Security Industry Association Forecasts Top 10 Security Megatrends for 2019

The Security Industry Association (SIA) has identified and announced the 2019 Security Megatrends – the foundation of SIA’s signature yearly report defining the major trends and forces at play in the global security industry.

These trends – the top factors influencing both short- and long-term change in the global security industry – are expected to impact almost all businesses within the industry. Cybersecurity was identified in the 2019 report as the standout trend shaping the security industry. By nearly 30 percentage points, industry leaders said cybersecurity’s impact on physical security solutions was the most impactful trend they were expecting to face in 2019. A resounding number of respondents also called for artificial intelligence (AI) to be recognized as a megatrend, noting that AI is becoming vital to supporting the heightened volume of data produced by modern security solutions.

Other new Security Megatrends emerging for 2019 include workforce development, the emphasis on data privacy, advancements in digital identity and the integration of security into smart environments like smart buildings and smart cities.

The 2019 Security Megatrends are:

1. Cybersecurity Impact on Physical Security
2. Internet of Things (IoT) and the Big Data Effect
3. Cloud Computing
4. Workforce Development
5. AI
6. Emphasis on Data Privacy
7. Move to Service Models
8. Security Integrated in Smart Environments
9. Advanced Digital Identities
10. Impact of Consumer Electronics Companies

Forecasting of 2019’s top 10 Security Megatrends was based on survey data generated in September and October from top security industry business leaders, association leadership and key volunteers and speakers for the next Securing New Ground (SNG), the security industry’s executive conference taking place October 25-26 in New York.

The Security Megatrends report is provided each year to SIA member companies and registered attendees of SNG.

In addition to defining the latest Security Megatrends, the forecast for 2019 also identifies other forces at play in the security industry that may have a noticeable impact on some or all businesses, and the research identifies three potential areas of business disruption the security industry may face in 2019.

The official 2019 Security Megatrends report will be published in late November 2018. The 2018 Security Megatrends report is currently available to all members and non-members.

Read more at the Security Industry Association

Bridget Johnson

Bridget Johnson is the Managing Editor for Homeland Security Today. A veteran journalist whose news articles and analyses have run in dozens of news outlets across the globe, Bridget first came to Washington to be online editor and a foreign policy writer at The Hill. Previously she was an editorial board member at the Rocky Mountain News and syndicated nation/world news columnist at the Los Angeles Daily News. Bridget is a terrorism analyst and security consultant with a specialty in online open-source extremist propaganda, incitement, recruitment, and training. She hosts and presents in Homeland Security Today law enforcement training webinars studying a range of counterterrorism topics including conspiracy theory extremism, complex coordinated attacks, critical infrastructure attacks, arson terrorism, drone and venue threats, antisemitism and white supremacists, anti-government extremism, and WMD threats. She is a Senior Risk Analyst for Gate 15 and a private investigator. Bridget is an NPR on-air contributor and has contributed to USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, New York Observer, National Review Online, Politico, New York Daily News, The Jerusalem Post, The Hill, Washington Times, RealClearWorld and more, and has myriad television and radio credits including Al-Jazeera, BBC and SiriusXM.

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