How video surveillance in India Is moving beyond security

As video surveillance in India shifts from standalone security deployments to data-driven intelligence systems, the focus is increasingly on analytics, interoperability and regulatory compliance. With smart city projects, critical infrastructure and data centres driving demand, video management systems (VMS) are becoming central to both public safety and operational decision-making.

In this interview, Diya Girish, Head & Director-India, at Milestone Systems, outlines how surveillance adoption is evolving across sectors, the growing role of AI-led video analytics, and the importance of open platforms in avoiding vendor lock-in. Diya also discusses ethical data use, standards compliance and why trust and ecosystem partnerships will define the next phase of India’s surveillance market. 

How would you assess the current state of video surveillance adoption in India across sectors: public, private and commercial?

From an adoption perspective, video surveillance is already well established in India. There is hardly any sector today that does not use it in some form, because public safety is a universal concern. So adoption itself is not really the question anymore.

Where the difference lies is in the adoption of advanced technologies within surveillance. We are no longer talking only about cameras for security; we are talking about AI-driven analytics and the business outcomes that surveillance systems can deliver.

For example, in a retail store, cameras and a video management system might traditionally be seen as tools purely for security. But with analytics, those same systems can analyse customer behaviour, help optimise store layouts and, ultimately, improve sales. So surveillance today can drive measurable business value.

That said, the adoption of such advanced analytics varies by sector. Industries such as smart cities, data centres and manufacturing are already using these technologies extensively, while others are still at an earlier stage.

Since adoption varies across industries, what would you say are the main drivers pushing demand for video management and surveillance solutions in India?

Safety and security remain the common drivers across all sectors, but certain industries require surveillance more critically than others.

Take data centres, for example. They house extremely sensitive data for multiple organisations, so the level of physical security and surveillance required is exceptionally high. Even basic access into such facilities involves extensive checks, so the surveillance infrastructure has to match that level of sensitivity.

Beyond data centres, critical infrastructure is another key driver. We also see growing adoption among defence and law enforcement agencies. Technologies such as facial recognition, for tracking wanted individuals, are increasingly being deployed. These are mission-critical environments where surveillance is not optional, it is essential.

How has the surveillance landscape evolved over the past few years, particularly with local players, global vendors and open-source solutions? And what differentiates Milestone in this ecosystem?

That’s a great question. The biggest differentiator for Milestone as a video management system (VMS) vendor is our open technology platform.

To explain why this matters, it’s important to understand the broader ecosystem. A VMS is only one component of a much larger solution. Customers also need cameras, access control systems, networking infrastructure and more. If a VMS vendor enforces strict vendor lock-in, dictating which cameras or access control systems can be used, it significantly limits customer choice.

Milestone takes a very different approach. Our open platform allows customers to integrate virtually any camera, whether it is eight or even ten years old, alongside the latest access control or analytics solutions. This flexibility is a major advantage, as it allows customers to modernise at their own pace without discarding existing investments.

In terms of market evolution, this approach mirrors what we see in other technology domains. Hyperscalers like Amazon, Google and Microsoft now promote multi-cloud strategies to avoid locking customers into a single vendor. Milestone adopted this open philosophy years ago, well before it became mainstream in surveillance.

Could you help our readers understand what a VMS actually is, and the infrastructure behind Milestone’s open-platform VMS?

In simple terms, a VMS, Video Management System, is software that allows you to manage, monitor and analyse video feeds from large numbers of cameras.

Let’s take the example of a city-wide surveillance system, such as Kolkata. Thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, of cameras are deployed across the city. Earlier, manual recording and monitoring limited how many cameras could realistically be managed, perhaps a few dozen or a hundred at most.

With a modern VMS, scale is no longer a limitation. The software allows operators to view and manage feeds from thousands of cameras on centralised screens. More importantly, it enables advanced search and analytics. For instance, if authorities need to identify a person wearing a red cap in a specific area during a specific time window, the system can analyse footage and deliver results within minutes.

This goes far beyond traditional surveillance. Video technology today can support investigations, improve response times and even deliver operational or business insights. Security is just the starting point.

With these advancements, how do you see the shift towards secure, transparent and standards-aligned surveillance systems?

The shift is real, and it is happening rapidly. To keep pace, technology vendors must remain open platforms and continuously adapt, not just to innovations within their own domain, but also to technologies introduced by partners.

Transparency and compliance are equally important. Milestone is a strongly ethics-driven organisation. Given that we operate in public safety and security, compliance with local regulations and government standards is non-negotiable.

Compliance serves two purposes. First, it protects both vendors and customers. Second, it builds public trust. When organisations know that a solution complies with regulatory requirements, confidence in that technology increases.

A good example is STQC certification. While it is currently mandated primarily for hardware vendors, we have taken a proactive approach and applied for certification ourselves. We believe in aligning with standards even before they become mandatory.

What role do AI, video analytics and cloud-based video management play in improving operational efficiency and safety?

AI-driven analytics is a major focus area for Milestone today. One of our key solutions, BriefCam, enables advanced video analytics that help extract meaningful insights from video data.

We are also investing heavily in next-generation AI through Project Hafnia. This is an AI training platform designed to provide ethically sourced, high-quality video data for training AI models. High-quality data is critical for effective AI, and Project Hafnia addresses that need.

We are developing this platform in collaboration with NVIDIA, combining curated video datasets with vision-language models (VLMs). The result is smarter, more reliable surveillance solutions that can be deployed responsibly and at scale.

Could you elaborate on Milestone’s investments in India, particularly in terms of local partnerships?

Our investments in India are focused on three key areas: partners, compliance with local regulations, and ecosystem development.

Milestone does not sell directly to end customers. We always work through partners, because they bring together the complete solution, cameras, networking, access control and integration. We consider our partners to be true enablers.

In fact, we often say that Milestone’s real strength lies not just in our product, but in our ecosystem. We invest heavily in partner training, joint go-to-market initiatives and channel development.

Importantly, partners do not need to have prior experience specifically with VMS. Even IT vendors, cabling providers or adjacent solution providers can grow with us if they understand the customer landscape and have strong relationships.

How has the competitive landscape evolved in recent years, with local players, global vendors and open-source solutions? 

Competition in our industry is healthy, and that’s a good thing. Every player in the market has earned their position based on their strengths. Competition will continue to exist, and so will we.

We focus on building on our strengths and continuously improving areas where we can do better. That’s the nature of sales and business growth. We have great respect for our competitors, they are doing good work, and so are we.

Looking ahead, do you have a roadmap for India over the next five to ten years?

Rather than focusing only on sales or revenue targets, I want to talk about trust and customer experience.

Customers choose Milestone not just for the software, but for the reliability and support that come with it. Deployment is only the beginning, challenges arise over time, and what matters is how a vendor responds.

Our strength lies in our people and our service-oriented mindset. I have an excellent team in India, and customers consistently speak highly of them. My priority is to preserve and strengthen this trust so that customers remain satisfied not just today, but five or ten years down the line.

Finally, where do you see India in the global context of video surveillance and video technology adoption?

India is undergoing an extraordinary transformation. Rapid urbanisation, infrastructure development and growth across sectors are creating immense opportunities, not just in surveillance, but across technology domains.

India is already among the top global markets in several areas, and the scope for further growth is enormous. From a video surveillance perspective, the future is extremely promising. Adoption is accelerating, use cases are expanding, and innovation is happening at scale.

Overall, I believe India is not just catching up, it is leapfrogging in several areas. For Milestone, and for the VMS industry as a whole, the outlook in India is phenomenal.