Video analytics: The next frontier of business transformation

Teresa Huysamen, Business Unit Manager at Duxbury Networking.

---

South African businesses increasingly adopt innovative strategies to enhance operational efficiency and security. Video management has emerged as a pivotal tool in this context, transcending its traditional surveillance role to unlock substantial business value. As local distributor of Milestone XProtect Rapid REVIEW, an advanced forensic analytics solution, we can help businesses harness the power of their video data. Beyond rapid incident resolution, this technology offers a new avenue for organisations to derive actionable insights from video analytics, driving both security and operational improvements.

Video footage has evolved from a passive surveillance tool to a rich data repository ripe for exploitation. XProtect Rapid REVIEW seamlessly integrates with Milestone's Smart Client interface, empowering organisations to search, analyse and review video footage effectively. Beyond security, it delivers valuable operational insights that inform data-driven decision-making, enabling businesses to maintain agility.

Historically, video has primarily been used in a reactive capacity to investigate past incidents. Rapid REVIEW challenges this paradigm by equipping companies with sophisticated search filters and cross-camera video analysis capabilities. This empowers businesses to proactively identify patterns in behaviour, foot traffic or employee movement. For instance, retail outlets can leverage visual analytics to understand high-traffic areas, dwell times and common customer paths. This intelligence facilitates optimised store layouts, reduced bottlenecks and enhanced customer experiences.

Manufacturers can also monitor production lines using video to identify inefficiencies or safety concerns in real-time. By transforming video into a source of operational intelligence, businesses can make data-driven decisions that extend beyond traditional security.

Rapid REVIEW's unique patented Video Synopsis technology significantly accelerates investigations. This feature presents multiple objects that appeared at different times in the same video frame, dramatically reducing review time. Instead of watching hours of footage, users can focus on moments of interest, such as identifying vehicles of interest using licence plate recognition or locating a missing child in a crowded venue using facial recognition.

The solution employs deep learning and artificial intelligence to categorise and classify objects, offering advanced search filters like face recognition, appearance similarity and mask detection. This ensures businesses can respond swiftly to security incidents and operational challenges.

Furthermore, the solution can use video data to gain insights into employee productivity, assess compliance with safety protocols and more. Its visual layers provide easy-to-read visualisations of object activity, such as areas with the most occupancy or common paths. This is particularly valuable in industries like retail or hospitality, where understanding how people move through physical spaces can inform better business decisions. With these insights, businesses can make informed changes to layout, staffing or marketing strategies, transforming their video data into a powerful tool for continuous improvement.

The solution's AI-driven analytics can help companies improve operational efficiency, customer experience and long-term resilience. At Duxbury Networking, we believe that the future of video management extends beyond cameras and footage. It's about empowering businesses with tools that not only protect but also deliver added value. Decision-makers must rethink the potential of video and leverage it to unlock new possibilities for growth across their operations.