Which current technology will revolutionise physical security in the next 10 years?

Bluetooth Low Energy 6 is positioned to reshape physical security over the next decade. The latest standard introduces Channel Sounding, a secure ranging capability that measures the precise distance between a credential and a reader with sub-meter accuracy. This addresses one of the biggest issues in mobile access today by making relay attacks detectable and effectively unworkable. Instead of relying on signals that can potentially be captured and replayed, both devices confirm physical proximity through cryptographically protected ranging exchanges that validate true distance. That change alone strengthens mobile access, but the real benefit comes from the new use cases this precise positioning data enables. Facility teams gain accurate occupancy insights. First responders can locate personnel with room-level precision. Workflow and equipment access can be automated based on exact location. BLE 6 merges security, safety and operational intelligence in a way that will fundamentally redefine how organisations think about access control.

The global multi-sensor detector market is estimated at $5 billion this year and predicted to reach about $8.5 billion by 2033. While multi-sensor detection is currently prevalent in the physical security industry with a recent report finding that multi-sensor fusion enhances the effectiveness, accuracy and reliability of wireless intrusion detection, its influence is set to grow significantly as the technology matures and becomes more deeply integrated into security ecosystems. The consolidation of various sensors into a unified device will not only streamline installation but will eliminate data silos to create more visibility into different sequences of events – such as a glass window breaking while motion is detected – to signal a potential threat. Multi-sensor detection allows security providers to go beyond typical intrusion detection. For instance, one device can feature a sensor that detects water leaks while simultaneously monitoring temperature to alert users of freezing conditions with another sensor. In the next 10 years, the physical security systems that have a competitive advantage in the market will be those that provide more with less: more security, more situational awareness, and more peace of mind in one device through multi-sensor detection.

The most significant transformative technology in physical security for the upcoming decade will be AI-powered video analytics. The current early deployments of AI technology surpass motion detection capabilities because they perform real-time behavioural analysis and threat prediction and automated incident response with reduced human supervision. AI will drive the most significant change when it is integrated with edge computing systems. The processing of data occurs directly on devices, which provides faster operation and better security and reduced costs. The transition to local processing decreases response times and saves network capacity while maintaining privacy standards. The adoption of blockchain-based access control systems continues to grow particularly in critical infrastructure applications. The decentralized system provides tamper-proof logs and credentialing through its decentralised structure. The development of digital twin technology allows organisations to create real-time simulated models of physical spaces for proactive security planning through threat modeling. The security revolution consists of AI integration with edge computing and data-driven automation which transforms physical security into predictive systems.

Modern software architecture will be the real catalyst for change in physical security over the next decade. Everyone talks about AI or cloud scalability, but none of that is possible without the right foundation. When containerisation, distributed services, policy-based management, and a rich topology data model are supported by disciplined DevOps practices, platforms can roll out new capabilities continuously, remain highly available, and scale in ways older architectures cannot. This is the shift that will finally retire the heroic upgrade paths our industry has lived with for years. Customers will expect their security systems to evolve the same way their phones do, with new features and improvements showing up without disruption. That is only possible when the architecture underneath is modern, flexible, and built for continuous improvement. In my view, this move to a fully modern software foundation is what will truly define the next era of physical security and enable everything else people want to achieve.

While it may sound cliché, AI is poised to transform physical security more than any other technology. Its potential spans deterrence, detection, and prediction of security incidents. AI-powered video surveillance and analytics can now process information in seconds, which is something that used to take security directors days, enabling rapid identification, forensic research, and actionable insights. Beyond analysing current events, AI can predict potential incidents by leveraging historical and contextual data. It can recognise familiar people, vehicles, or patterns of behavior, allowing security teams to differentiate between routine activity and potential threats. For example, if an alarm is triggered but the system identifies a known employee in a non-standard context, AI can assign a probability score to assess whether the event represents a real risk or a false alarm. This ability to combine speed, contextual awareness, and predictive analytics gives security teams unprecedented insight and operational efficiency. Over the next decade, AI will fundamentally redefine how organisations prevent, respond to, and understand security threats.

As agentic AI continues to evolve, it will fundamentally reshape how organisations think about physical security over the next decade. No longer limited to passive monitoring or reactive alerting, security systems will become intelligent, self-optimising networks that automate workflows and surface insights without human prompting. Cameras and sensors will work together as active participants—identifying patterns, anticipating risks, and delivering valuable operational intelligence directly to teams. This shift will not only enhance safety and efficiency but also redefine “return on investment,” transforming physical security from a static cost center into a dynamic engine for actionable business insight and strategic value.

Artificial intelligence, when combined with edge computing, will fundamentally redefine security over the next decade. These technologies allow for real-time insights, smarter automation, and a move away from siloed systems. At BCD, we are focused on ensuring the infrastructure is reliable and ready to support this transformation at scale.

AI gets a lot of publicity, but the real revolution will be how it reshapes what we consider the core of a security system. The traditional VMS, with operators scrubbing timelines and digging through archives, is already fading out. In the next decade, priority will shift to alerting and forensic search engines that surface exactly what matters without requiring anyone to hunt for it. Long-term storage of raw video will be a last resort rather than the backbone of an investigation. Metadata, not footage, will become a source of truth. We will also see cameras disappear into the background as smaller, specialised imaging sensors are embedded into IoT and IIoT devices. Instead of standalone hardware, security systems will quietly collect visual intelligence from everyday equipment. It won’t look revolutionary on the surface, but this convergence of smart sensors and metadata-driven workflows will fundamentally change how organisations think about security and operational awareness.

I wish I knew so I could buy the shares! On a serious note, predicting 10 years out is challenging because the pace of evolution and adoption has skyrocketed. The time from proof of concept to widespread adoption has compressed dramatically. However, we do know the technologies that are gaining significant traction are edge computing, cloud technology, and AI in different shapes and forms. These will fundamentally change our industry. At ONVIF, we have initiatives connected to all three of these areas, which reflect where we see the industry heading. The intersection of these technology segments, particularly how they work together rather than in isolation, will likely create the most transformative impacts on physical security operations and capabilities.

The future of physical security is closely tied to how businesses evolve and adapt to shifting markets and global economic conditions. The advancing physical security trends we see today are laying the groundwork for the next decade's technology. Three trends to watch for are artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous robotics, and cloud technology. AI will have the most significant impact on physical security over the next few years. Existing applications, such as behavioral analytics in video cameras, are already helping organisations identify unusual activity and potential threats in real-time, improving security response times while reducing (not replacing) the need for human intervention. Security applications are now aligning directly with key business priorities: increasing productivity and reducing operating costs. In robotics, some organisations have introduced autonomous patrol drones to observe their facilities and sites. The AI is learning from the captured data to improve the drone's pathfinding capabilities. Another trend worth mentioning is how businesses have shifted to a more hybrid-working environment post-pandemic. As a result, applications, workflows, and processes have moved to the cloud, making data centers and server rooms one of the most vital assets within most organisations. The shift presents new challenges for physical security, as teams must continually find ways to counter threats of damage and disruption from breaches.

AI-driven video analytics combined with human-in-the-loop monitoring will be the most transformative force in physical security over the next decade. Businesses are learning that fully autonomous systems have clear limits, and the most effective model pairs intelligent detection with expert human verification. This hybrid approach strengthens deterrence, reduces false alarms, and ensures threats are escalated to law enforcement when appropriate. Video-based alarms will gain traction as analytics become more accurate, affordable, and tightly integrated with traditional intrusion systems. The convergence of video and traditional alarms will move into the mainstream and push manufacturers to improve reliability, arming and disarming workflows, and system interoperability. New analytics focused on operational intelligence, including speed-of-service tracking, crowding, and early risk detection, will extend security beyond protection. Security teams will gain tools that improve safety while helping optimise customer experience and store performance. Together, these advancements will redefine how organisations secure people, property, and brand experiences.

When I look ahead at what will truly reshape physical security over the next decade, the answer is already in our hands – quite literally. Mobile access will be the defining technology of the next 10 years, even though today its adoption is still relatively small as a percentage of all access control credentials. We are only in “round one” of what will be a long evolution. The decisive shift will be driven based on how Apple and Google Wallet-based credentials mature – there’s still a schism between the two empires – given wallet technology is now ubiquitous and offers a seamless, intuitive user experience when it comes to entering and exiting buildings. Earlier attempts at mobile access, using Bluetooth-based solutions, struggled. Wallet credentials change that — they’re fast, secure and built into devices people already use constantly. As the two major mobile ecosystems move closer to standardisation, we’ll see far broader adoption and more ambitious use cases. But mobile is only one part of the transformation. The next decade will also be defined by the rise of AI within smart buildings. We’re at the very beginning of that journey, yet its impact will be profound.

The technology poised to have the most significant impact on physical security over the next 10 years will be the deployment of Agentic AI. We are now entering the Era of Agentics, where AI systems can operate with minimal oversight by understanding context, making decisions, and taking actions reflecting real user intent, rather than blindly following prescribed steps. What sets agentic AI apart is its ability to learn, adapt, and plan multi-step tasks. In facilities that generate thousands of alerts daily, as with access control systems, an agent can evaluate the nature of alarms and decide if human intervention is needed. The AI agent can then either escalate the alarm to the security team (which is often overloaded with notifications) or handle the follow-up by closing benign alarms or intervening, for instance, by directly notifying cardholders of their violations, as shown in relevant video clips. In evolving situations, AI agents can use a wide range of sensors, systems, and video data to pinpoint areas and events, locate cameras, and summarise context for decision-makers in real time. This marks a fundamental shift from passive data analysis to proactive security management. By deploying AI agents, security leaders gain a technology teammate that can handle complexity autonomously, freeing professionals to focus on strategic judgment rather than operational reaction.