32 01732 759725 reflects the diversity of user groups and operational needs within organisations. Biometrics are expanding beyond MFA into core access control: Biometric technologies continue to gain traction – 45% of respondents view them as strategic – with fingerprint (71%) and facial recognition (50%) being the most popular options. At the same time, the proportion of respondents citing ethical and privacy concerns has more than doubled year-onyear, from 31% to 67%, causing organisations to implement safeguards and reinforcing the need for transparency during deployment. Real-time location solutions (RTLS) are moving into mainstream use cases: RTLS adoption continues to expand, particularly in healthcare, manufacturing and logistics. Almost half (42%) of end users view RTLS as a strategic priority, with a similar proportion (40%) actively deploying solutions. Yet barriers persist: costs (33%), privacy concerns (29%) and integration complexity (29%) are all slowing As organisations increasingly move beyond standalone credential systems towards unified identity governance spanning physical access and digital systems, the question is no longer whether to consolidate identity platforms, but how to do it in ways that reduce friction, ensure compliance and deliver measurable return on investment (ROI). Mobile credentials have reached critical mass: Mobile credentials adoption is now being driven by security improvements (50%) ahead of convenience (34%), a notable shift as organisations recognise the protection advantages of mobile credentials. Hybrid credential environments remain standard, with 84% of end users maintaining physical credentials within their mobile deployment. This flexibility Organisations in healthcare, education, government, finance, manufacturing and critical infrastructure are fundamentally reshaping their approach to identity management, reveals the 2026 State of Security and Identity Report from HID, a provider of identity solutions that give convenient access to physical and digital places and connect things that can be identified, verified and tracked digitally. Insights from more than 1,500 security and IT professionals, end users and industry partners show that security leaders are focused on how to manage identities in ways that build trust, strengthen protection and preserve user choice across increasingly converged physical and digital environments. Based on its research, HID has identified seven trends currently reshaping security strategy. Identity management dominates strategic planning: Nearly three in four respondents (73%) cite identity management as a top priority, the highest category in the study, with 60% planning to increase investment in this area. HID launches converged credential solution to meet changing customer requirements identified in its 2026 State of Security and Identity Report Identity management: a strategic imperative SECURITY Introducing Converged Credentials HID has expanded its offering with a new converged credentials solution that enables security teams to close identity gaps, simplify credential management and strengthen their overall security posture without adding operational complexity. Most organisations treat securing a building and securing a network as two separate disciplines, often with separate vendors and separate credentials. An employee may badge into the office with one card, log into their computer with a password and authenticate to cloud applications with another method. With different systems and credentials operating in isolation, the potential points of failure multiply, creating gaps that are difficult to audit and expensive to manage. At the same time, AI-enabled attacks are making credential-based vulnerabilities harder to ignore. HID has launched Converged Credentials to meet the needs of customers that want fewer vendors, less complexity and a credential that works everywhere, from the front door to the desktop and the cloud. By consolidating physical and logical access onto a single, standards‑based credential, it allows employees to use the same card or security token they already carry to badge through a secured door and log in to their workstation and enterprise applications, without passwords and without friction. Meanwhile, security administrators gain unified visibility across all access points, simplified compliance and auditing, and the ability to provision or revoke access seamlessly.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDUxNDM=