People in a building lobby.

Research: 44% of Leaders at High-Security Sites Unsure Who Was On-Site Day Before

Two 2026 studies highlight weaknesses in visitor oversight and contractor identification despite confidence in security and audit readiness.

Forty-four percent of surveyed leaders at high-security workplaces could not confidently identify who had been in their buildings the previous day, according to research released by workplace management provider Envoy.

The findings are based on two separate studies of 782 enterprise compliance leaders and 294 leaders at AI laboratories, defense technology companies and biotechnology or medical research facilities.

Envoy also found that 79% of those leaders reported an unauthorized or unverified person in an inappropriate workspace during the previous year.

Between 71% and 72% of respondents in the two studies said contractors did not have a consistent identity across their organizations’ locations.

In the workplace study, 58% believed their security program would prevent unauthorized entry. However, 52% reported badge controls on sensitive doors and 47% said visitors were always escorted.

The enterprise compliance study found 71% of leaders at single-site organizations were very confident about passing an audit without preparation, compared with 58% at organizations with two sites, according to Envoy’s announcement.

About the Author

Chelsey Arries is assistant editor of Security Today, Campus Security Today, Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Protection Online.

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