We enter the final week of our 2025 security industry reflections and 2026 predictions with Steve Van Till, founder and president of Brivo. He looks back at the biggest developments in the sector in the past year and ahead to what changes could be coming in 2026 and beyond.
Steve Van Till 2025 Security Industry Reflections and 2026 Predictions
Read on to check out Steve Van Till’s 2025 security industry reflections and 2026 predictions. We’ll have more predictions from others among the brightest minds in the security industry throughout the month!
Security Sales & Integration: What kind of year has 2025 been for the electronic and physical security industries?
Steve Van Till: This past year was characterized by strong growth in the electronic and physical security industries.
SSI: What has been the most surprising development in the security industry this year?
Van Till: We saw high artificial intelligence adoption in 2025, not just hype.
SSI: What has been the most important change we’ve seen this year in security?
Van Till: The shift to unified platforms is the most important change in 2025.
SSI: What technology category or solution area do you see as 2026’s ripest, most profitable growth opportunity for security dealers, installers and integrators? Explain your reasoning.
Van Till: The majority of product revenue is shifting to software. Dealers and integrators need to follow this shift or they will lose out as end users buy direct from technology creators.
SSI: Which emerging security technologies do you think are overplayed? Which ones do you think will truly transform the practice of security integration in the coming years?
Van Till: AI will be transformational, natural language interfaces in particular.
SSI: What’s liable to catch some security industry dealers, installers and integrators off guard in the coming year?
Van Till: The extent to which end users look for better answers.
SSI: What’s the single most pressing challenge that professionals in the security industry must tackle right now?
Van Till: Qualified labor is the most pressing challenge that needs to be addressed.
SSI: Finish this sentence: 2026 will be remembered as the year that the security industry…
Van Till: … split into unified platform providers on the one hand and has-beens on the other.
Click here to check out all the entries in our 2026 security industry predictions series!
