SIA’s 2026 Security Megatrends Push Strategic Change

“The most significant new perspective we included in Megatrends this year is the idea that AI will disrupt mature software markets, as well as the economics of software development,” Van Till said.

He noted that generative AI’s ability to co-author code at unprecedented productivity levels, combined with platform-driven functionality gains, could allow new entrants to challenge established products rapidly.

“Products with tens or hundreds of millions of dollars and years in the market can be challenged almost overnight,” Van Till said.

That theme is reflected in the report’s first megatrend, “Software Eats the World. Will AI Eat Software?” which frames AI not simply as an add-on but as a force capable of reshaping how security software is built, deployed and maintained.

From channel conflicts to value chain outcomes

Another major shift highlighted in the 2026 report is the move away from traditional channel thinking toward what SIA describes as a value-chain approach. This megatrend challenges long-standing debates over customer ownership and transactional models.

Kohl credited Eric Yunag, executive vice president of products and services at Convergint and a Megatrends advisor, with advancing this concept from the 2025 report into a more fully realized framework for 2026.

“Too often the conversation becomes ‘Who gets a piece of the pie?’ or ‘That’s our customer,’ when the real question should be ‘How are we solving our customer’s problem?’” Kohl said. “Eric really understands the pain that practitioners feel, and he kept us focused on what matters.”

The value-chain model calls for manufacturers, integrators and service providers to align around end-user security, risk and operational outcomes, rather than optimizing individual transactions. SIA leaders say this shift reflects growing complexity in security deployments and rising expectations from practitioners.

Automation, context and authority of action

While AI has appeared in previous Megatrends reports, Kohl said the 2026 edition reflects a growing willingness across the industry to grant AI more authority in specific operational contexts.

“I think we’re all giving AI more credence and leaning toward providing it more authority of action, within reason,” Kohl said. “We’re seeing businesses use agentic AI to automate processes that have friction or are monotonous and don’t take advantage of unique human skills.”

Kohl pointed to scenarios where repetitive tasks and delayed human response create risk, suggesting automation may help reduce friction in safety-critical environments.

“There is data that puts the time before an active shooter in a school is reported to public safety at five to seven minutes,” he said. “Law enforcement response is quite fast once they are alerted, but as an industry, we have the technology to automate and speed incident reporting.”

He added that improved sensor inputs, data sharing and system integration are enabling more contextual awareness, allowing for automated responses that were previously unattainable.

A message for security executives

For corporate security leaders planning budgets and strategies over the next 12 to 24 months, SIA’s message is not to pursue sweeping transformation all at once, but to focus on incremental progress.

“Our big message to CSOs and corporate security leaders about AI is to focus on the aggregation of marginal gains,” Kohl said. “Don’t try to solve all your problems at once. Consistently solve small problems.”

He cited examples such as using AI to assist with incident reporting or filtering low-level alarms so teams can focus on higher-risk situations.

“If you consistently solve small problems and reduce friction, your security team is going to look back in a year and realize what incredible progress they have made,” Kohl said.

The full 2026 Security Megatrends report is available as a free download and will continue to serve as a foundation for discussions at SIA’s Securing New Ground (SNG) conference,  which brings together executives, investors and industry leaders to examine the business of security.

(For perspective on the 2025 SIA Megatrends, see our report on a featured ISC West panel discussion.)