Axis Communications (CEO Ray Morritson), a global company specializing in network camera-based intelligent security solutions, predicts that edge, hybrid, and mobile surveillance will dominate the security market by 2026.

On the 5th, Axis announced the five technology trends that will lead the security industry in 2026.

Axis has been forecasting the trends in security technology every year, and this year, it analyzed that the market will change in a direction where existing trends such as advanced AI, advancements in image processing technology, enhanced device computing performance, and evolution of communication technology will deepen.

A particularly notable change in recent years has been the growing influence of IT departments in introducing physical security technologies.

As collaboration between physical security teams and IT departments becomes increasingly essential, the criteria for selecting security technologies has also changed significantly.

The '5 Security Technology Trends for 2026' presented by Axis include: △Strengthening ecosystem-centered decision-making, △Evolution of hybrid architecture, △Increasing importance of edge computing, △Explosive growth in the mobile surveillance market, and △Need to secure technological autonomy.

In 2026, the key criterion for security technology adoption will likely be not individual products, but rather which ecosystem they will join.

As the influence of IT departments grows, they choose the operating system first and then configure compatible software and hardware.The IT method is also spreading to the security industry.

An ecosystem-centric approach facilitates the integration of various devices, such as cameras, sensors, and analytics, and ensures integrated configuration, management, and scalability.

Additionally, long-term software updates and product lifecycle management can be reliably supported on a single platform, so platforms from vendors with a broad partner ecosystem are expected to determine market competitiveness.

Axis predicts that hybrid architecture will find a new balance by 2026.

The combination of edge, cloud, and on-premises will remain, but the roles of edge and cloud will be strengthened, and reliance on on-premises will gradually decrease.

Cameras with enhanced edge AI capabilities can perform traditional server-based tasks like video analysis and metadata generation on their own, while the cloud is being optimized for large-scale data analysis and improved operational efficiency.

However, on-premises-based systems are likely to remain important due to regulations and corporate policies.

The security industry has been leveraging edge computing as a core technology for years, and its importance is expected to grow even further by 2026.

As device performance improves and more functions can be processed at the edge, benefits such as generating actionable insights in the field, producing sophisticated metadata, and enabling system scalability without adding servers are emerging.

Additionally, the emergence of the latest edge devices equipped with enhanced IoT security features such as secure boot and signed operating systems is accelerating the trend of enterprises embracing the edge as a core element of their overall security systems.

The market for mobile surveillance solutions, including mobile trailers and mobile cameras, is expected to grow by 202It is expected to grow rapidly over the next six years.

This is because improved network connectivity and the combination of edge AI have made high-performance surveillance possible even in mobile environments.

Mobile surveillance is rapidly being adopted in a variety of settings, including public safety, construction sites, festivals and sporting events, and temporary facilities. Advances in green power technologies and low-power cameras have also significantly reduced maintenance and installation costs.

As supply chain uncertainty persists, companies are considering internalizing core technologies.

On the other hand, there are practical limitations to developing all technologies directly, so a strategy to secure technological autonomy through selection and concentration on core areas is becoming increasingly important.

Axis introduced the case of developing its own SoC 'ARTPEC' for over 25 years, and explained that this technological autonomy led to the provision of differentiated functions such as AV1 encoding.

This can contribute to building a stable and sustainable security infrastructure even in the face of future technological changes.

Axis stated, “The future of the security industry is not a simple extension of existing technologies, but a complex evolution that combines various elements such as ecosystems, edge, mobile, and autonomy.” It added, “We will continue to innovate beyond 2026 through close collaboration with customers and partners.”