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The state of the VMS market

Management platforms, the traditional VMS, form a core part of surveillance systems. Whether based on a mobile device for small home installations, or a complex VMS based in an onsite control room or in the cloud (or a hybrid combination with analytics in the cloud), these platforms provide the information needed to extract value from cameras.

In an increasingly IoT world, the VMS is expanding to integrate data from various sources and provide additional value to users. SMART Security Solutions asked three platform vendors in South Africa, one developed and maintained in the country with an international market, for their views on the state of the VMS market and where it is headed.

Our questions were put to the following companies:

• Marco Malavolti and Dean Sichelschmidt from Arteco Global,

• Mark Shepperson from Cathexis Technologies, and

• George Psoulis from Milestone Systems.

SMART Security Solutions: How has the VMS changed over the years? What do end users want today when there is simply too much data for operators to monitor multiple cameras in real time

Arteco Global: The most significant change is the shift from passive to proactive solutions. Originally, video management systems primarily recorded and displayed video. Today, VMS solutions include advanced AI-based analytics such as object classification, behavioural analytics and licence plate recognition, and can proactively alert operators before issues escalate.

The adoption of AI-driven features helps human operators to track real events in real time and quickly manage tons of information. VMS software has evolved into scalable platforms capable of handling thousands of cameras. Modern solutions like Arteco’s uSee are open and agnostic, allowing integrators and end users to choose devices that meet their needs. Interfaces have also become more user-friendly and web-based, supporting multiple operating systems and device types, including mobile.

In short, the VMS has evolved from a simple video-recording platform into an intelligent, integrated part of an organisation’s security and operations ecosystem.

Cathexis Technologies: Over the years, VMS solutions have evolved from simple video recording tools into powerful, intelligent platforms that help users manage vast amounts of video data.

Cathexis Technologies is a software development company and electronics manufacturer specialising in video management solutions. Our flagship product, CathexisVision, is an open platform VMS that empowers people and businesses worldwide to put video data to effective use, making life simpler and more secure.

CathexisVision has grown alongside these developments, continually expanding its feature set to meet the demands of increasingly complex sites and multi-site installations. Our product suite offers comprehensive, intelligent site management, and powerful solutions for seamless multi-site management. This means that end users can enjoy integrated, tailored solutions that filter vast amounts of data, identify relevant events and support quick responses, no matter where you are located.

Milestone Systems: Traditional video surveillance has evolved over the last number of years, where both cameras and VMS platforms are having to adapt to the new world of AI and data. Milestone Systems have adopted both approaches, taking out the ‘noise’ from the Xprotect Platform and delivering definitive information that is useful for both operators and the business in a proactive approach. If data is unmanaged, it becomes too much useless data, however, if managed correctly, it becomes an asset.

SMART Security Solutions: Are VMS systems expanding beyond video and security to also monitor IoT sensors and provide operational intelligence?

Arteco Global: Yes. Many VMS platforms, including uSee, now integrate with IoT sensors to provide a central dashboard for both security and non-security data. By aggregating different data points, organisations can gain more in-depth insights into operational processes, such as managing building energy use or detecting anomalies in manufacturing environments easily on one single interface.

Cathexis Technologies: VMS systems are evolving beyond traditional video and security roles. CathexisVision an integrated solution that offers interoperability with a wide range of third-party systems. Moreover, CathexisVision’s powerful video monitoring, security and AI-powered features empower users with operational intelligence. The solution is thus more than just a VMS: it is an intelligent, comprehensive platform for managing several systems and boosting their effectiveness.

Milestone Systems: From a Milestone point of view, the platform’s focus is to remain as an open video management platform, however, the traditional video devices (cameras), themselves, are becoming multi-use devices, i.e., IoT gateways, audio, metadata sensory and, of course, video. With this in mind, the VMS is evolving into a multi-discipline platform.

SMART Security Solutions: Are VMS platforms also catering for hybrid cloud options, for example, storing high-resolution video onsite while using AI and analytics services offsite?

Arteco Global: Yes, hybrid is common and Arteco offers multiple deployment models, allowing customers to scale and migrate as their needs evolve. Many organisations prefer to keep high-resolution or sensitive data on-premises for latency, bandwidth, or compliance reasons, while leveraging the cloud for AI analytics, redundancy, and remote access.

Additionally, we see more companies leveraging edge analytics and storage to process certain tasks locally, then syncing metadata or lower-bandwidth streams to centralised management or advanced analytics.

Cathexis Technologies: In today’s digital age, there is a need for a hybrid solution in most applications, which Cathexis allows for. While we prioritise local storage for high-resolution video to ensure reliability, speed, and data sovereignty, our platform also enables cloud connectivity for remote access, system management, and offsite monitoring through mobile and web interfaces.

This approach gives our clients the scalability and performance they need, without compromising on security or control. We believe that the efficiency of onsite storage still outweighs the costs and risks of cloud solutions.

Milestone Systems: Cloud in Africa is a hugely untapped market, and the rise in demand is certainly being felt. There is uncertainly around cloud solutions: operational costs that are not fixed, data sovereignty, instability in both power and infrastructure, private vs. public cloud, and more. Based on the client’s approach, there are several adoption options available from Milestone.

• On-premises recording with event management in the cloud.

• Only management of the VMS in the cloud with the heavy lifting on premises.

• Hybrid approach, which is on-premises recording, critical cameras and information in the cloud.

• Camera to cloud.

• And more … .

SMART Security Solutions: Does your platform include AI functionality to enhance traditional analytics? If so, is it cloud-based, or can it be installed and maintained onsite? Do you develop your own AI or integrate third-party AI?

Arteco Global: Yes, our VCA solution features integrated AI modules for object detection, behavioural analytics, and PPE detection, helping to reduce false positives. VCA is an on-premises AI solution ideal for environments with strict data privacy requirements or limited internet connectivity, and it can be applied to existing cameras.

Our VMS is also fully conformant with ONVIF profile T and M devices that include analytics capabilities. Additionally, we integrate cloud-based AI solutions, allowing customers the flexibility to choose best-in-class analytics.

Cathexis Technologies: CathexisVision has been designed to provide ease-of-use and efficiency for our end users, and this includes the development of our own AI-powered analytics as well as integrating relevant AI models to enhance our analytics offering. The CathexisVision analytics suite supports intelligent analysis and automated actions, speeding up detection and accuracy.

An example of our in-house engineered analytics offering is the advanced Feature Search tool, which allows the user to pre-filter image searches based on the object’s colour, pinpointing relevant footage in seconds and helping users build accurate timelines of evidence.

Milestone Systems: Milestone and Briefcam merged in 2024, with the strategic outlook to enhance and improve analytics with metadata and simple forms of AI. In 2025, Milestone and Nvidia have signed an agreement to deliver and develop AI models responsibly. AI has its own risks, and one needs to be educated around the regulations and security risks. The adoption of AI needs to be managed and controlled within each organisation.

Milestone has adopted the AI approach from several angles:

• Edge-based AI from camera vendors.

• On-premises server-based AI from several application vendors.

• In-cloud AI adoption (see more at https://tinyurl.com/4hmeenz3).

SMART Security Solutions: Regarding integration, what do you do or provide if a client wants to integrate new devices for monitoring into your system? Do you offer APIs or SDKs for third parties to use in developing their own solutions on your platform?

Arteco Global: We provide REST APIs that allow third-party developers to create custom integrations, along with a developer portal, documentation, and sample code to streamline the integration process for clients and system integrators.

Regarding vendors and technology partners, we embrace an agnostic approach by adopting ONVIF protocols. Our VMS conforms with ONVIF G, M, T, and S profiles, ensuring seamless integration with new devices.

Cathexis Technologies: Cathexis Technologies is a champion of open platform design. We believe that you should have one solution to customise and meet the requirements of your entire site, which is why we have built the CathexisVision solution with interoperability and system expansion in mind. APIs and SDKs are available to allow for custom integration with our technology partners’ products.

Milestone Systems: Yes, Milestone’s ideal is an open platform is where approved developers can use tools, (SDK and API’s etc.). More information is available on the Developer Portal at https://tinyurl.com/yxc9szxp.

SMART Security Solutions: Please briefly mention the latest news and the newest functionality of your platform.

Arteco Global: We will soon be adding a forensics search engine to uSee that accelerates investigations by leveraging metadata to instantly pinpoint people, belongings, and vehicles. This streamlined process dramatically reduces search time, enabling faster, more efficient security responses.

In the second half of the year, we will launch our new software platform: uSee Service Suite (uSS), the new core engine designed to seamlessly integrate and manage all functionalities and devices related to video surveillance and security.

Because uSS is installable on Linux, macOS, and Windows – whether on the cloud, edge, or on-premises – it offers flexible deployment options for any environment. uSS can reduce overall expenditure, while maintaining a high level of performance. Its modular architecture enables each service to operate independently, allowing easy scaling, transferring, or redundancy.

The suite is continuously updated to ensure strong security, reliability, and cutting-edge features, backed by dedicated pre- and post-sales support.

Installable in any environment – from large-scale, complex systems to serverless setups – uSS ensures agility, user-friendly administration, and complete end-to-end security. The result is a customisable, future-proof platform that helps businesses stand out through enhanced security, lower total costs, and faster installation and configuration.

Cathexis Technologies: CathexisVision is designed to deliver value across all areas of security management, with features that have been built on the stable, scalable and powerful architecture we are known for. Here are some of the updates in the latest CathexisVision release:

• Advanced Feature Search: Pinpoint events and receive accurate results in a few seconds when you filter by colour and object type.

• CathexisVision Web: There is no need to install client software; simply connect to our web-based client application to view and review footage from your NVR directly.

• Alarm management workflows: Keep your control room running smoothly, while ensuring all critical tasks are addressed, by setting structured processes that need to be followed when handling alarms.

• GIS maps: It is easier than ever to drill down into a site. Overlaying resources on GIS maps makes it easy to view camera feeds, toggle outputs, and respond to incidents faster.

• Resource tagging: Add descriptive tags to resources for you to easily search or filter, enabling operational flexibility, easy navigation and swift identification of relevant resources.

Milestone Systems: Milestone Systems is a provider of data-driven video technology software. Our portfolio comprises Xprotect video management software, Arcules video surveillance as a service, and BriefCam analytics. We amplify what organisations of any size can see, do and achieve with video.

Your security system is your frontline defence, it needs to be both powerful and easy to manage. Milestone’s open-platform approach lets you take control. No more juggling multiple systems or feeling locked into hardware and software you don’t need. Our products unite the entire security ecosystem in one centralised solution that helps transform raw data into insights and elevates security, from a necessary cost to a competitive advantage.

With physical and cybersecurity threats on the rise, it is more important than ever to level up your business security systems. Milestone XProtect video management software connects your cameras, sensors, analytics, and sites in one easy-to-manage interface. You can customise a more future-proof, resilient, and data-safe security environment that lets you see and do more with the choice of 14 000+ cameras and sensors and 1000+ applications.

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