HID’s 2026 State of Security and Identity Report highlights seven trends reshaping identity management, access control and trust across converged physical and digital environments.
HID has released its "2026 State of Security and Identity Report," outlining how organizations are reshaping identity management strategies to build trust, strengthen protection and preserve user choice across converged physical and digital environments.
The report is based on insights from more than 1,500 security and IT professionals, end users and industry partners. According to HID, nearly three-quarters of respondents identified identity management as a top priority, reflecting a shift toward unified identity governance spanning physical access and digital systems.
“Security leaders are clearly under pressure to modernize access and identity infrastructure, but our research shows they're equally focused on the governance, protection and transparency that build lasting trust,” said Ramesh Songukrishnasamy, senior vice president and chief technology officer at HID. “The organizations succeeding in 2026 are those giving stakeholders meaningful solution choice while maintaining robust security."
The report identifies seven trends shaping identity, access and trust strategies:
- Identity management now dominates strategic planning
Seventy-three percent of respondents identified identity management as a top priority. Organizations are moving beyond standalone credential systems toward unified identity governance that spans physical and digital systems, with an emphasis on reducing friction, ensuring compliance and delivering measurable return on investment. - Mobile credentials have reached critical mass
Adoption is now driven primarily by security improvements at 50 percent compared with 34 percent citing convenience. Hybrid credential environments remain common, with 84 percent of end users maintaining physical credentials alongside mobile deployments. - Biometrics are expanding beyond MFA into core access control
Forty-five percent view biometrics as strategic, with fingerprint at 71 percent and facial recognition at 50 percent leading modalities. Ethical and privacy concerns rose from 31 percent to 67 percent year over year, prompting organizations to implement additional safeguards and compliance measures. - Real-time location solutions are moving into mainstream use cases
RTLS adoption continues to expand in healthcare, manufacturing and logistics. Forty-two percent of end users identify RTLS as a strategic priority and 40 percent report active deployments. Barriers include cost at 33 percent, privacy concerns at 29 percent and integration complexity at 29 percent, while 38 percent of partners report customer unfamiliarity with RTLS capabilities. - Physical and digital identity convergence is accelerating
Seventy-five percent of organizations have either deployed unified identity solutions at 29 percent or are actively evaluating them at 46 percent. Budget constraints at 51 percent, complexity at 37 percent and expertise gaps at 34 percent remain obstacles. - RFID adoption continues to grow steadily
Fifty-four percent report active RFID use for asset tracking, inventory management and loss prevention. Respondents cited faster tracking at 62 percent and improved visibility at 41 percent as key benefits. - Investment patterns are shifting decisively toward integrated platforms
Organizations are prioritizing integrated identity and security platforms over standalone solutions. Integration complexity remains the primary barrier, cited by 52 percent for identity systems and 37 percent for physical-digital convergence.
Ethics and privacy concerns at the forefront
Beyond individual technologies, the report highlights rising ethical and privacy concerns. Sixty-seven percent of end users expressed high or moderate concern about the ethical and privacy implications of biometrics. Organizations report developing policies, governance frameworks and technical controls to address these issues.
HID said the report draws from a broad range of industries including healthcare, education, government, finance, manufacturing and critical infrastructure, incorporating perspectives from both end users and partners involved in designing and deploying security systems.
The full "2026 State of Security and Identity Report" is available for download here.