Top challenges customers face during large-scale camera upgrade projects

For security system integrators and consultants, large-scale camera refresh projects present a mix of opportunities and significant challenges. Whether it's upgrading legacy infrastructure, integrating advanced analytics, or ensuring minimal downtime, the complexity of these projects demands careful planning and execution.
 
Without a thoughtful strategy, organizations risk gaps in coverage, downtime, and misaligned technologies that can undermine security objectives.
 
Today, the need for camera upgrades is greater than ever. Many organizations are facing the end of life for their existing hardware, rising compliance requirements, and a growing demand for better analytics-driven insights. AI and cloud technologies are also reshaping what video surveillance systems can achieve, making refresh projects not just necessary but strategically important for modern security operations.
 

Managing complexity across multiple locations

Matt Tengwall, Senior Vice President and Global General Manager at Verint, emphasized that managing large-scale refreshes is particularly complicated in sectors like banking, where institutions operate hundreds of locations, each with unique layouts, bandwidth constraints, and aging infrastructure.
 
"Large-scale camera refresh projects can be tough to navigate, especially in banking," Tengwall said. "Institutions often manage hundreds of locations with different layouts, bandwidth constraints, and aging infrastructure. That complexity makes a one-size-fits-all rollout unrealistic."
 
Maintaining system uptime and compliance during phased upgrades is a critical concern. "The real challenge is keeping systems online and compliant while upgrades happen in phases. Without a clear plan, gaps in coverage, downtime, or misaligned tech can occur," Tengwall noted.
 
Verint addresses these challenges by offering solutions that support mixed environments, allowing customers to integrate new IP cameras while still managing legacy systems. Their approach centers on centralizing monitoring, tracking system health, and enabling remote updates.
 
"Verint solutions keep things running smoothly while giving teams the tools to scale when ready," Tengwall explained.
 
A phased rollout allows organizations to upgrade locations systematically, avoiding unnecessary disruptions to security coverage. Tengwall pointed out that remote management capabilities are critical to maintaining compliance and functionality across geographically dispersed sites.
 

Assessing needs before starting

Kurt Takahashi, CEO of Netwatch, pointed out that one of the most significant initial hurdles is simply knowing where to start. Organizations often default to thinking a full redesign is necessary, but that assumption can be costly and unnecessary.
 
"One of the biggest challenges customers face during large-scale camera refresh projects is knowing where to start — particularly when it comes to evaluating what they already have versus what they truly need," Takahashi said.
 
Netwatch encourages clients to first assess their existing setups to determine what can be retained, upgraded, or integrated into a more scalable system. For instance, a retail store might extend the life and capability of their existing systems by incorporating AI-enabled monitoring or analytics, turning a traditionally reactive security setup into a proactive tool.
 
"We encourage organizations to first take stock of their existing setups to identify what can be retained, upgraded, or integrated into a more scalable and cost-effective system," Takahashi added.
 
This practical approach helps organizations maximize their return on existing investments while upgrading their capabilities. In many cases, adding AI-based monitoring or anomaly detection can breathe new life into existing infrastructure without the need for a full system replacement.
 

Aligning technology with security outcomes

Beyond evaluating hardware, Takahashi stressed the importance of aligning technology choices with desired security outcomes. "It’s not just about installing new cameras — it’s about defining what the system needs to achieve, whether that’s better situational awareness, faster response times, or improved forensic capabilities," he said.
 
This alignment requires thoughtful planning and consultation, ensuring that investments directly contribute to operational goals. For example, a hospital may prioritize cameras capable of identifying perimeter breaches quickly, while a retail chain may focus on forensic detail to investigate incidents after they occur.
 
Moreover, with AI playing an increasingly significant role in video surveillance, Takahashi highlighted the need for organizations to assess how intelligent analytics can be applied effectively in their specific environments.
 
"As intelligent analytics become more embedded into video surveillance, it’s important to assess how AI can be applied in specific markets and environments," he noted. Netwatch focuses on guiding customers through this transition, helping them deploy technologies strategically and ensuring that systems are future-proof.
 

Tackling system diversity and scaling challenges

From Intellicene's perspective, managing the diversity of systems across multiple locations is a prominent challenge. Greg Colaluca, General Manager at Intellicene, explained that as organizations expand, they often inherit a patchwork of hardware, software, and vendors.
 
"One of the most common challenges is managing the scale and variety of systems spread across multiple locations," Colaluca said. "Different locations may have different camera models, network setups, or even entirely different security platforms."
 
Coordinating upgrades in such environments can be both challenging and time-consuming, particularly without a clear plan. To address this, Intellicene helps customers create scalable foundations that allow for easy integration and centralized management.
 
"We help customers take a step back and build a foundation that can scale with them while keeping the door open for integrations," Colaluca said. Their approach focuses on centralizing monitoring systems, simplifying integration of existing equipment, and enabling efficient expansion to new locations.
 
Centralization allows disparate systems to be managed cohesively. Intellicene's approach ensures that security teams can view and manage multiple sites efficiently, reducing the burden on staff and improving response times.
 

Centralized monitoring for improved visibility

Centralized systems also support correlated monitoring across multiple locations, providing security teams with a comprehensive view of their operations.
 
As Colaluca explained, "Expanding to new locations means more cameras, which means more angles and security data for teams to monitor. Intellicene helps security teams correlate video streams into one platform, assisting limited teams in getting a big-picture view of operations spread across various locations."
 
Rather than replacing existing cameras, Intellicene emphasizes integrating them into a centralized platform, maximizing the value of previous investments while enhancing capabilities through third-party integrations.
 
"Security personnel can monitor multiple sites from one location by correlating multiple video streams into one centralized platform," Colaluca added.
 
This capability is particularly critical as organizations grow and security teams are expected to manage increasingly complex environments with limited resources.
 

Best practices for successful camera refresh projects

Based on insights from industry experts, several best practices emerge for large-scale camera refresh projects:
 
Assess existing assets: Understand what equipment can be retained or upgraded before planning a complete overhaul.
 
Define clear outcomes: Align technology investments with specific security goals like faster response times, better forensic evidence, or proactive threat detection.
 
Plan for phased rollouts: Avoid disruptions by upgrading locations systematically, maintaining security coverage and compliance.
 
Centralize monitoring: Integrate disparate systems into a unified platform for better visibility and efficiency.
 
Embrace AI and analytics thoughtfully: Apply AI where it can deliver measurable improvements in situational awareness and incident response.
 
Future-proof investments: Choose flexible, open platforms that allow for third-party integrations and future technology adoption.

Conclusion: thoughtful planning is key 

Across all three companies, a consistent theme emerges: successful camera refresh projects are built on thoughtful planning, a clear understanding of existing assets, and alignment with long-term operational goals.
 
Verint focuses on supporting mixed environments and ensuring system continuity during upgrades, while Netwatch encourages organizations to assess their needs carefully and align technology choices with desired outcomes. Meanwhile, Intellicene provides scalable, centralized solutions that unify diverse systems into a single, manageable platform.
 
As large-scale camera refreshes become increasingly common, these insights offer valuable guidance for system integrators, consultants, and end-users navigating the complexity of modern security upgrades.
 
With AI, analytics, and cloud-based management becoming more central to security strategies, careful assessment, strategic planning, and an openness to integration — rather than wholesale replacement — will be crucial to building robust, future-ready security infrastructures.