ISC West 2026 Part One: The Brands, the Buzz, and the Big Questions Shaping Security’s Future
By David Strickland, COO of Kenton Brothers
Las Vegas in late March means one thing for those of us in the commercial security world: ISC West. And 2026 delivered. Thirty thousand security professionals descended on the Venetian Expo, and for the first time in years, the show genuinely exceeded expectations. The aisles were packed wall to wall. The conversations were urgent. And the technology on display wasn’t just impressive; in many cases, it was transformative.
At Kenton Brothers, our job at ISC West isn’t to be dazzled. It’s to identify the technologies, partnerships, and trends that will matter to our clients here in Kansas City and across the country. With 129 years of protecting people and property under our belt, we know the difference between a shiny demo and a real solution.
Here’s what stood out to us at ISC West 2026.
Gallagher Security: Challenging the Architecture Conversation; and Bringing Kenai Along
Gallagher came to ISC West 2026 with a clear message: stop thinking about security products and start thinking about security architecture. Their booth centered on the Americas debut of AccessNow, a cloud-native platform designed to fundamentally change how access and credentials are requested, approved, and provisioned. Rather than requiring manual badging workflows, AccessNow automates the entire process; from access request through approval to credential issuance; all as a structured, cloud-based extension of their Command Centre platform.
“Our focus is on what becomes possible when products and solutions work together to achieve something bigger and more significant for modern businesses,” said Matt Butts, Executive Vice President of the Americas at Gallagher. That’s not just a marketing line; it’s the direction the industry is moving, and Gallagher is positioning to lead it.
But the bigger Gallagher story heading into ISC West was one that had broken earlier this year: their strategic investment in Kenai, the Johannesburg-based startup that’s pioneering what the industry is calling “contextual access technology.” Kenai’s platform takes the traditionally high-friction experience of access control and turns it into something seamless and intelligent; streamlining how employees, visitors, and assets move through complex environments while layering in real-time security oversight and building intelligence.
Gallagher CEO Mark Junge summed up the strategic rationale clearly: “They’re solving an incredibly complex problem that affects most businesses. Our end customers and channel partners ask us to solve this problem for them on a daily basis.” What’s notable here is that the Gallagher-Kenai relationship wasn’t a cold acquisition; it was built on years of technical collaboration, with Kenai’s software being rigorously tested in live, high-security environments managed by Gallagher. This isn’t a bet on a startup. It’s a validation of technology that already works.
The Kenai platform has proven itself across some of South Africa’s most prominent organizations, including Nedbank, Capitec, Deloitte, and Eskom. With Gallagher’s global distribution network now behind it, the question isn’t whether Kenai will reach the U.S. market; it’s how quickly.
What this means for KB clients:
Gallagher’s vision of the “intelligent workplace”; where access control is contextual, proactive, and seamlessly integrated; aligns directly with what we hear from our mid-to-large commercial clients every day. AccessNow and the eventual Kenai integration represent a path toward access systems that work for people rather than requiring people to work around them.
Hanwha Vision: Owning Las Vegas, Inside and Out
You couldn’t miss Hanwha at ISC West 2026; and not just because of their booth. Hanwha Vision made a statement that was impossible to ignore by dominating the advertising boards along the Las Vegas Strip in the days surrounding the show. The “Now You See” campaign was everywhere, a bold declaration that this South Korean surveillance giant intends to be seen as the most visible brand in physical security; not just in the convention center but in the broader world.
Inside the Venetian, Hanwha delivered on that promise. The centerpiece of their 2026 showcase was BLAZE, a next-generation hybrid AI Video Management Solution making its North American debut. BLAZE operates across both on-premise servers and cloud environments using a hybrid architecture, with a cloud federation model that enables integrated management of distributed surveillance systems across multiple regions. For enterprise clients with dozens or hundreds of locations, this is significant: one unified view, regardless of where your cameras live.
Alongside BLAZE, Hanwha showcased their proprietary Wisenet 9 System-on-Chip (SoC); the foundation of their new flagship camera series. Engineered entirely in-house, the Wisenet 9 delivers meaningful advancements across the board: AI-enhanced noise reduction that actually reduces file sizes while improving clarity, Extreme Wide Dynamic Range that handles the contrast between bright entryways and dark interiors, advanced AI analytics that can detect color, bags, glasses, and facial coverings, and FIPS 140-3 Level 3 cybersecurity certification. That last point matters more than ever because cameras are increasingly a potential attack vector.
Their OnCloud VSaaS platform and OnCAFE cloud-native access control system rounded out a showcase that told a complete story: Hanwha is building an ecosystem, not just a product line. Hardware-agnostic architecture means OnCloud can incorporate cameras you already own. That’s the kind of thinking that makes a technology conversation much easier for integrators and end users alike.
What this means for KB clients:
Hanwha isn’t a budget brand playing catch-up. They’re a vertically integrated manufacturer; from chipsets to cameras to VMS to cloud; with the resources and engineering depth to compete at the highest level. The Wisenet 9-powered cameras represent a meaningful upgrade path for clients with aging infrastructure, and the BLAZE VMS is worth serious evaluation for multi-site enterprise deployments.
BCD: The Infrastructure You Can’t Afford to Ignore
BCD doesn’t always get the spotlight at ISC West; their work happens in server rooms and equipment closets rather than flashy demos; but their story this year was one of the most important on the floor. At ISC West 2026, BCD announced a strategic partnership with EyeOTmonitor that addresses one of the most underappreciated risks in video surveillance: the infrastructure failure you don’t see coming.
As BCD’s CTO Daniel Gewargis put it: “Purpose-built infrastructure is the foundation of any high-performance video environment, but performance has to be provable, not assumed.” That’s exactly right. A surveillance system is only as reliable as the servers and storage supporting it. Cameras drift out of focus slowly. Storage degrades quietly. Network congestion reduces video quality. By the time someone notices, the footage that was needed may already be gone.
The BCD/EyeOTmonitor integration creates a real-time digital twin of your physical security infrastructure; continuous visibility into server performance, camera health and connectivity, image integrity, and network performance. The result is a surveillance environment that can detect and resolve issues before they impact operations, rather than after they cost you evidence or a service call.
BCD’s purpose-built video servers and storage platforms are trusted globally for enterprise-grade deployments. Adding EyeOTmonitor’s intelligence layer creates something genuinely new: a hardened, continuously monitored video environment from edge camera to core server.
What this means for KB clients:
You invest significantly in your cameras and software. BCD’s message is a crucial reminder that the infrastructure supporting those investments deserves equal attention. For clients managing large or multi-site deployments, this kind of visibility isn’t a luxury; it’s operational assurance.
Genetec: Cloud Migration Without the Rip-and-Replace
Genetec arrived at ISC West 2026 with a consistent, clear message that we think gets the enterprise market exactly right: you shouldn’t have to choose between innovation and operational certainty.
Their Security Center SaaS platform received significant updates focused on enabling gradual cloud migration rather than forcing disruptive infrastructure replacements. The headline addition was a unified front desk experience that brings visitor management and access control workflows into a single interface; allowing staff to manage both scheduled and walk-in visitors while applying access policies and screening rules in real time, with automatic alerts when exceptions occur.
Expanded intrusion panel support now includes Honeywell Galaxy systems, with DMP support coming by mid-2026, and optional biometric authentication through SAFR SCAN facial recognition arriving on the same timeline. These aren’t future promises; they’re scheduled deliverables with dates attached.
The other major Genetec announcement was the Cloudlink 2210, a high-density 2U rack-mount appliance designed specifically for the complex realities of enterprise-scale deployment. It consolidates video management, access control, and intrusion workloads into a single appliance; reducing system sprawl, simplifying management, and lowering operational overhead. Critically, it supports existing third-party devices, meaning organizations can extend cloud-managed security without replacing their current cameras or access hardware.
“Enterprises don’t want to choose between innovation and operational certainty,” said Christian Chenard Lemire, product director of unified solutions at Genetec. That single sentence captures why Genetec continues to be the preferred VMS platform for large enterprise deployments. Their open architecture and commitment to protecting existing investments has earned them a level of trust that competitors spend years trying to replicate.
Genetec also brought data to the conversation. Their 2026 Global State of Physical Security Report, based on survey responses from more than 7,300 security professionals worldwide, revealed that nearly three out of four end users (73%) say the long-term viability and stability of a vendor is a primary factor when evaluating solutions; ranking it higher than price or even product performance. That’s a finding that validates Genetec’s entire brand strategy.
What this means for KB clients:
If you’re running Genetec today, these updates are worth serious attention ; especially the front desk unification and the Cloudlink 2210 for larger sites. If you’re evaluating VMS platforms, Genetec’s commitment to architectural flexibility and existing infrastructure preservation is a genuine differentiator.
Continue reading about what we saw at ISC West 2026 in Part Two: The Brands, the Buzz, and the Big Questions Shaping Security’s Future.
Kenton Brothers Systems for Security is a WBE-certified commercial security integrator headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Our services include video surveillance, access control, locking hardware, intrusion detection, mass notification, remote services, and specialty products including robotics, video analytics, and metal detection systems. To learn more, give us a call.
This is Part Two of our coverage of ISC West 2026. 
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