey methodology

The 2026 State of Physical Security Report is based on insights from more than 7,300 physical security professionals worldwide, including end users, channel partners, consultants, and manufacturers.

As Africa’s leading economies – South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya – accelerate their infrastructure development efforts, the need for robust, efficient, and collaborative physical security solutions has also grown significantly.

With critical industries such as transport, healthcare, banking, and education increasingly becoming hot targets for physical and data breaches, security analysts predict that security teams in the region are likely to shift their focus towards integrating solutions that offer a unified approach to securing critical public and private assets.

Practicality will overcome hype

According to the insightful predictions, organizations are increasingly becoming strategic in deploying the cloud – balancing on-premises, edge, and cloud solutions for optimal fit.

In 2025, decision-makers will prioritize hybrid systems, focusing on centralized monitoring, reduced maintenance with quick-deploy hybrid cloud systems, and modernizing video or access control systems without discarding existing investments.

Fully cloud-based deployments may optimize costs or enable broader third-party integrations using on-premises infrastructure. SaaS solutions supporting hybrid-cloud environments will offer the most flexibility, combining video, access control, and sensors from various manufacturers while integrating existing infrastructure via the cloud.

AI for outcome-driven benefits

The 2025 State of Physical Security Report indicates that 42% of respondents who work in procurement, management, or use of physical security technology, plan to deploy some facet of artificial intelligence (AI) in their security operations in the coming months.

When applied thoughtfully, AI-enabled security solutions can be game-changing. Especially when organizations start by identifying key operational challenges and then solve them through intelligent automation, which is a combination of AI, intuitive user experience, and automation.

The most effective implementations are anchored in Responsible AI, ensuring technology is both ethical and transparent. This approach not only mitigates risks but also enhances trust and compliance.

Organizations will prioritize data privacy

This, combined with the fact that 67% of organizations were impacted by industry regulations in the last year means organizations will continue to invest in data protection and industry compliance. However, not all physical security systems on the market are built to support these efforts.

“When deploying new systems, information technology (IT) and physical security teams globally and across the region are likely to integrate systems with built-in data protection and privacy tools and that have the latest certification. Based on their security needs, they’ll also prioritize cloud and hybrid-cloud solutions since upgrades and fixes automatically get pushed to their physical security system—including new cybersecurity and privacy features,” said Quintin Roberts, regional sales manager – Africa, Genetec.

Cross-team collaboration will gain traction

Genetec’s latest industry survey indicates that many organizations expect difficulty hiring qualified personnel in 2025.

This could explain why tools that help with data analysis and visualization, and improve collaboration between teams ranked among the top five projects for 2025. Organizations want to remove bottlenecks and ease stress for security teams.

To do that, they’ll look for tools that empower people in IT, facilities, and human resources with greater information and autonomy.

Stakeholders will demand more from service providers

Choosing physical security solutions doesn’t solely fall on the shoulders of security professionals anymore.

From IT teams and security operations to facilities teams, more people are getting involved in physical security decisions.

But they all come to the table with a focus on their own challenges, requirements, and priorities. Because of this, end users will demand more from service providers including channel partners, consultants, and technology vendors.

They expect these providers to have a deeper understanding of cybersecurity, operations, data, and business automation.

They’ll want more cohesive guidance to address stakeholder needs and equip them with the right tools.

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With South Africa being the sixth most targeted country worldwide regarding cyberattacks, it’s no surprise that organisations have to put numerous steps in place to protect their networks and data.

This is all the more crucial in a world where we have legislation such as GDPR and PoPI that dictate how people’s data can be stored, used and transmitted, with harsh financial penalties for those found in contravention.

More companies are investing in network and data security solutions and being proactive in preventing breaches by carrying out active threat hunting, while there’s also a growing effort to separate Information Technology from Operational Technology as an additional security measure.

With more investment into network and endpoint security, these threat actors are now turning to tactics such as phishing and spear-phishing in order to get malware onto an organisation’s network.

With employees more likely to be the weakest link in an organisation, the human firewall element has to be a key consideration, and cybersecurity awareness and training have to be carried out regularly.

Remote and hybrid working bring with them additional security challenges for organisations; while employees might receive cybersecurity training and practise safer online behaviour, the same might not be said for children or elderly members of the family who are sharing a WiFi connection and could potentially compromise all devices on the network. The security situation is worse if an employee connects from a public WiFi connection. Here, endpoint detection and response become key.

Employees will also have to be mindful of more than just digital security breaches, but also physical security issues. As an example, improperly discarded documents that contain personal, financial and other sensitive information can be used to build a profile against someone as part of a spear-phishing attack. Or, think of having confidential documents that stay displayed on a screen or are printed out and laid on a table for anyone to see. Employees will have to be cognisant of how they are storing and discarding information at home too.

New challenges also loom on the horizon for businesses. With larger organisations being able to protect themselves better, hackers are targeting third parties who might be smaller suppliers, business partners or even clients. The majority of large security breaches that occurred last year were due to a smaller company first being breached in order to ultimately gain access to a larger organisation. We are also seeing how artificial intelligence (AI) can be a double-edged sword, with tools such as ChatGPT now being used by hackers to create malware.

With threat actors always looking at new ways to breach corporate defences, organisations will have to respond with an ongoing investment in their security, both through the deployment of relevant products or solutions, and the continuous training of employees.

However, while organisations might be doing more to be better protected against cyberattacks, what happens if someone breaks into their offices and then walks out with their PCs and servers?

We have already seen the overlap between cybersecurity and physical security when it comes to ensuring employees take better care of confidential corporate information.

At the same time, at home – whether on a screen or printed – and it’s no surprise that we are seeing this convergence in the workplace too. Going forward, the overlap will necessitate the integration of cybersecurity and physical security in order to enable the sharing of events to the same security operations centre (SOC).