New research highlights trends shaping identity, access and trust, alongside rising ethical and privacy concerns.
HID’s 2026 State of Security and Identity Report, reveals how organizations 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 modernize 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 organizations succeeding in 2026 are those giving stakeholders meaningful solution choice while maintaining robust security.”
Key trends Defining the path forward
The report identifies several 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. - 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. - 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. Organizations are prioritizing integrated identity and security platforms over standalone point solutions to improve visibility, efficiency, and resilience across increasingly complex environments. - 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, organizations 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.
The infographic here offers a more visual view of these trends and concerns.
