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When the UAE Cybersecurity Council introduced the National Encryption Policy, much of the initial discussion focused on one area: post-quantum cryptography. Understandably, this may sound like a subject primarily for government agencies. But the policy raises important questions for everyone involved in designing, specifying, procuring, integrating and operating technology across the built environment.

For the physical security industry, the conversation is no longer simply about protecting data or encrypting communications. The policy could represent a significant change in how physical security technology is evaluated.

Physical Security is Now Part of Digital Infrastructure

Modern physical security systems bear little resemblance to the isolated systems installed 10 to 20 years ago. Today, they form part of enterprise networks, cloud services, mobile applications and wider operational technology environments.

Every one of those connections depends on cryptography and encompasses capabilities such as digital certificates, secure boot and signed firmware. These capabilities are fundamental to the security of a modern system, but they largely operate in the background. As a result, they can easily be overlooked.

Consultants and end users have traditionally focused on operational requirements such as coverage, image quality, resilience, storage and system performance. System integrators have been expected to deliver against those requirements, while cybersecurity has often been viewed as the responsibility of the IT department. In the age of modern surveillance, that distinction is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.

Two Worlds are Beginning to Converge

The UAE already benefits from well-established physical security regulations. Frameworks developed by authorities such as SIRA and the Abu Dhabi Monitoring and Control Centre have improved the consistency, quality and resilience of security system design, and played an important role in raising physical security standards.

Cybersecurity, however, has developed rapidly over the past decade. Today, organisations need to consider secure software development, vulnerability management, software supply chains, digital identities and the ability to respond when new vulnerabilities are discovered.

This creates an interesting situation. National cybersecurity policy is defining the future direction of trusted digital infrastructure, while physical security requirements concentrate primarily on operational performance. Neither approach is wrong, but the challenge now is bringing them together.

Changing the Questions Everyone Should Ask

The National Encryption Policy does not imply every product currently operating in the UAE must immediately be replaced. Nor does it mean that the encryption used today has suddenly become ineffective. Its more immediate impact should be to change the questions organisations ask when selecting technology. Does the solution meet performance specification and is compliant to SIRA or ADMCC? Does it support HTTPS and encrypt communications?

Meanwhile, end customers, consultants, integrators and procurement teams should increasingly be asking: How is encryption managed? How do manufacturers communicate vulnerabilities? What secure development practices are used? These are fundamentally different procurement questions. They are not only concerned with what a product can do on the day it is installed but also with whether that product can remain secure and trusted for the years to come.

Longevity Creates Long-Term Risk

Physical security systems typically have much longer operational lives than many traditional IT assets. That longevity creates value, but it also introduces risk. The cybersecurity environment will continue to evolve throughout the life of the system. New vulnerabilities will be identified, encryption standards will change and regulatory expectations will increase.

A product that is secure when installed will not automatically remain secure indefinitely. The ability to update devices, manage certificates, replace cryptographic components and maintain firmware therefore becomes central to operational resilience. Organisations must also consider how the technology will be managed, updated and supported long after the project has been completed.

While post-quantum cryptography remains an emerging consideration for many organisations, the broader lesson is already clear. The discussion should move beyond whether a product supports encryption today, and towards whether it has been designed to adapt as encryption standards evolve. For technologies expected to remain operational for many years, cryptographic agility is becoming an important measure of long-term resilience, making a manufacturer's long-term cybersecurity strategy just as important as the features delivered on day one

Due Diligence Beyond the Datasheet

The National Encryption Policy has made it clear that cybersecurity and digital resilience are strategic national priorities in the UAE.

For decision-makers, the response should not be to rush into replacing existing systems or to add post-quantum terminology to every specification. It should be to conduct better due diligence. Ask difficult questions. Look beyond headline features and compliance statements. Understand the manufacturer’s cybersecurity strategy, secure development practices, vulnerability management processes and long-term technology roadmap.

The next generation of physical security specifications will still need to consider image quality, coverage, analytics and interoperability. However, they must also address cyber resilience, lifecycle management and the ability of technology to adapt as threats and standards evolve. Ultimately, selecting a physical security manufacturer is no longer simply about buying a device. It is about placing trust in an organisation’s ability to keep that technology secure, supported and resilient for many years to come.

The real significance of the UAE’s National Encryption Policy may therefore extend well beyond encryption. It marks the point where cybersecurity and physical security stop being treated as separate disciplines and become part of a single assurance framework for the modern built environment.