As physical and cyber security continue to converge, organisations are placing increasing emphasis on technologies that improve visibility, accelerate incident response and strengthen operational resilience.
Recent independent research suggests modern video management systems are becoming central to that shift.
According to a Total Economic Impact™ study conducted by Forrester Consulting for Milestone Systems, organisations deploying the company’s XProtect video management platform significantly reduced investigation times while improving operational efficiency across their security operations.
For security leaders, the findings reflect an important change in how video technology is being used.
Traditional CCTV systems were largely designed to record incidents after they occurred.
Today’s platforms increasingly enable organisations to respond while incidents are still unfolding.
The study found organisations reduced investigation and evidence-handling time by up to 60 per cent through centralised video management, simplified workflows and improved access to footage. Administrative workloads were also substantially reduced, allowing technical teams to spend less time managing systems and more time focusing on higher-value security activities.
In practical terms, faster access to evidence can have a significant impact.
Whether investigating workplace incidents, supporting emergency response, managing critical infrastructure or responding to theft and vandalism, reducing the time required to locate and review footage enables security teams to act more quickly and make better-informed decisions.
The Forrester study modelled a representative organisation operating approximately 500 cameras and found the investment generated a projected 133 per cent return over three years through productivity improvements, operational savings and reduced investigation effort.
The findings also highlight another emerging trend: physical security platforms are increasingly becoming part of broader operational resilience strategies.
Rather than operating as standalone systems, video management platforms are integrating with access control, sensors, AI analytics and business applications to create a more complete operational picture.
For organisations responsible for airports, transport networks, utilities, education campuses and healthcare facilities, this provides greater situational awareness while reducing the complexity of managing multiple disconnected systems.
Open-platform architectures are also becoming increasingly important.
By supporting cameras and technologies from multiple vendors, organisations can modernise their environments without replacing existing infrastructure, protecting previous investments while allowing new capabilities to be introduced over time.
Martin Stockfleth Larsen, Chief Marketing Officer at Milestone Systems, says the role of video technology is continuing to evolve.
“The Forrester study confirms what our customers experience every day: Milestone XProtect goes beyond traditional video security and serves as an AI-driven intelligence enabler,” he says.
That evolution is occurring as organisations generate more video than ever before.
Artificial intelligence is helping security teams search footage faster, identify unusual activity and prioritise genuine threats from thousands of routine events.
The result is not simply better surveillance.
It is faster investigations, more informed decision-making and improved operational resilience.
As organisations continue investing in smarter security infrastructure, the greatest value may come not from adding more cameras, but from unlocking the intelligence already contained within the video data they collect every day.
