As part of an online miniseries, Digvijay Singh Kanwar, Senior Vice President, Head of Sales IUEA (India, US, EU and Africa) at NEXT Biometrics discusses his industry predictions for 2026.
Can you tell me a bit about yourself, your job role and how long you have been at the company?
I’m Digvijay Singh Kanwar, Senior Vice President, Head of Sales IUEA (India, US, EU and Africa) at NEXT Biometrics. Before taking on my current role, I led NEXT’s sales team in India and served as the Country Manager for India.
Overall, I have a 17-year track record spanning the biometrics, fintech and telecom sectors.
Beyond the boardroom, I’m an avid trekker and sports enthusiast who finds solace on the Everest base and Annapurna trails, often trekking at altitudes exceeding 5,300 meters.
I’m also passionate about competing in triathlons and running marathons in the Himalayas.
What are some of the key trends and predictions you think we will see in the security industry in 2026?
Businesses are facing an increasingly complex security landscape. Cyber-attacks are increasing in frequency and are causing unprecedented disruption with hospitals, governments and other critical infrastructure being targeted.
The advent of artificial intelligence and large language models is making attacks simpler, more scalable and more accessible than ever before.
In parallel, the fines for data and privacy breaches and non-compliance with regulations are continuing to grow.
For example, the UK’s Cyber Security and Resilience Bill is set to come into force in 2026, with significant fines tied to company turnover for non-compliance.
Adding to this challenge, many businesses and teams are widely distributed, sometimes across continents. While workplace flexibility has many benefits, it also makes it much more difficult for IT teams to maintain network security.
Most cyber-attacks are a result of weak passwords or human error, with 88% of attackers gaining access to web-application systems via stolen or guessable credentials.
In 2026, phishing and AI-enhanced deepfakes will be some of the most significant threats to organisations, making passwords and PINs a major security vulnerability.
While longer and more complex passwords offer stronger protection, they are cumbersome and often require password management tools which are inconvenient and unwieldy.
To manage this increased risk, while still ensuring ease of use, businesses will need to transition to Identity and Access Management (IAM) systems as the bedrock of their cybersecurity efforts.
These systems are the software service or framework which enables organisations to define and control user identities to ensure the right people access the right information and enforce consistent authentication policies.
Confidence in IAM solutions is strong, with the global IAM market projected to grow to more than $100 billion by 2033, demonstrating this technology is already seen as one of the key preventative measures by CIOs, CTOs and CISOs to ensure robust network security.
We will also see an expansion of adoption of Zero Trust principles. These principles must become standard practise alongside the deployment of an IAM solution.
Pairing these two approaches enhances security by reducing the areas hostile actors can attack and provides increased visibility and control over network access.
It ensures employees access only what they need, which means security teams have control over user activities and network traffic.
As businesses adopt Zero Trust more widely, stronger and more reliable forms of authentication will be essential.
To implement Zero Trust strategies, organisations are rapidly transitioning to passwordless and phishing-resistant authentication methods.
As biometric data cannot be shared or guessed, it offers the greatest balance between high-security and user convenience.
Some biometric technologies, like Active Thermal, are already compliant with Windows Hello enabling organisations to enable biometric authentication ‘out of the box’ and integrate into IAM systems within minutes.
This will reduce the burden on IT teams, cut the cost of password resets and improve user satisfaction.
What is one piece of advice you would give organisations and professionals as they head into 2026?
The implementation of IAM is a strategic imperative for modern businesses because of its ability to adapt to the evolving needs of organisations, while delivering frictionless user experiences that uphold security protocols.
In 2026, organisations looking to strengthen logical access control should consider adopting biometrics at the core of their IAM strategy.
This shift to passwordless authentication will offer greater efficiency, stronger security and enhanced compliance, opening the door to more secure, digitised workplaces.
