Video as a Service (VaaS): Is It Right for Your Organization?

We know how it goes, and we hear about this from business owners all the time. Your organization’s security system is outdated, storage is full, and your IT team is stretched thin just keeping cameras online. That’s where subscription-based video security comes in. Instead of buying equipment outright and managing it all in-house, you pay a predictable monthly fee that covers hardware, cloud storage, automatic software updates, and AI-powered analytics. 

This approach, known as video as a service surveillance, delivers enterprise-level protection without the heavy lifting. In this article, we’ll discuss how it works and help you decide whether this modern, subscription-based model is the right fit for your organization.

What “Video as a Service” Means

Traditional video surveillance often relies on large upfront purchases, which may even be considered a capital expenditure. This includes things like cameras, servers, and storage drives, plus the ongoing responsibility of maintaining them. That means your IT team manages firmware updates, handles storage limits, and troubleshoots downtime. Over time, those costs and labor hours add up.

Video as a Service (VaaS) takes a different approach. Instead of owning and maintaining the infrastructure yourself, you pay a monthly or annual subscription that includes everything you need to capture, store, and analyze video footage. With video surveillance as a service, you subscribe to an end-to-end bundle rather than piecing together hardware, software, and storage.

Each subscription typically includes:

• Camera hardware: Professionally installed, enterprise-grade cameras included in your plan.
• Cloud storage: Secure, off-site data retention that eliminates the need for local servers.
• Automatic software updates: The system always runs on the latest version without IT intervention.
• Cloud-based AI analytics: Smart insights like motion detection, facial recognition, and heat mapping.

This “as-a-service” approach mirrors a broader business trend toward outsourcing non-core IT operations. Just as companies have adopted managed network services or cloud-based communications, many are now turning to video surveillance as a service to simplify management and gain modern security features without added complexity.

Why it Appeals to Small- to Mid-Sized Organizations 

For many small- and mid-sized organizations, balancing reliable security with limited resources can be a challenge. Traditional camera systems often come with steep upfront costs, complex maintenance schedules, and unpredictable repair or storage expenses. A subscription-based model eliminates much of that uncertainty and gives growing businesses room to adapt. Here’s why this approach makes sense:

• Simplified budgeting: Instead of investing thousands of dollars in equipment and servers, you pay a predictable monthly rate that covers installation, storage, and ongoing support. This turns a capital expense into an operating expense, freeing up cash flow for other priorities.
• Reduced IT workload: Vendors handle firmware updates, manage the cloud platform, and monitor storage performance. That means your in-house IT team can focus on strategic initiatives instead of maintenance tasks.
• Scalability and flexibility: Add or remove cameras as your facility expands or your needs change. You’re not locked into outdated hardware or software licenses.
• Built-in analytics: Advanced tools like motion detection, license plate recognition, and smart alerts come standard with many service tiers, features that would otherwise require costly standalone software.

For many firms, adopting video surveillance as a service means avoiding hidden maintenance, storage overruns, or obsolete hardware, while gaining a modern, scalable solution that grows with their business.

Benefits You’ll Want to Consider

We know that investing in video surveillance is a big decision. But not only do you need to weigh the cost of the solution, you need to weigh the cost of inaction. Businesses today face a growing list of threats: unauthorized access, theft and burglary, workplace violence, vandalism, and even civil unrest. For retailers, the risks are particularly high. Shoplifting incidents have surged by 93% since 2019, with a 14% year-over-year increase in 2024 alone. Those numbers don’t just represent lost revenue. They reflect mounting pressure to improve safety and visibility across every location.

That’s why many organizations are rethinking traditional systems and exploring smarter, subscription-based options. Beyond peace of mind, video surveillance as a service delivers measurable business value through features and flexibility that legacy setups can’t match:

• Lower upfront investment & predictable ongoing expense: Eliminate capital purchases and move to a steady operational cost model.
• Easier deployment and faster time to value: Cameras and software are preconfigured and cloud-connected for quicker rollout.
• Vendor handles maintenance, updates, and often monitoring: Free your internal team from constant upkeep.
• Cloud storage adds off-site redundancy: Protects against data loss from equipment failure or disasters.
• Analytics enhance insights: Use AI tools for people counting, traffic mapping, or asset tracking.

When deploying video surveillance as a service, you gain not only cameras but also a cloud ecosystem designed to grow with you. Keep in mind, though, that not all service providers offer identical packages. When it comes to features, service level agreements, and data retention, the options can vary widely.

Key Questions Before You Move Forward

Before upgrading your security system or signing a new contract, it’s natural to have questions. Business owners and security personnel alike want to know what they’re really getting—and whether the investment will solve their specific challenges. From storage limits to internet reliability, every organization’s situation is different. Here are a few questions worth asking before you move forward with any video surveillance solution:

• What problem are you solving? Identify whether your pain point is outdated equipment, limited coverage, lack of analytics, or the burden on IT resources.
• How do you prefer to budget? Is capital or operational expense preferred? Subscription models spread costs over time, while traditional systems demand higher upfront spending.
• How many cameras and locations will you need now and in the future? Choose a model that scales easily with growth.
• What level of analytics do you need? Decide whether you want basic monitoring or advanced AI capabilities like motion tracking or facial recognition.
• How is data handled and stored? Confirm compliance with privacy standards and ask about data retention policies.
• Is your network ready for cloud video? Reliable connectivity is key for streaming and storage.

If you’re evaluating video surveillance as a service, make sure your contract clearly defines camera upgrades, cloud storage capacity, software updates, and analytic features to avoid surprises down the road.

When Video Surveillance as a Service Might Not Be the Right Fit

We’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge that sometimes, VaaS is not the right path forward. While subscription-based surveillance offers significant advantages, it isn’t ideal for every organization. Some businesses have unique environments or infrastructure constraints that make traditional systems more practical.

It may not be the best fit if your organization:

• Has limited or unreliable internet connectivity: Cloud-based systems depend on steady bandwidth. In remote areas or industrial settings with weak connections, footage uploads and real-time monitoring can be inconsistent.
• Already owns a large, well-functioning on-premise system: If you’ve recently invested in servers, cameras, and local storage, switching to a subscription model might not make financial sense right now.
• Requires extensive customization or niche integrations: Highly specialized facilities, such as manufacturing plants or research labs, may need unique configurations that standard subscription services can’t accommodate.
• Has strict data control policies: Organizations with regulatory or internal data-handling rules that prohibit off-site storage may need to retain full control over their video infrastructure.

In these cases, a hybrid approach, such as combining cloud-based features with existing hardware, might provide the flexibility and oversight your team needs while still easing some of the IT burden.

How EMCI Wireless Makes It Easy

At EMCI Wireless, simplicity and reliability come standard. Our local Video and Surveillance experts can help organizations with hardware and software upgrades, cloud storage, automatic updates, and analytics with Service Maintenance Agreements so that systems are always current and optimized for efficiency. That means fewer vendors to manage, predictable monthly billing, and no surprise maintenance costs.

Small and mid-sized organizations especially appreciate how EMCI’s model lightens the load on IT teams. With automatic updates, managed storage, and real-time analytics, staff can focus on operations instead of troubleshooting. Our company’s solutions integrate flawlessly with existing video management platforms and system integrations, helping clients expand or upgrade without disruption.

What sets EMCI Wireless apart is flexibility. Customers can choose from service tiers that match their scale and budget, with options for 24/7 monitoring, local technical support, and tailored service levels. The result is a smarter, more manageable path to enterprise-grade security, without the heavy administrative lift.

Decision Checklist and Next Steps 

Once you’ve reviewed your needs and compared options, it helps to take a practical look at what a transition to VaaS would mean for your organization. A simple checklist, such as what we outlined below, can guide that decision and keep everyone, from IT to operations, on the same page.

• Assess your current setup: Inventory existing cameras, servers, and storage to understand what can be reused or retired.
• Estimate total cost of ownership: Compare your current spending on maintenance, hardware refreshes, and software licensing to projected subscription costs.
• Evaluate service tiers: Review plans for retention length, analytics capabilities, and support levels.
• Check connectivity: Confirm your network can handle cloud uploads and remote access.
• Review vendor responsibilities: Identify who installs, monitors, and maintains the system, and what’s included in the SLA.
• Plan for growth: Consider how easily you can add new cameras or sites as your organization expands.

Learn More About Subscription-Based Surveillance from EMCI Wireless

Subscription-based surveillance continues to reshape how organizations think about safety, cost, and efficiency. For many, VaaS delivers the flexibility and simplicity needed to stay protected without overburdening IT or draining budgets. Whether you’re replacing outdated systems or exploring a scalable approach for the future, EMCI Wireless can help you find the right balance of technology and support.

Contact the EMCI Wireless surveillance team today to schedule a consultation and see how a customized solution can help your organization modernize its security infrastructure while keeping operations focused on what matters most: your business.