Genetec report highlights school security priorities

MONTRÉAL—Education institutions are increasing their focus on situational awareness, incident response and unified security platforms, even as budget constraints remain their biggest challenge, according to education-specific findings from Genetec's 2026 State of Physical Security Report. 

The report, based on responses from North American K-12 and higher education professionals, found that monitoring and responding to incidents on campus is the leading use of physical security data. That was cited by 86% of higher education respondents and 79% of K-12 respondents.

Managing and auditing building access was another key use case, with nearly 80% of higher education respondents and 77% of K-12 respondents relying on security systems to control access for students, staff and visitors. Additionally, 76% of higher education respondents and 80% of K-12 respondents said they use security data to investigate student or staff conduct issues.

Emergency preparedness also ranked high among respondents. Genetec reported that 54% of higher education professionals and 59% of K-12 respondents use physical security data to support emergency response planning and drills.

The findings point to growing demand for more unified security operations that combine video surveillance, access control and other security technologies to provide a more complete view of campus activity, according to the company.

Despite the increased reliance on security technology, respondents identified budget limitations as the top challenge facing education organizations. Funding constraints were cited by 72% of higher education respondents and 74% of K-12 respondents. 

When asked how they justify security investments, respondents most frequently pointed to improved visibility and situational awareness. That benefit was cited by 77% of higher education respondents and 64% of K-12 respondents.

Compliance with district, state and federal regulations was another major factor, particularly among K-12 schools, where 62% said meeting safety mandates was a primary justification for spending.

"Education institutions are under pressure to strengthen campus safety while managing limited budgets," said Stephen Homrighaus, vertical sales director for education at Genetec. "By unifying video, access control and other security data into a single platform, schools can improve visibility, respond more quickly to incidents, and meet compliance requirements, all while making the most of their existing investments." 

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Photo courtesy of Genetec