From 2015 to 2021, the number of securitycameras in the United States used for video surveillance grew from 47 million to about 85 million . With organizations across all industries amassing more video footage than ever before, video management systems have become a vital tool for storing, managing, and analyzing security footagejumped from 47 million to about 85 million. A modern Video Management System (VMS) gives organizations a single pane of glass to store, search and act on that growing mountain of video data—improving safety, operations and peace of mind.
There are plenty of high-quality video management software (VMS) solutions available today for businesses, but finding the right one for your specific needs can sometimes be challenging. Below, we'll explore what to look for in a video management system and five great solutions worth considering.{{WEBINAR_BANNER_SLIM}}
Why a video management system matters
{{WEBINAR_BANNER_SLIM}}A VMS does far more than record video. It centralizes monitoring, accelerates incident response, scales easily across sites and unlocks operational insights that drive better decisions. In short, the right platform turns raw footage into a source of measurable business value.
Types of Video Recording SystemsCore benefits you can expect
Today, the three main types of video recording systems used for camera system security solutions includeCompanies adopt VMS software to achieve several high-impact outcomes:
- Centralized control: View every camera—whether onsite or remote—from one dashboard instead of juggling multiple log-ins.
- Faster incident response: Real-time alerts shorten the window between threat detection and action.
- Scalability across locations: Add cameras or entire facilities without ripping and replacing existing infrastructure.
- Operational efficiency: Use video analytics to reduce bottlenecks, verify processes and improve customer experience.
- Support for compliance and investigations: Rapidly locate footage and maintain retention policies for audits or legal requests.
Types of systems in video management
DVR
DVR stands for "digital video recorder" and is a video recording system invented in 1998 . DVR records video to a local storage device, typically a hard drive. Many organizations still use DVR for their video monitoring systems. However, the technology is largely outdated. For one, DVR doesn't produce the bestA digital video recorder stores footage on a local hard drive and often produces lower image quality. DVR systems also often require converting video files using a digital encoderBecause DVRs rely on analog signals, they lack the flexibility and remote access modern teams expect.
NVR
NVR stands for "network video recorder" and is considered the industry standard for modern security systems, as it's more scalable than outdated DVR technologyA network video recorder receives already-encoded IP camera streams, making it the current standard for most security deployments.With NVR systems, IP cameras capture and encode video before sending the footage to the recorder. Users can then store footage on a hard disk, mass storage device, or the cloudNVR-based solutions are easier to scale and integrate with cloud storage.
IVR
IVR, or "intelligent video recorder," is a system created by Spot AI. IVR is similar to NVR , and since NVR is an inherent ability for IVR systems, you'll be able to keep the NVR footage you've already storedAn intelligent video recorder, pioneered by Spot AI, layers AI analytics on top of traditional NVR functionality. Organizations can retain their existing NVR footage while gaining powerful search and automation capabilities.
Key challenges in video surveillance management
- Vendor lock-in: Proprietary systems that work only with certain cameras limit choice and inflate long-term costs.
- Manual review burdens: Scanning hours of footage by hand is slow, expensive and prone to human error.
- Integration complexity: Legacy hardware often requires workarounds to connect with access control or alarm solutions.
- Storage and remote access limits: On-premise recorders can fill up quickly and do not always support secure, off-site viewing.
What to look for in a video management system
When evaluating options, prioritize features that solve the problems above and future-proof your investment:
- AI-powered analytics: Automated threat detection, presence alerts and searchable video timelines reduce manual review and surface actionable insights.
- Cloud storage with flexible retention: Secure, scalable archives ensure footage is available months—or even years—later without expanding on-site hardware.
- Ease of maintenance and user-friendly software: Look for plug-and-play deployment, camera health monitoring and an intuitive interface backed by responsive support.
- Scalability and open-platform compatibility: A camera-agnostic VMS connects to any ONVIF-compliant device, integrates with third-party systems and grows across unlimited sites.
- High-resolution, durable cameras: 4K and weather-rated hardware capture clear evidence indoors or out, protecting your investment over time.
- Fast implementation: Leading solutions such as Spot AI can be fully operational in under a week, minimizing disruption.
“We reduced idle time at the pay station from minutes to seconds once we could finally see where the bottleneck was.”
— Maxwell Dwigans, Director of Operations, Glide Xpress
Integrations, openness and future-proofing
However, IVR stands apart because it allows you to perform intelligent data processing and automatically retrieve video data from the footage you gather. This allows you to make inferences and use video data in a more automated fashion. IVR is also the best option for scalability since it will enable you to add unlimited camera feeds and locations. As long as you have a network path to all the sites, you can keep stacking IVRs — the cameras don't even need to be in the same proximity as the IVR you’re deployingAn open-platform VMS should connect seamlessly with existing cameras, alarms, access control and even business systems through standard protocols or APIs. This extensibility turns video from a cost center into a strategic data source—for example, correlating dwell time with point-of-sale data to optimize staffing.
Challenges in Video Surveillance ManagementLimitations and considerations before you invest
The wealth of data that security footage contains is a treasure trove for today's businesses. However, managing mass amounts of video footage also presents its fair share of challenges. Today, the top challenges in video surveillance managementEvery organization has unique requirements, but common factors to weigh include:
- Non-camera-agnostic systems: Video surveillance systems that aren't camera agnostic cannot work with different types of cameras. This heavily limits an organization's flexibility when designing its security systemsCondition of current hardware—analog cameras older than three to five years may not justify further patching.
- Being locked into using a specific vendor: One key issue with systems that aren't camera agnostic is that they lock organizations into using the hardware and software provided by a single vendor. This prevents easy scalability — being locked into one vendor means you can only use your vendor's limited capabilitiesTotal cost of ownership—balance upfront equipment with ongoing subscription, maintenance and storage fees.
- Legal and compliance obligations—understand signage, retention periods and any audio-recording restrictions in your jurisdiction.
- Implementation planning—schedule upgrades in phases to avoid downtime and ensure staff are trained on new workflows.
Operator issues: Video surveillance management systems that aren't automated via AI require a human operator to review and manage footage. This introduces the possibility of issues caused by human error and entails several time-consuming tasks that your team must complete on an ongoing basis.
What To Look for in a Video Surveillance Management System?Spot AI: a modern VMS built for scale
There's no denying that video surveillance management comes with its fair share of challenges. The good news is that you can overcome these challenges by choosing a video surveillance management system that offers the right features and functionality.
If you are looking to get started using a new video surveillance management system that will mitigate the shortcomings of older systems, here are the top features to look for:
Uses AI for Better Management
Video surveillance management systems with artificial intelligence (AI) eliminate the need for manually reviewing security footage and offer a number of other powerful benefits. Known as video analytics, using AI to analyze security footage can provide organizations with a wide range of insights while also saving them time and moneySpot AI delivers AI analytics, cloud or on-premise storage flexibility, camera-agnostic compatibility and a deployment process that gets most organizations live in less than a week. Dedicated support teams and continuous software updates help customers maximize ROI from day one.
For one, AI video management can improve an organization's physical security by automatically detecting security threats and sending notifications. Another feature AI video management offers is absence and presence alerts, which can ensure that your employees are at the right place at the right time. Business owners can even use AI to detect if employees are performing a job correctly, improving workplace safety and efficiencyReady to see how an AI-powered, open-platform VMS can elevate security and operations? book a demo today.
In addition to providing useful insights, AI-based video management also saves organizations time by automatically performing video analysis. This eliminates dependency on human operators and reduces the various inefficiencies and errors involved with manually reviewing footage.
Frequently asked questions
Offers Plenty of (Cloud) StorageWhat is a video management system?
Today, 60% of the world's corporate data is stored in the cloud, and there are a couple of good reasons for this.
To start, backing up files in the cloud ensures that you won't lose them permanently in the case of a natural disaster or other event that destroys your local storage. But the biggest benefit of having plenty of cloud storage is that it allows you to create a historical archive of video footage.
There are many cases where organizations may need to retrieve and produce video evidence quite late — even months after the video was first recorded. By choosing a video surveillance management system that offers plenty of cloud storage , you can ensure that your organization can retrieve footage as far back as it needs toA video management system is software that collects, stores and organizes video feeds from multiple cameras, allowing users to search, view and analyze footage through a single interface.
Ease of Maintenance and User-Friendly SoftwareHow do I know if my current video management system is outdated?
Setting up and managing a video surveillance management system shouldn't be a heavy lift for your organization. Ideally, you'll want to choose a plug-and-play system that's ready to go right out of the box. Video surveillance management systems should be equipped with user-friendly software and a user interface that is intuitive and easy to master. Choosing a system from a company with high-quality onboarding and support can also go a long way toward eliminating the hassle of setting up and learning a new systemSigns include blurry footage, limited storage retention, no remote access, frequent hardware failures or systems older than three to five years that cannot support modern AI analytics.
ScalabilityWhat are the costs involved in implementing a video management system?
Older, traditional security systems are typically difficult to scale when an organization needs to add more cameras or locations to survey. But NVR and IVR video surveillance management systems that are camera agnostic offer much more scalability. These systems allow you to add as many cameras and locations as you like and offer compatibility with any cameras you want — without locking you into a single vendor's productsBudgets vary by scale, but total cost typically includes cameras, recorders or cloud licenses, installation labor and ongoing subscriptions or maintenance.
Uses Premium and High-Resolution Weatherproof CamerasHow often should video footage be reviewed or retained?
Security footage doesn't offer much value when you can't tell what you're looking at. This makes it vital to choose high-resolution security cameras that can record crisp and clear video feeds. It's equally important to use durable, weatherproof cameras that can stand up to the outdoor elements if you want to get the most out of your investment and avoid having to constantly repair and replace your camerasHigh-risk areas may require daily or real-time review, while most organizations keep footage for 30 to 90 days to meet compliance and investigative needs.
Spot AI: A Powerful Option for Video Surveillance
What legal considerations are there for video surveillance management?
Organizations must follow local laws on privacy, signage, audio recording consent and data retention to avoid regulatory penalties.
Can a new video management system integrate with my existing cameras or access control systems?
From advanced video analytics capabilities for generating useful insights to improved storage and security of video files, a high-quality video management system can provide a wide range of benefits and features. Whether you would like to unlock the full potential of your existing surveillance system or build a new system from the ground up, Spot AI is an excellent VMS to considerYes, open-platform VMS solutions support industry standards so they can connect to most IP cameras and integrate with access control or alarm systems through APIs or native plug-ins.
To get started enjoying the many benefits of Spot AI's industry-leading video management software, sign up for a Spot AI demo here.
About the author: Amrish Kapoor, VP Technology, has spent two decades architecting AI-driven video solutions that help organizations transform raw footage into business intelligence.
