For years, physical security operations have carried a reputation for being deeply manual: spreadsheets, site visits, email chains, and fragmented vendor tools stitched together by sheer effort.
But new survey data suggests the reality in 2026 is more nuanced and more interesting.
Many physical security teams have begun modernizing. Automation is there, in some capacity. The real challenge is what comes next.
The Industry is Stuck
In SecuriThings’ 2026 Physical Security Trends Report, we surveyed hundreds of physical security professionals across North America, and the majority of respondents described their organization’s approach to managing devices like cameras, access control systems, sensors, and controllers as: “Mostly automated with some manual processes (55%).”
At the same time: 39% still report that their environments are mostly manual, aided by some automation tools.
The takeaway here is that while there is widespread awareness about the importance of automation, in practice it is very much a spectrum. This spectrum seems to be the result of a lack of options, rather than physical security teams actually opting to forego automation, as we’ll see in some other interesting statistics from the report below.
Our report shows that most physical security teams are operating in an in-between state: partially modernized, but still carrying significant operational drag.
The Lack of Continuous Control
If automation is already present, why do so many teams still feel weighed down?
Because the automation most organizations have today often doesn’t translate into proactive compliance or continuous device health.
When asked where current physical security tools fall short in supporting compliance efforts, respondents pointed to issues that go beyond basic digitization:
- Limited automation for routine compliance tasks (76%)
- Reactive rather than proactive monitoring (73%)
This is the heart of the problem.
Many teams have automation tools and workflows. Some even have automation.
But too often, physical security device compliance remains reactive – addressed after something breaks, after an audit finding, or after a vulnerability becomes urgent.
That’s not enough.
Compliance Pressure Is Rising
This challenge is becoming more critical as compliance expectations increase across both physical and IT security domains.
In the survey:
- 20% of respondents said compliance is a top priority
- 55% called it a high priority
That means more than three quarters of teams view device compliance – things like firmware upgrades, password rotations, EOS/EOL planning, certificate management, and device hardening – as an urgent operational requirement.
The stakes are rising. But the tooling and processes haven’t fully caught up.
The Next Phase of Physical Security Ops
This is where the industry is heading:
Not from manual to automated – that transition has already begun to take place.
The true need right now is a move from partial automation to continuous, centralized, proactive security maintenance.
The next evolution of physical security operations will be defined by questions like:
- Do you have real-time visibility into device health across sites?
- Are compliance tasks automated, or just documented?
- Are teams preventing issues, or responding to them?
- Can physical security operate with the same rigor as IT asset management?
Today, automation is the starting point, not the finish line.
Looking Ahead
The survey results make one thing clear: physical security teams are modernizing, but many are still stuck in the operational middle ground – where automation exists, yet compliance remains reactive.
Get the full industry report for a deep dive into what’s driving this gap and what security leaders are prioritizing as they move toward proactive device compliance at scale.
