Physical security trends for 2025
Date: Dec-03-2024
Physical security is no longer a standalone industry. Security has become more intricate – combining the strengths of humans, technology and data to ward off emerging and recurring threats.
This article will examine some of the trends, both industry-driven and client-driven, that are expected to shape physical security, as well as other interlinking industries, in 2025.
Table of contents
Internal trends
Top responsibilities
When asked what their top responsibilities are, security professionals said that designing and executing a security strategy is their main job.
Participants, who must be responsible, at least in part, for physical security within their organization, were given 36 roles and responsibilities that fall under the security function at an organization to categorize. The results do not contain many surprises, but responsibilities can vary depending on the type of company that the security organization works for.
For this question, owning or leading the responsibility means the security staff or company both manages and funds the program, while managing the responsibility means it oversees the program or task, but another group funds it.
| Function | Own/Lead | Manage | Support |
| Security strategy | 79% | 3% | 16% |
| Liaison with public-sector law enforcement agencies | 72% | 13% | 11% |
| Aligning security with the business | 70% | 17% | 11% |
| Workplace violence/threat management / active shooter prevention | 70% | 15% | 7% |
| Asset Protection / Facilities Protection | 68% | 22% | 8% |
Top concerns
The same survey asked participants about their top issues and concerns in 2024 and 2025 regarding risk mitigation and enterprise security.
- Workplace Violence
- Cybersecurity
- Business continuity and business resilience
- Civil unrest/protests
- Crisis management/staffing and training/risk and threat intelligence
While an unfortunate reality, workplace violence has been ranked as the top concern by respondents since 2021. Security companies and clients will both want to assess current workplace violence prevention measures to determine if additional or revised strategies are required.
Cybersecurity, which becomes more of an issue each year, will also be a key issue that companies will want to prioritize in 2025.
Physical and cybersecurity are becoming more intertwined
When asked if their program covers more than physical security, more companies report taking on responsibilities that fall under different departments.
| Year | Physical and cybersecurity | Physical security and health and safety |
| 2023 | 12% | 37% |
| 2024 | 28% | 42% |
Measuring success
Like any business, security companies want to continue growing and generating additional revenue.
Tracking and assessing data is a big part of achieving success. Without metrics, it’s hard to tell where a company went wrong.
Similarly, clients like to have data so that they can determine the productivity and success of the security company they have hired.
The majority of companies are aware of the need for analytics, and most have a system for generating essential data.
Do security teams have a charter or policy within the enterprise that clearly defines the role/authority of security?
83% said yes
9% said no
8% said it is under development, planned for the new year, or they were unsure
Do security teams maintain a security metrics program that clearly defines productivity, value creation, and cost avoidance?
65% said yes
17% said no
15% said it is under development or planned for the new year
4% said they did not know
Do security organizations track/maintain security-related metrics/analysis or data to help determine incident response, proper staffing, etc.?
80% said yes
8% said no
11% said it is under development or planned for the new year
1% said they did not know
External trends
Spending
Money continues to be the biggest priority and/or issue for virtually everyone. Organizations are reducing services or canceling subscriptions where they can, which likely explains the reduction in money set aside for security. Security budgets were calculated in relation to a company’s total revenue.
The good news is that the majority of organizations still plan to increase the security budget, and the average increase is more significant now (34% in 2024) than it has been in previous years.
The bad news is that the companies that have reduced their security budgets have cut back, on average, by almost 30%.
For reference, in 2023, the average increase in the security budget was 14% and the average decrease was 7%.
Security budgets (year-over-year comparison)
| Year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Increase | 66% | 69% | 63% | 63% |
| Decrease | 19% | 23% | 8% | 9% |
| Remained the same | 15% | 8% | 25% | 24% |
Average increase or decrease (year over year)
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Average % increase | 14% | 19% | 14% | 34% |
| Average % decrease | 21% | 11% | 7% | 29% |
When spending is assessed by sector, business services and consulting comes out on top. This sector spent, on average, 14% of its total revenue on a security budget.
There is a big gap between first and second place. Healthcare reported spending about 3% of its budget on security. Information technology and media come in third, spending roughly 1.8% on security. Hospitality, construction and NGOs placed fourth, spending 1.5% of its budget on security.
Physical security measures
When it comes to physical security approaches, the vast majority of organizations believe that access control is absolutely essential. ID badging and video surveillance are also top choices.
91% of organizations reported having some type of access control system
87% of organizations use ID/badging
86% rely on a video management system
71% have intrusion detection
70% employ mass notification
70% use a visitor management system
Access control comes in many forms, including mandatory access control, discretionary access control and role-based access control. Access control can be as simple as issuing key fobs to staff or residents.
More advanced systems are starting to leverage AI which allows teams to evaluate access permissions for users in real time. While expensive, it reduces the need for people to be so heavily involved in the vetting process when trying to determine who should have access, and if limitations are required.
ID and badging are practical, low-cost solutions that work well for permanent staff and residents, however this system can create issues for visitors or guests. A visitor kiosk or dedicated staff member can ensure authorized guests can access a space or area with minimal issues.
Security systems are great assets to physical security teams. While they cannot stop someone from doing something they shouldn’t, they can make people think twice before they break a law or rule. At the very least, they usually make residents and staff feel safer. At best, they can help security staff stop someone from engaging in malicious activity.
Cameras have become much more affordable, and offer advanced capabilities such as setting off alarms or detecting changes in temperature. They will continue to play an important role in physical security.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence has earned its own category this year. It is anticipated to be one of the more notable trends in 2025 due to its novelty and potential.
From anomaly detection to behavior analysis, AI-powered tools can analyze large datasets at speeds beyond human capacity. That means it can identify patterns, and recognize unusual behavior that could be considered threatening.
Machine learning plays a significant role in AI-driven security. Algorithms pick up on patterns from past incidents and evolving threats. As a result, security monitoring systems may alert staff about potential breaches before they occur. This helps to keep organizations one step ahead of criminals, and gives security teams a bit of extra time to respond to incidents.
It is important to note that AI has the potential to be powerful; it is still in its infancy. It will get better as more companies use it.
Furthermore, AI is most effective when combined with a team of people who understand its strengths. Security companies will be able to determine how to best apply AI in order to augment safety and enhance security for their clients.
Conclusion
The security industry must continue to refine strategies and preventive measures since opportunists are always looking for new ways to gain access to digital and physical spaces.
In 2025, we expect further integration of security roles, strategies and industries as a layered approach to security is always stronger. Clients who place a higher value on security will spend more to secure good service. However, security companies should be measuring the effectiveness of their services, and provide clients with proof.
Traditional physical security solutions, such as access control and video surveillance, remain popular, but AI will elevate the effectiveness of these tactics.