Identity management tops 2026 security & IT agenda

New research from HID suggests identity management is becoming the top priority for security and IT teams, as organisations combine physical access and digital login systems while facing growing privacy and ethical scrutiny.

The 2026 State of Security and Identity Report draws on insights from more than 1,500 security and IT professionals, end users and industry partners. It outlines seven trends shaping investment and operational decisions across identity, access control and trust.

Identity management ranked as the leading strategic priority, with 73% of respondents listing it among their top concerns. The findings point to a shift from standalone credential tools to broader governance models that cover both building access and digital systems.

This push to consolidate reflects efforts to reduce risk and administrative burden across mixed environments. Security teams also cited practical factors shaping decisions, including compliance requirements and the need to demonstrate return on investment.

Ramesh Songukrishnasamy, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at HID, said pressure to modernise is rising alongside expectations for oversight and transparency.

"Security leaders are clearly under pressure to modernise access and identity infrastructure, but our research shows they're equally focused on the governance, protection and transparency that build lasting trust," said Ramesh Songukrishnasamy, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, HID.

Mobile credentials

Mobile credentials are moving into wider use, with motivations shifting from convenience to security. Among respondents, 50% said adoption is driven by security improvements, compared with 34% who cited convenience.

Hybrid models remain common. The report found that 84% of end users still keep physical credentials alongside mobile credentials. It links this to varied user needs and operational requirements that change over time.

Biometrics expansion

Biometrics also featured strongly, with 45% of respondents viewing biometric technologies as strategic. Fingerprint systems led reported modalities at 71%, followed by facial recognition at 50%.

Ethical and privacy concerns, however, rose sharply. Reported concern levels more than doubled year on year, from 31% to 67%, pushing organisations to add safeguards and more explicit governance during deployments.

Location tracking

Real-time location systems are moving into mainstream use cases, particularly in healthcare, manufacturing and logistics. In the research, 42% of end users identified real-time location solutions as a strategic priority, and 40% reported active deployments.

Barriers remain significant. Respondents cited cost as the leading hurdle at 33%, while privacy concerns and integration complexity both stood at 29%. The report also points to an awareness gap, with 38% of partners saying customers remain unfamiliar with real-time location capabilities.

Converged Identity

The study also highlights continued momentum behind converging physical and digital identity systems. It found that 75% of organisations have either deployed unified identity solutions (29%) or are actively evaluating them (46%).

Unified approaches are positioned as a way to use a single credential across buildings, networks and applications. Projects still face constraints, led by budget limits (51%), complexity (37%) and gaps in expertise (34%).

RFID infrastructure

Radio-frequency identification is now established in day-to-day operations. The report found 54% of respondents reporting active RFID use across asset tracking, inventory management and loss prevention.

Security leaders associated RFID with faster tracking (62%) and improved visibility (41%). The technology is framed as a baseline component for operational monitoring rather than an emerging tool.

Integrated platforms

The findings also point to a shift in purchasing and architecture decisions, with respondents prioritising integrated platforms over point solutions. This direction is linked to demands for better visibility and efficiency across environments spanning physical premises and digital systems.

Integration remains a central obstacle. Respondents cited integration complexity as the primary barrier for identity systems (52%). For physical and digital convergence projects, 37% again highlighted integration complexity as the main challenge.

Rising privacy focus

Across the trends, ethics and privacy sit at the centre of 2026 decision-making. For biometrics, 67% of end users reported high or moderate concern about ethical and privacy implications. The report also links heightened concern to other technologies, including location tracking and converged identity platforms.

In response, many respondents said they are developing policies, governance frameworks and technical controls to balance stronger security protections with individual rights.

The dataset includes responses from multiple industries, including healthcare, education, government, finance, manufacturing and critical infrastructure. HID said the research captures both end-user and partner perspectives, showing where strategy matches execution and where gaps remain.

"The organisations succeeding in 2026 are those giving stakeholders meaningful solution choice while maintaining robust security," Songukrishnasamy said.