73% of security buyers put vendor staying power ahead of price and performance
Genetec's sixth annual State of Physical Security report, drawn from 7,368 responses and released to frame 2026 priorities, finds 73% of end users weigh vendor stability above product performance (45%) and price (43%). More than 70% already run unified systems. AI interest among end users more than doubled, though 70% worry about how AI systems use data and how the AI works.
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Key facts, context, and what it means.
Key takeaways
More than 70% of respondents already use unified or integrated systems, and 60% say their main motivation for replacing legacy technology is to integrate new capabilities.
End users want AI to help navigate alarms and support investigations, yet 70% worry about how AI systems are built and rolled out, chiefly data use and understanding how the AI works, which the report says underlines the need for clear guidance from vendors.
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Price came third. In Genetec's sixth annual State of Physical Security report, 73% of end users said a vendor's long-term viability and stability is a key factor when they evaluate a system. Product performance was cited by 45% and price by 43%, according to the company's announcement distributed through GlobeNewswire.
That ordering is the most useful thing in a report built on 7,368 responses. Genetec released it in December 2025 to frame 2026 priorities, and its figures give a facilities or security director a published reference point for this year's spending. Security Systems News, which covered the release, reported the respondent pool spans end users, channel partners, systems integrators and consultants; Facilities Dive reporter Joe Burns added that manufacturers were included and that the fieldwork ran in August and September.
Stability outranks the spec sheet
Security Systems News reads the finding as a signal that buyers want partners who will stay with them: vendors able to offer continuity, back modernization programs that run over several years, and keep developing products dependably as systems change.
For Security Systems News, the result shows buyers favoring partners that offer continuity, that can stand behind modernization work stretching across multiple years, and that keep product development steady as systems change.
The report interprets the 73% figure as buyers choosing partners for the long haul: vendors that offer continuity, that can carry multi-year modernization programs through, and that keep product development dependable as systems change.
Seven in ten already run unified systems
More than 70% of respondents said they use unified or integrated systems, per the Genetec release. Among those replacing legacy technology, 60% named integrating new capabilities as the main motivation, and 51% cited access to new features as another key driver.
Facilities Dive's Burns described the shift in plain operational terms: teams used to combine independent components, such as a video management platform and an access control system, to run more efficiently. Now, per the report as Facilities Dive summarized it, they are adding data visualization and other tools on top of those core systems.
AI moves onto the priority list, with a 70% caveat attached
AI made the list of top project priorities for 2026, sitting beside access control and video surveillance for the first time, and end-user interest in adopting AI more than doubled compared with the prior year's report, according to the GlobeNewswire release.
What end users want from it is specific. Security Systems News reported they see value in tools that help navigate alarms, support investigations and reduce noise in busy environments. Facilities Dive put it as navigating alarms and investigations and prioritizing events.
Per the release, 70 percent of respondents said they worry about the design and implementation of AI systems, with the specific sticking points being how data gets used and understanding how the AI works. The report says this reinforces the need for clear guidance from vendors.
Among the 7,368 people surveyed, 70% voice worries about the way AI systems are built and rolled out. Their concerns center on how data is used and on being able to understand how the AI actually operates. According to Security Systems News, the report says this result underlines why vendors need to offer clear guidance.
Hybrid cloud and the handshake with IT
End users named automatic updates, ease of deployment and simpler maintenance as the main benefits of cloud, and expect continued adoption in 2026, according to Security Systems News. The preference, though, is for choice: the flexibility to keep some workloads on premises while moving others to the cloud.
Facilities Dive framed the wider story as physical and IT security merging, with collaboration between the two teams a 2026 priority. Christian Morin, Genetec's vice president of product engineering, said in the release that security is becoming an enabler of business outcomes as it is woven into the broader enterprise; Security Systems News noted the report frames it as an enterprise function rather than only a protection layer.
Security Systems News reports that respondents anticipate cloud adoption will keep growing in 2026, helped by the freedom to decide which workloads stay on premises and which shift to the cloud. End users identify automatic updates, ease of deployment and simpler maintenance as key benefits.
The release also lists access control modernization, cybersecurity initiatives and growing use of analytics among 2026 priorities, with regional breakdowns in the full report.
Three checks before signing a 2026 access control or video refresh
- Vendor viability: 73% of end users say a vendor's long-term viability and stability is a key factor when evaluating solutions, ahead of product performance at 45% and price at 43%.
- Unified systems: more than 70% of respondents already run unified or integrated systems, and for 60% the biggest reason to replace legacy technology is to bring in new capabilities.
- AI guidance: 70% of respondents worry about the way AI systems are built and rolled out, with concerns centered on data use and on understanding how the AI operates; the report says this underlines the need for clear guidance from vendors.
Genetec fielded this edition in August and September 2025, per Facilities Dive. The report is the company's sixth annual edition.
Sources
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