2025 Top Video Surveillance Security Trends for Enhanced Protection

In 2023, the video surveillance market reached $60.1 billion, and is expected to grow to $149.5 billion by 2032. The meteoric growth of video security across industries has been due, in part, to the introduction of smart solutions which have flipped the narrative around what a surveillance system could be. Businesses are now looking at their system as a way to improve business operations and drive revenue as opposed to a necessary but burdensome cost center. 

This upward trend also reflects the growing needs of companies to deliver on their own goals. As companies begin to expand their operations, they need solutions that can help them stay competitive against their competition through new business efficiencies and insights. However, many businesses with legacy video systems struggle to bridge that gap between existing technology and new solutions, creating unique needs from organizations across industries for their video surveillance providers. 

In this article, we’ll examine those business needs and why organizations are looking for new solutions, as well as the trends and innovations of 2025 that are designed to meet those needs. 

The State of Video Security Today 

Economic growth is expected to rise globally by 2.6%, with multiple industries improving their performance in the coming year. As companies are continuing to expand, the requirements for streamlining operations also grow, as well as the need to scale business more effectively, whether that’s across numerous physical locations. Customer expectation and demand is also a priority; companies who provide a tangible service or product need to be able to ensure timely, positive interactions with their clientele to ensure their organization’s expansion doesn’t hinder their service. 

As past security solutions are quickly becoming outdated and new video surveillance solutions are being introduced, many businesses are considering implementing new technologies to assist with improving operations, in addition to their security needs. Businesses also face a timeless consideration as they plan for 2025 and beyond: cost. Companies need to evaluate what they have today and ensure their resources are dedicated to the technology that will deliver the greatest value in the future, security or otherwise. 

Lack of Access to Cloud Solutions 

Despite the fact that the cloud has been around for close to 20 years, adoption of this technology for video surveillance is still limited. Many businesses cite concerns about the bandwidth limits and security of the cloud as the main reasons why they resist implementing this technology into their organization. However, the cons of having no access to the cloud whatsoever are quickly outnumbering the alleged concerns surrounding cloud computing. 

• Slow Video Retrieval: For many legacy systems, the process of locating specific video is a time-consuming process. Not only does someone need to be on-site to use the system, but most platforms that support these CCTV solutions are outdated and don’t feature streamlined video search tools. 

• Physical Devices Required for Video Export: While cloud-managed video security software allows you to export and share video remotely, for older systems, a physical device is often needed. This is usually in the form of a USB drive, which not only needs to be physically delivered to any parties that may need the video but also presents a risk as the small device can be easily lost or stolen. 

• Need for Constant On-Site Presence: Legacy systems require a team to be on-site at all times if they want to manage their system or monitor their facilities. This limits the effectiveness and response time of security teams and creates a headache for IT whenever the system needs to be updated, whether that’s downloading software, resetting passwords, or managing users. 

Luckily, the cloud not only offers solutions to these previous pain points but also provides reassurance to some of the concerns through a hybrid architecture. With cloud-managed systems, businesses can enjoy the flexibility and convenience of the cloud while taking advantage of the security provided by local recording. 

Locked Into the Systems You Have 

For most businesses, their security systems are deeply ingrained into the fabric of their organization. Ripping and replacing all their hardware simply isn’t an option, either due to budget, time, or a combination of both. Even if a company is able to completely replace their system, they want to ensure a new solution will provide a worthwhile return on investment and won’t be outpaced in the next three to five years, leaving them back at square one. 

Ian Siemer, OpenEye’s VP of Product Management and Marketing, said, “Businesses want to take advantage of the solutions they already have. They are looking for flexibility now and in the future to connect their disparate systems in a seamless way for improved business intelligence and security.” 

Because businesses want to tie together their devices in a seamless manner, more organizations are looking to platforms that can offer them flexibility in how they incorporate new innovations while still leveraging existing hardware. 

Video Surveillance Limited to Security Only 

Because of the limitation or feature set of older systems, video surveillance has traditionally been seen as a cost center. Newer solutions provide more efficiency for both security and facility workflow, saving companies time and money. This value is further generated when video can be used outside of the traditional use cases in other departments across the organization, such as operations and marketing. This effectively has repositioned video security in some businesses from a cost center to a profit center. 

With many organizations hoping to utilize all points of data across their company, it’s natural that they would also want to use video data in the same way. In the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and video analytics, data analysis becomes actionable business intelligence. More businesses are seeing this opportunity within their video surveillance investment.  

Where Video Surveillance Systems are Headed in 2025: 3 Trends to Look Out For 

To meet these growing demands and help provide modern solutions for businesses everywhere, video surveillance can provide the systems and tools that reduce the workload on IT and security teams, while improving business operations. 

Below are three trends we expect to see adopted by many companies hoping to meet the needs of their business with a flexible, scalable, advanced surveillance solution. 

1. The shift from on-premises solutions to the cloud 

Because of the issues presented by legacy systems that lack cloud access, many companies who have not already implemented cloud computing into their security infrastructure are expected to do so this year. Cloud-managed video security offers numerous benefits for business operations meant to solve the problems presented by local systems, including: 

• Remote Monitoring: By having security video managed in the cloud, businesses can now monitor their surveillance system from wherever they are. Instead of requiring a team to be on-site, security teams can view video from wherever they are, including a mobile device. Monitoring can also take place across locations, creating new efficiencies for larger organizations. This remote access also delivers video verification of events thanks to alerts, rapidly improving response time. 

• Cost-Effective Security Operations: The cloud offers true operational efficiency for businesses, merely from the fact that many tasks that once could only be performed on-site can now be done remotely. No need to scour through hours of footage to find the right video and no need to physically retrieve footage. This saves valuable time and resources, which in turn makes the overall solution much more cost-effective. 

• Centralized Management: With a cloud solution, all connected devices, users, and locations can be managed easily in one place. As well as this, automatic updates provide immediate access to the newest features. This all helps reduce additional burden on IT by enabling these recursive tasks to be done from anywhere. As well as that, the ability to manage multiple locations can help businesses scale their video security more effectively for easier deployments. 

Additional cloud solutions have become more common place, providing more flexibility to businesses in meeting their unique needs. Cloud cameras, which offer a dedicated analytics processor alongside video storage on the camera itself, are one innovation expected to see an uptick in implementation this year as both a complementary and standalone solution. As well as that, cloud recording of critical video is another innovation that more efficiently uses cloud storage to protect the most important video by automatically storing it in the cloud. This ensures video is there when you need it while also creating efficiencies for teams that use it. 

2. Transitioning from closed systems to an open platform 

An open platform lets you integrate your existing security and business system to get more value from your video security investment for more flexibility and futureproofing. As opposed to a closed system, open ecosystem platforms allow businesses to use existing IP cameras and integrate with other business systems, like access control and point of sale. This helps businesses take advantage of their existing security investment and scale more easily. Combining data points from disparate systems provides more actionable intelligence to secure and support an operation while creating a more complete security solution. 

As new technologies emerge, businesses can expand their ecosystem through an open platform, allowing them to integrate the applications that matter most to their business without waiting for proprietary solutions. This reduces the risk businesses may feel by committing to a single platform. Instead, they can leverage existing technology, including hardware, lowering the overall cost up front and providing an opportunity to adopt and integrate future solutions down the road.  

3. Leveraging video analytics for new business data 

Thanks to video analytics, video surveillance is pivoting from a surveillance-only product to a smart solution capable of enhancing business intelligence and efficiency. The uses of this advanced technology is making a notable impact throughout industries: 

• Retail: In the retail sector, customer experience and employee productivity can be tracked to identify areas of operational inefficiency. Heat maps can be visualized to track customer journey and foot traffic for more optimal store layouts. These video tools provide enhanced business intelligence that can deliver a better customer experience and improve a company’s bottom line. 

• Education: Education has been able to leverage video analytics for improved response time, helping to add an additional layer of security for schools everywhere to ensure a positive learning environment for students and faculty. 

• Quick Service Restaurants: With video analytics, quick service restaurants (QSR) can easily monitor drive-thru time so customers receive their meal in a timely manner. As with the retail sector, QSRs can also monitor customer wait time and employee productivity, as well as store layout, to ensure all sides of restaurant operations are optimized. 

The future of analytics technology is bound to produce even more powerful innovations than currently available. For businesses who want to transform the capabilities of their video security system to find new efficiencies and support other parts of their organizations, AI-powered video analytics is a key component of that. 

Future-Proof Your Video Security Solutions with OpenEye 

Smart solutions are priorities for companies who want to utilize their video surveillance for more than just security. As companies begin to adopt cloud technologies, open systems, and AI-powered video analytics, it’s crucial that businesses find solutions that can help them keep up with the competition, support their growth, and give them the most return on their security investment today and tomorrow. 

OpenEye Web Services (OWS) is a cloud-managed video platform that provides actionable intelligence and improves operational efficiency so that you can stay focused on what matters most—and see the next opportunity to secure and scale your business. The OWS open ecosystem helps businesses build a complete security solution by integrating security video with access control, point of sale, and other systems. As well as the, OWS integrates with third-party cameras for better flexibility and scalability. Finally, OpenEye Web Services both offers and integrates with powerful video analytics for enhanced business intelligence, fortified security, and improved operations. 

To learn more about the capabilities of the OpenEye Web Services cloud-managed video platform, book a demo with us today.