New research highlights seven trends shaping identity, access and trust, alongside rising ethical and privacy concerns
HIDreleased its 2026 State of Security and Identity Report, revealing how organisations worldwide are fundamentally reshaping their approach to identity management. Based on insights from more than 1,500 security and IT professionals, end users and industry partners, the research shows that security leaders are focused on how to manage identities in ways that build trust, strengthen protection and preserve user choice across increasingly converged physical and digital environments.
“Security leaders are clearly under pressure to modernise 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 organisations succeeding in 2026 are those giving stakeholders meaningful solution choice while maintaining robust security.”
Seven Interconnected Key Trends Define the Path Forward
The report identifies seven key trends that collectively illustrate how trust, protection and choice are reshaping security strategy:
- Identity management now dominates strategic planning
Nearly three-quarters of respondents (73%) identified identity management as a top priority, the highest category in the study. Organisations are moving beyond standalone credential systems toward unified identity governance that spans physical access and digital systems.
The shift reflects a market-wide consensus: the question is no longer whether to consolidate identity platforms, but how to do it in ways that reduce friction, ensure compliance and deliver measurable return on investment (ROI).
- Mobile credentials have reached critical mass
Mobile credentials adoption is now driven by security improvements (50%) rather than convenience (34%), a notable shift as organisations recognise the protection advantages of mobile credentials. Hybrid credential environments remain standard, with 84% of end users maintaining physical credentials within their mobile deployment, reflecting diverse user groups and operational needs that require flexibility over time.
- Biometrics are expanding beyond MFA into core access control
Biometric technologies continue to gain traction (45% view them as strategic), with fingerprint (71%) and facial recognition (50%) leading modalities. Yet, ethical and privacy concerns more than doubled year-over-year from 31% to 67%. This is driving organisations to implement safeguards and reinforces the need for transparency and compliance during deployment.
- Real-time location solutions are moving into mainstream use cases
RTLS adoption continues to expand, particularly in healthcare, manufacturing and logistics. About 42% of end users identify RTLS as a strategic priority, while 40% report active deployments. Yet barriers persist: costs (33%), privacy concerns (29%) and integration complexity (29%) slow progress, while 38% of partners report customers remain unfamiliar with RTLS capabilities, signaling substantial education needs.
- Physical and digital identity convergence is accelerating
Unified identity solutions are moving mainstream, with 75% of organisations either having deployed (29%) or actively evaluating (46%) unified identity solutions. While single credentials spanning buildings, networks and applications deliver efficiency and stronger security, budget constraints (51%), complexity (37%), and expertise gaps (34%) remain persistent barriers.
- RFID adoption continues to grow steadily
RFID is now infrastructure, not innovation. RFID adoption is growing steadily, with 54% of respondents reporting active use for asset tracking, inventory management and loss prevention. Once viewed as niche technology, RFID is now increasingly treated as core infrastructure for asset visibility, inventory control and operational intelligence. Security leaders cite faster tracking (62%) and improved visibility (41%) as key benefits.
- Investment patterns are shifting decisively toward integrated platforms
The era of point solutions is ending. Organisations are prioritising integrated identity and security platforms over standalone point solutions to improve visibility, efficiency, and resilience across increasingly complex environments. Yet integration complexity persists as the primary barrier (52% for identity systems, 37% for physical-digital convergence).
Ethics and privacy concerns are at an all-time high
Beyond individual technology trends, the report highlights a defining concern for 2026: ethical considerations and privacy concerns are at an all-time high. For biometrics, 67% of end users expressed high or moderate concern about ethical and privacy implications. Alongside location tracking and converged identity platforms, organisations are navigating the tension between stronger protection and individual rights. Many respondents report actively developing policies, governance frameworks, and technical controls to address these concerns, signaling a broader maturity in how security decisions are made.
What sets the 2026 report apart is the increasing depth and diversity of its data. Responses reflect a wide range of industries, including healthcare, education, government, finance, manufacturing, and critical infrastructure, with perspectives from both end users and the partners who design, deploy, and support security systems. This dual perspective provides insights into where strategy aligns with execution and where gaps remain.
The result is a report that provides a clear snapshot of how businesses are making decisions under real operational constraints. For security and IT leaders, it offers a grounded view of how peers are prioritising investment, addressing risk, and preparing for a future where identity sits at the centre of trust.
