Increasing digitalisation across critical infrastructure is expanding the number of connected IT environments that require protection, while greater adoption of cloud platforms, remote operations, digital services, and interconnected enterprise systems is creating more complex security requirements. Operators are strengthening network and endpoint protection, IAM, cloud and application security, encryption and data protection, threat detection, and incident response capabilities. Growing requirements for continuous monitoring, vulnerability management, compliance, and secure data handling are also encouraging organisations to modernise legacy security architectures. As critical infrastructure becomes increasingly dependent on digital systems for daily operations, demand for integrated and scalable IT cyber security capabilities is expected to strengthen across essential sectors.

Commercial sector is the strongest

The commercial sector is projected to account for the largest share of the CIP market, supported by the extensive presence of hospitals, amusement and recreation centers, museums, and historical sites requiring comprehensive protection. These facilities face diverse security requirements spanning surveillance, access control, perimeter protection, screening, emergency communications, and cyber security. Increasing visitor volumes, valuable assets, publicly accessible premises, and interconnected operational systems are encouraging adoption of integrated CIP solutions. The growing focus on protecting people, facilities, sensitive information, and uninterrupted operations is further supporting demand for advanced physical security, IT cyber security, and OT protection technologies across commercial facilities.

MEA countries to register the highest growth

The Middle East & African CIP market is being supported by accelerating investment in energy, transportation, digital infrastructure, and industrial modernization. In the Middle East, 64% of surveyed organisations identify smart grids and grid software as critical to the energy transition, while 61% say industrial AI is improving critical infrastructure resilience, highlighting the region’s shift toward more connected and digitally managed infrastructure. The 1,700-km GCC Railway is 50% complete, while the UAE–Oman Hafeet Rail project is 40% complete, expanding the region’s connected transport infrastructure. The UAE has also inaugurated an Emirates Monitoring Center providing real-time oversight of an electricity network with approximately 48 GW of installed generation capacity, strengthening requirements for infrastructure monitoring and protection. These developments are creating demand for physical security, IT cybersecurity, OT protection, and integrated monitoring solutions across the region.

Key players

The report names, Axis Communications, TPG (Forcepoint G2CI), Fortinet, Cisco, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, Honeywell, Airbus, and Thales as some of the key players in the CIP market.