Genetec Exec Highlights IT-Security Divide at Montreal Briefing

Andrew Elvish, VP of Global Marketing for Genetec, presented findings from the company's State of Physical Security Industry Report at a Montreal media event, revealing how security technology is transitioning from operational necessity to strategic business tool.

The study gathered responses from 7,300 professionals across 135 countries, achieving balanced global representation with equal participation from EMEA (including Middle East) and North America, plus 17% from Asia-Pacific.

The IT-physical security divide

A persistent gap remains between IT and physical security professionals on cybersecurity priorities. "We continue to see a very big divide between physical security professionals and IT professionals," Elvish said. "Physical security still has a challenge in understanding that cybersecurity is an important part of a physical security deployment."

The numbers tell the story: 47% of IT professionals prioritize cybersecurity versus only 27% of physical security respondents. Similarly, 38% of IT professionals focus on data collected in the SOC, compared to just 24% of physical security professionals.

However, convergence is accelerating. "We're seeing a coming together of those," Elvish noted. "In our business, we're seeing much more of a combination of physical security and IT professionals under one roof in the IT organization."

Security as system of record

Organizations increasingly treat physical security purchases like enterprise software acquisitions. "Enterprises that we work with are treating their purchase of physical security technology as a system of record," Elvish explained. "They're approaching it in the same way they would approach a purchase of an SAP system or an Oracle ERP or a Salesforce."

This shift manifests in collaboration patterns. Fully 25% of physical security professionals now collaborate with other departments for outcomes beyond traditional security practices—working with HR, real estate teams on space utilization, and operational groups on industrial IoT integration.

Elvish cited a major agri-foods company that combined license plate recognition and access control data to analyze parking lot usage and building occupancy globally. "They were able to retire millions upon millions of dollars of unused real estate," he said.

Unified platforms dominate

The market is consolidating around unified or integrated platforms, with standalone systems losing favor. Most respondents prioritize either unified (single-manufacturer) or integrated solutions. Elvish predicted the integrated category will continue shrinking toward unified systems.

"When systems develop, deliver intelligence alongside protection, they empower enterprises to innovate, adapt, and lead in an era of constant change," he said, explaining why 60% of respondents want systems that continuously bring new features—a dramatic shift from the traditional "set and forget" mentality.

"There is a mindset of like, you just put the system in and you wait until it dies and then you replace them," Elvish noted. "But now the mindset has shifted to such that 60% want systems that can bring new features to them. It's become much more of a software mindset."

Hybrid cloud gains momentum

Hybrid deployments continue gaining ground as organizations seek cloud benefits without surrendering control. The report shows hybrid cloud is the preferred approach, with all-premises solutions at 19% and all-cloud at 18%.

"People want their cake and they want to eat it too," Elvish said. "This mindset around hybrid speaks to this desire to build resilient systems, to build systems that can withstand, keep running seamlessly even when there's issues."

Updates and new features remain the top reason for cloud connectivity (60%), followed by ease of deployment, maintenance, and scalability. Elvish emphasized that cloud connectivity doesn't mean everything must migrate to cloud storage.

"Sometimes people who are less familiar with it think when we talk about cloud or connectivity, that it means instantly everything has to go to the cloud. Archive your video surveillance footage in the cloud. Absolutely not," he said.

Consultants designing large systems show strong adoption patterns: 61% report end users shifting workloads to cloud, 72% are specifying hybrid deployments, and 71% of channel partners expect new cloud systems in 2026.

AI surges to second priority

In the most dramatic year-over-year shift, AI and large language models jumped from fifth place to second place in technology priorities, displacing video surveillance. Now 45% of respondents list AI/LLM as a priority for 2026.

"In one year, it went from fifth place, displaced video surveillance, and went to number two," Elvish said. However, he cautioned against viewing AI as an end rather than a means.

"This is a hammer," he explained. "The question that you should be asking is what do you want to build and how do you use a hammer, a saw, a screwdriver, all of these tools. It's a tool in your toolkit."

Concerns about AI implementation are substantial. Fewer than 30% express no concerns, while most respondents have questions about AI development, training sets, bias guardrails, and responsible implementation policies.

"We have concerns about auditability and regulatory defensibility," one end-user respondent noted in the report. "AI decisions, especially in surveillance and access control, must be explainable and auditable to satisfy compliance and legal scrutiny."

Long-term partnerships valued

Perhaps most significantly, 73% of respondents prioritize long-term vendor viability and stability when making purchasing decisions—the largest single factor in vendor selection.

"People don't want to work with a fly-by-night company," Elvish said. "They look askance at companies that are spending other people's money, because that usually ends badly."

The report shows the industry moving decisively toward strategic technology partnerships rather than transactional vendor relationships, with end users focusing on outcomes rather than specific technologies.

"The future belongs to those who use technology and connect and build smart solutions," Elvish concluded. "Solutions that focus on the outcomes that matter to the businesses, organizations, governments that use them."