Physical security teams are being asked to do more than ever: manage sprawling device fleets, maintain compliance with IT requirements, reduce risk exposure, and respond faster across distributed environments.
But our latest industry survey highlights a foundational challenge that makes all of that harder: most teams still can’t clearly see what’s happening across their physical security devices.
Centralized Visibility Is the Exception, Not the Norm
In the 2026 Physical Security Trends Report, we surveyed hundreds of physical security professionals across North America. When respondents were asked how much centralized visibility they have into the status, configuration, and health of devices across all locations, the results were striking:
Only 2% reported having full centralized visibility, while the remaining 98% of respondents said they had just “limited” or “partial” visibility.
That means that full, organization-wide visibility into physical security device posture is extremely rare today, even as environments grow more complex and compliance expectations rise.
Visibility is Foundational
Without centralized visibility, security teams are forced into reactive operations:
- Firmware issues surface after devices fall behind
- Password policies drift across sites
- Certificates expire unnoticed
- End-of-life hardware remains in production longer than it should
In other words: you can’t manage what you can’t see.
And the survey confirms that teams recognize this gap clearly.
Tools Are Falling Short Where It Matters Most
When asked where current physical security tools fall short in supporting compliance efforts, the most common response was:
Lack of centralized visibility across devices and sites (74%)
This is a structural limitation of the way physical security technology has historically evolved: Fragmented systems, vendor silos, and workflows that weren’t designed for continuous device security management.
Lack of Visibility: The #1 Barrier to Being Proactive
The consequences show up immediately when teams try to move from reactive response to proactive maintenance.
When asked to identify the top barriers limiting their ability to address compliance issues like firmware, passwords, certificates, and end-of-life/end-of-service risk, respondents ranked this near the top:
Limited visibility into device status across sites (70%)
The message is consistent: A chronic lack of visibility into the health and compliance of physical security devices is placing organizations at grave risk.
The Industry Is Approaching an Inflection Point
Physical security is an integral part of broader security and IT expectations.
As device compliance becomes a higher priority, the operating model must evolve:
- From site-by-site management to centralized oversight
- From reactive break-fix cycles to proactive security maintenance
- From fragmented tooling to continuous visibility and control over all devices
In IT, asset inventory and endpoint visibility are non-negotiable. Physical security is heading in the same direction, but our Trends Report shows the industry still has a long way to go. In the meantime, organizations across all industries remain exposed to physical and cyber threats due to unmanaged devices.
This visibility gap is only one part of a broader set of findings about how teams are managing device compliance, operational risk, and scale. Find out what’s driving these challenges and what leading organizations are doing differently as they modernize physical security operations.
Download the 2026 Physical Security Trends Report.
