TECH NEWS | Cybersecurity gap grows in access control systems
The report found that 32% of respondents said cybersecurity features are missing from their current controller systems, up from 21% in 2025.
A growing gap between cybersecurity requirements and existing physical access control systems is emerging as organizations adopt cloud connectivity, interoperability and artificial intelligence, according to a new global industry report.
The 2026 Trends in Access Controllers Report from Mercury Security, based on a survey of 561 physical security and cybersecurity professionals, found that 78% of respondents consider the controller important or critical to their physical access control system strategy, up from 72% in 2025.
The report found that 32% of respondents said cybersecurity features are missing from their current controller systems, up from 21% in 2025. At the same time, 74% said cybersecurity and IT coordination have become more complex to manage.
Despite these challenges, 86% said their organizations are actively working to stay current with changing cybersecurity and data protection standards.
“Organizations recognize the cybersecurity risks facing connected access control systems, but the infrastructure in place isn’t always keeping pace,” said Steve Lucas, vice president for sales at Mercury Security.
“As they look to modernize, users also want to protect existing investments. That makes interoperability increasingly important and puts more weight on choosing controller platforms that can address current security requirements while providing the flexibility to support what comes next,” Lucas said.
Interoperability gains importance
Interoperability was identified as a critical factor in controller procurement by 69% of respondents, while 82% said backward and forward compatibility is important to future infrastructure planning.
The findings indicate that organizations are favoring gradual modernization that allows them to retain existing investments while adding new capabilities.
Mobile credentials are also influencing controller purchasing decisions. Half of respondents said they are already using or planning to adopt mobile solutions, while 46% ranked mobile credential integration among the trends driving controller purchases.
Cloud adoption lags demand
Cloud connectivity was cited by 56% of respondents as a factor influencing controller purchases, up from 50% in 2025.
However, only 41% said their controllers are currently cloud-enabled, while 26% said cloud enablement is missing from their existing systems.
The figures indicate that demand for cloud capabilities is increasing faster than current infrastructure deployment.
AI adds infrastructure demands
The report also found growing interest in AI-related capabilities. Behavioral analysis and anomaly detection rose to 56% in 2026 from 44% in 2025. Facial recognition was cited by 60% of respondents, while 50% cited predictive security and threat prevention.
As these applications develop, the report said processing power, storage, connectivity, cybersecurity and integration architecture are becoming more important considerations in controller selection.
More than 39% of respondents said they are exploring or have adopted edge computing within their security ecosystems. Meanwhile, 41% have integrated controller data with building occupancy and utilization programs.
The findings point to a broader role for access control infrastructure beyond traditional door control, with controller selection increasingly treated as a longer-term infrastructure decision.
Organizations are balancing immediate requirements such as reliability and cybersecurity with the need to support emerging technologies, integrate with other systems and modernize existing infrastructure incrementally.
Full disclosure: All news articles published on the TechSabado website are written by human journalists, unless otherwise specified. Final text editing is also performed by human editors, with artificial intelligence (AI) used only to assist with additional grammar and style guide corrections..
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