GUEST OPINION: When piecing together evidence, the right video management system can be a game changer.
Has your business seen an uptick in security incidents in recent times? If you answered in the affirmative, you’re not alone.
Across Australia, security breaches, unauthorised access attempts and break and enters in commercial settings are relatively commonplace events.
Perpetrators’ motives can vary widely. Some bad actors are vandals seeking to damage and destroy property indiscriminately. Others are on more targeted missions, to disrupt operations, steal valuable products or access sensitive business and customer data for commercial and financial gain.
Investigating and responding to an incident – determining what’s occurred, who’s involved and what actions should be taken to resolve it and prevent a recurrence – can be a time-consuming process.
Very often, that’s because security teams are hobbled by the surveillance and monitoring technology they’re forced to reply upon: legacy tools and siloed systems that don’t ‘talk’ to each another.
As a result, security personnel may need to devote many hours to combing through footage, piecing together evidence and cross-referencing logs to produce a precise picture of events after the fact.
Embracing next-generation digital monitoring technology
It’s a modus operandi that’s both slow and expensive.
Little surprise then, that security upgrades are on the agenda for Australian organisations of all stripes and sizes in FY2026. The 2025 Genetec State of Physical Security Report identified that the transition to cloud-based video management systems is emerging and this trend will continue into 2026.
Replacing outmoded systems with latest generation surveillance technology – automatic licence plate recognition solutions, digital camera networks, facial recognition systems, and the like, – makes protecting people, property, assets, and business operations a significantly simpler proposition.
Ahead-of-the-curve organisations are adding video management solutions to their security shopping lists too.
The term is used to refer to a software platform that has the capacity to record, store, manage, and analyse video footage from multiple sources. Functioning as a hub, it makes it possible for a security team to obtain comprehensive visibility of incidents as they’re unfolding and after the fact.
Supercharging investigations with video management technology
Choose one that incorporates automation technology and you’ll be able to switch seamlessly from monitoring to investigation mode. Once an alarm is triggered, the system will be able to initiate all the actions that would typically be taken by the security personnel on shift: notifying dispatch, activating specific cameras and generating reports.
Your team will also be able to use assisted tracking to follow a subject across various views in real time. This can speed up suspect identification and prevent the loss of crucial visual evidence as an individual moves from one camera’s field of view to the next.
Finding specific subjects, objects and vehicles of interest within a virtual sea of digital data becomes an easier ask too. Ideally, these capabilities will include the ability to set highly specific search parameters, such as time, location and object type and colour.
And, once evidence is located and aggregated, you’ll be able to use advanced data visualisation tools to recreate timelines and construct a comprehensive picture of events as they unfolded.
Preserving critical evidence
A significant number of security incidents come within the purview of law enforcement agencies and, in these cases, maintaining the integrity of evidence is vital. Fail to do so there’s every likelihood that your videos, images and documents will be deemed inadmissible in court.
That’s why opting for a video management platform with digital evidence management capability is essential. It can allow your organisation to share case files securely with industry regulators, police investigators, and other external stakeholders, while maintaining the strict access control necessary to preserve data integrity.
Setting your business up for a more secure future in FY2026
In today’s times, a robust security regime isn’t a nice to have. It’s an essential investment for every Australian business that’s serious about safeguarding what matters most – its people, operations, and assets. Deploying next-generation surveillance systems and video management technology will allow you to investigate and respond to incidents at speed and use the insights you obtain to strengthen your defences against future incursions.