Security & Safety Sector Update | April 2026

Access control in transition: How PIAM, software and identity management are reshaping the market

The access control market is at a structural inflection point. For many years, value creation was driven primarily by hardware, installation, and integration. That logic is changing. Access decisions are increasingly determined by identity, context, and dynamic workflows. As a result, value creation in the access control market is gradually shifting from hardware-based solutions toward software- and identity-driven models.

The strategic positioning of leading providers is also changing. Large market participants are investing more heavily in API openness, cloud connectivity, and software-based platform models. At the same time, the report shows that there is not yet a single target model, but the direction of travel is clear. Pure hardware positioning is losing strategic relevance, while interoperability, software capabilities, and depth of integration are becoming more important.

This is increasing the pressure on mid-sized companies to act. The report identifies loss of influence over customer specifications, growing dependence on integrators and platforms, and margin pressure in more standardized hardware segments as key risks. In the future, differentiation will increasingly depend on API readiness, selective partnerships, software and service capabilities, and clearly defined application focus areas.

Our latest Security & Safety Sector Update links these strategic developments to concrete market data. It provides an overview of valuation levels among listed companies, current M&A activity in Access Solutions, and the 2025 league tables.

We welcome your feedback and would be pleased to discuss current developments in the access control, identity management, and security and safety markets with you.