This year, the conversation around cloud video feels very different from just a year ago. Organisations are no longer asking whether to move to the cloud; they are asking how far, how fast, and on what terms. The answers vary sharply by sector, but one trend is consistent across the market: flexibility is now the decisive factor.
Eagle Eye Networks says that multi-location retail, logistics, manufacturing, education, and healthcare have led the charge this year. Managing Director EMEA Rishi Lodhia explains that these verticals want centralised oversight without adding IT burden. He notes that “multi-location retail, logistics, and manufacturing are moving rapidly to cloud video management systems to gain centralised control, scalability, and better visibility across sites”. Education and healthcare, he adds, are “close behind”.
Municipal projects have picked up pace, too. Lodhia highlights that “more cities are moving from old-fashioned on-premise surveillance to cloud-based systems where they can improve their existing cameras with AI”.
Hybrid models are now the norm for most organisations. Milestone’s 2025 XProtect release has accelerated this shift, with the company noting that the update has “shifted conversations with customers and integrators”, says Martin McGrath of Milestone UK & Ireland. “With the enhanced cloud and Arcules integration and advanced vehicle analytics, we can offer hybrid, cloud, or on-premise solutions to customers (or via integrators) that meet many different organisational needs, goals, and budgets. This has enabled them to choose the balance of cloud, on-premise, and hybrid that best aligns with their needs. No longer have to choose between control, scalability, or simplicity”.
Verkada echoes this direction from a product design perspective. VP of Product, Abraham Alvarez, says their hybrid cloud architecture “has resonated in the market – especially with organisations in highly regulated or bandwidth-constrained environments”. He highlights that optimising both camera firmware and cloud infrastructure allows AI to run at the edge for speed and efficiency, while still offering cloud accessibility. This balance, he stresses, is key to uptime, compliance, and performance.
Integration Expectations Rise
OpenEye’s deepened integration with Brivo demonstrates how users now expect systems to work seamlessly together. VP International Sales Neil Killick says customers value “the single pane of glass experience and the ability to match access events with video quickly”. He also notes that OpenEye avoids unnecessary cloud load by “storing only meaningful event footage”.
Cathexis reports similar demands across multi-system deployments. Their engineering team explains that “each integration starts with the creation of a custom driver”, ensuring reliable real-time performance across varied environments. “At Cathexis, we view the future of video monitoring not as a set of separate devices, but as a connected, smart ecosystem. Here, data from various sources comes together, is understood in context, and leads to proactive actions. Several new technologies are key to this vision. One significant trend is the transformation of cameras from simple recording tools into smart edge processors. With on-device analytics and embedded AI, modern cameras can now detect, classify, and even understand behaviour in real time. These features lessen reliance on backend systems and speed up decision-making at the edge,” the Cathexis team added.
i-PRO COO Gerard Figols points to the expanding use of edge intelligence. He explains that “Edge processing adds value because it reduces the need for heavy server hardware and allows real-time alerts without the delays that can come with cloud processing.”
Alvarez notes that hybrid flexibility extends to new form factors too, highlighting the strong demand for Verkada’s mobile security trailers. He says customers appreciate the ability to combine facial detection and appearance search “to track a subject’s entire journey – from the furthest perimeter to the interior of a building – all within a single view”.
As organisations refine their infrastructure strategies, attention increasingly shifts to how intelligence can deepen the value of video day-to-day. That shift defines much of the industry’s focus for 2026.
Coming up: AI in Practice: What the Industry’s Front Runners Are Prioritising for 2026
Our next article in this series focuses on the practical deployment of AI. Rather than abstract capability, the emphasis in 2025 has been on improving imaging quality, accelerating investigations, enriching operational insight, and introducing predictive intelligence. From unified AI timelines to enhanced edge analytics, we look at how AI is shaping day-to-day work across sectors and what customers now expect from intelligent video.