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Key Takeaways
- Unpreparedness in 2025: Organizations faced unexpected threats due to fragmented security functions.
- Security Function Fragmentation: Gaps exist without centralized leadership, necessitating cohesive risk management.
- AI Advancements: AI offers efficiency by unifying security measures across departments.
- Shift Toward Zero Trust Architecture: Continuous authentication strengthens security by integrating access controls.
- Proactive Strategy: Address program gaps with centralized security leadership and AI for effective threat monitoring.
In 2025, many organizations found themselves unprepared to respond to a mix of new and resurgent threats after years of social, technological, and geopolitical change.
A series of high-profile events in the past 18 months, including incidents of political violence and the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, sent companies scrambling as they realized they were not prepared for targeted attacks on executives and other high-profile employees. Human resource teams, managers, and operational personnel also experience heightened levels of employee-related risk this year, underscoring the need for a structured, strategic, and coordinated security strategy.
Security Function Fragmentation Continues To Undermine
This renewed focus for the coming year on crisis management is necessary because many organizations’ security and risk functions are deeply fragmented. Risk, audit, cyber, physical security, safety, and compliance teams often operate independently of each other with their own tools, datasets, and management structures.
The fragmented model in organizational security creates gaps and blind spots, especially between departments like human resources and security. Without proper communication, concerning behavior may not be reported for proactive threat assessment to mitigate workplace violence. This underscores the necessity of a central expert or a team within the C-Suite, coordinating a comprehensive and integrated risk management strategy across all functions. Such a leader —or committee — must be empowered to gather critical data, receive regular updates from every department, and then forward these threats to the appropriate team for analysis.
In 2026, security incidents will unfold in minutes rather than days or weeks. Organizations that have a siloed structure will be unable to catch the warning signs and will find themselves unable to respond to threats quickly and strategically.
How AI Can Help With Security Integration
The new year presents an opportunity for organizations to transform how they manage and understand risk, as rapid advances in AI open new possibilities. While significant progress is evident in cybersecurity, AI technology also has the potential to revolutionize physical security by integrating disparate elements of a security plan and enhancing efficiency. With leaders championing a cohesive vision, AI can also help break down organizational silos.
As organizations look to centralize a plan for AI rollout, many are reviving senior-level roles such as an SVP of Risk Management and giving them the authority to unify data, oversee AI deployment, and enforce a consistent enterprise-wide risk strategy.
When deployed strategically and with human oversight, AI-powered applications can flag and elevate threats to trained analysts, allowing for a significantly faster response. For example, AI tools can be leveraged to monitor surveillance systems in a retail environment for theft or to monitor for any common indicators of fraud.
Zero Trust Architecture
Another emerging trend in 2026 is the shift toward Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) for physical and cyber security, a framework that continually authenticates credentials before allowing physical or digital entry, to strengthen organizational security. Traditional “trusted network” models, which have both digital and physical components, are inadequate because AI systems can easily “learn” common systems and bypass many access controls. Organizations should consider adopting continuous ID verification, integrating physical and digital access controls more tightly, implementing multi-factor authentication that leverages physical tokens, and using real-time behavioral analytics to better protect their people, property, and objectives.
This year, we expect to see a convergence of physical and cyber verification signals. ZTA will require detailed coordinated policies from organizations, as well as clear processes to seamlessly integrate technologies across the entire organization and ensure that all access points are continuously monitored and validated.
Strategic Preparation
In 2026, technology alone cannot address the spectrum of modern security challenges all organizations face. Organizations must start by identifying the gaps in their programs and addressing the blind spots that leave them vulnerable to both internal and external threats. Proactively monitoring for threats and making critical updates to security programs can shield organizations from liability and minimize the worst outcomes when bad actors strike. Leaders need to take aim at fragmentation across security functions by leveraging centralized leadership structures and AI tools to change how they monitor, assess, and respond to risk.
While new threats will always lie on the horizon, organizations that learn these key lessons from 2025 will be better prepared to reduce the risk of these threats and safeguard their operations as they embrace a proactive security mindset.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the future of enterprise security likely to look like?
The future of enterprise security will likely involve increased reliance on AI and machine learning, along with enhanced collaboration between departments to build resilient and adaptable security strategies.
2. What is central to effective corporate security leadership?
Effective corporate security leadership hinges on the ability to implement strategic oversight, foster communication, and drive the integration of cohesive and adaptive security plans across the organization.
3. How does a centralized corporate security leadership strategy enhance safety?
A centralized corporate security leadership strategy ensures seamless communication and coordination, leading to more effective risk management and quicker response to emerging threats.
4. Why are executive protection and threat assessment planning essential?
Executive protection and threat assessment planning are crucial for identifying potential risks to high-profile individuals and ensuring their safety through proactive measures and strategic oversight.
5. How does Zero Trust Architecture for physical and cyber security work?
Zero Trust Architecture for physical and cyber security works by continuously verifying access credentials and integrating security measures across all access points to prevent unauthorized access and breaches.