From Coffee to Clarity at GSX 2025
If you’ve ever been to a trade show breakfast panel, you know two things: the coffee’s strong, and so are the opinions. This year during GSX 2025 in New Orleans, our session — “Beyond Surveillance: The Surprising Power of Video Analytics” — brought together some engaged minds: Joshua Parsons, Founder & CEO of Watchful, Seth Barcus, Director of Customer Success at Becklar, Net Payne, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer from March Networks, and my good friend and customer Darrin Steinmann, VP & Director of Corporate Investigations at Fifth Third Bank.
As I sat with other guests and listened to the discussion, what stood out to me wasn’t just the technology talk. It was the realism. Everyone agreed that organizations like banks and credit unions don’t need to start over to modernize. You just need to get the fundamentals right — and then build smarter, not bigger.
For banks looking to modernize security, compliance, and operations with AI-powered video analytics, the path forward doesn’t necessarily require a full infrastructure overhaul. With the right foundation, you can layer innovation on top of what already works — turning video systems into intelligent business tools.
The Shift: From Reactive to Predictive
“We’re getting to a place where operators don’t even have to watch video anymore because their system does the analysis and the audits for them.” — Net Payne
A few years ago, surveillance was purely reactive — something you checked after an incident. Today, AI-powered video analytics give banks real-time intelligence that can prevent issues before they happen. Joshua Parsons called it “the tip of the iceberg.” He’s right — we’re just beginning to see what this technology can do. As Seth Barcus put it, “AI and analytics have made video surveillance easier to understand and use.” We’ve moved from systems that generate data to systems that generate decisions.
Back to Basics: A Solid Foundation First
Darrin from Fifth Third reminded everyone that the basics still matter most: “The importance of strong video quality and camera placement is the foundation for everything else.” You can’t build predictive analytics on shaky video or outdated infrastructure. The smartest AI model in the world can’t do much with bad footage. Great analytics start with great inputs — reliable cameras, smart placement, secure networks, and dependable storage. That’s good news for big institutions: you don’t need to rip out everything. You just need to reinforce your foundation and layer intelligence on top.
Why Banks Move Slowly — and Why That’s Smart
Darrin also spoke candidly about the banking world’s cautious approach: “We’re looking at facial recognition — and as a bank, to do that, we must build a compliance program around it.” That’s not slow. That’s smart. Banks carry heavy compliance and cybersecurity burdens. But that’s changing — as leaders start to see that AI and analytics aren’t just about security. They improve efficiency, accuracy, and customer experience. The business case is getting stronger, and attitudes are shifting.
Pioneering policies and guardrails when it comes to these technologies is something companies are doing as they go – as the industry is slower to adopt and adapt than technology is evolving.
Beyond Security: Turning Video Into Business Intelligence
“There’s so much more value in this video technology than security.” — Seth Barcus
Banks are now using video data for efficiency and customer insight, not just surveillance. Imagine your video cameras helping you understand customer flow or optimizing staffing and branch layouts — that’s not surveillance. That’s strategy. Video analytics for banks can uncover patterns, improve service, and boost profitability — all while enhancing security and compliance.
How to Layer AI Without a Major Overhaul
If you’re a large financial institution, this is the part you’ll like: you can modernize without rebuilding everything. Here’s the practical, step-by-step way to do it:
- Start with infrastructure health. Maintain and monitor your cameras, recorders, and networks. An enterprise-level VMS and hybrid system infrastructure make it easy to manage thousands of sites.
- Add analytics where they matter most. Pilot tools like loitering detection at ATMs or queue analytics in branches. Test and prove value before scaling.
- Use open platforms. Choose systems that play well with others. Open VMS platforms let you integrate third-party cameras and IoT tools without major replacements.
- Build compliance in early. As Darrin emphasized, privacy and policy frameworks must evolve alongside tech adoption — not after.
- Align your teams. Security, IT, compliance, and operations need to work from the same playbook. Start with shared outcomes: reduced risk, greater efficiency, and better customer experiences.
AI Smart Search: Layering Advanced Intelligence Without the Overhaul
One of the biggest myths in banking security is that adopting AI means ripping out everything you already have. It doesn’t — not with solutions like March Networks AI Smart Search.
AI Smart Search uses generative AI and natural language processing to help you instantly find what you’re looking for — no complex queries, no manual scrolling through footage. Just ask a question in plain language like “Show me open teller lines after 5 PM” or “Find every ATM vestibule transaction between 10 PM and 4 AM,” and it pulls up relevant video snapshots across your entire network.
Here’s why that’s a game-changer for large financial institutions:
- Works with any camera — even analog. It operates on video snapshots, so you don’t have to replace every device.
- Affordable and fast to deploy. It minimizes storage and compute costs by analyzing only what’s needed.
- Quick results. Start small — a few high-priority branches — and expand as you see ROI.
- Goes beyond security. Use it to spot compliance gaps, staffing issues, or compliance risks.
AI Smart Search shows what’s possible when you layer intelligence without a full infrastructure rebuild. It’s simple, scalable, and designed for real-world banking environments.
[And here are a few other blogs of interest on generative AI and video surveillance: “How AI Visual Search Is Transforming Financial Security” and “ Talk to Your Cameras. Get Answers in Seconds.”]
Tech That Works for People
Seth said something that really stuck with me: “Does it work for me as a person before it works for my business?” That’s the human test every technology should pass. AI and automation are only as good as their usability. Investigators need faster searches. Managers need cleaner dashboards. Customers want frictionless experiences. If the tech isn’t helping people do their jobs better, it’s not working.
From Watching to Knowing
We’re not in the “watch and record” era anymore — we’re in the “know and respond” era. AI and advanced analytics are freeing operators from endless monitoring so they can focus on high-value tasks. Systems now interpret behavior, detect anomalies, and deliver actionable insights. That’s the future — and it’s already here.
Searchlight Cloud: Beyond Security — From Fraud Prevention to Business Intelligence
If AI Smart Search is the tool for smarter searching, Searchlight Cloud is the platform for smarter decisions.
This isn’t just video management — it’s a cloud-based analytics hub that unites video, transaction data, IoT sensors, and alarms into one interface. For banks, that means you’re not just watching what happened — you’re understanding why.
With Searchlight Cloud, you can:
- Detect fraud and correlate incidents by linking video with POS or ATM data with real-time alerts.
- Spot operational inefficiencies — like long lines, idle counters, or missed service standards.
- Visualize KPIs across branches through dashboards and reports that combine video and business data.
- Strengthen compliance with audit-ready evidence and faster investigations.
- Searchlight Cloud transforms video into a source of business intelligence — helping banks reduce losses, streamline operations, and improve customer experience.
Video Surveillance as a Platform for the Whole Enterprise
The most forward-thinking banks aren’t just modernizing security — they’re building an enterprise platform around video data.
With Searchlight Cloud and analytics tools like AI Smart Search, the same system that protects your branches can also serve:
- Operations, optimizing layouts and staffing.
- Fraud and investigations, automating detection and documentation.
- Compliance, ensuring every audit trail is complete and retrievable.
- Marketing and customer experience teams, analyzing traffic and engagement patterns.
When multiple departments share value from the same data, budgets can be shared too. That’s how smart banks justify investment — by turning surveillance into a cross-functional intelligence platform.
Looking Ahead: Predict, Don’t React
“We’re at the tip of the iceberg.” — Joshua Parsons
The next decade will bring deeper integration of video, IoT, and AI-driven intelligence. Systems will detect patterns across thousands of sites, predict risks, and even suggest operational improvements. But that future depends on one thing: getting the basics right today. Strong video quality. Reliable hardware. Secure networks. With that foundation, AI becomes an evolution — not a disruption.
Final Thoughts
After 22 years in this business — and more than a few breakfast panels — here’s what I’ve learned: The banks that win aren’t the ones chasing trends. They’re the ones layering progress deliberately, brick by brick and adding their own additional rules to support compliance. AI isn’t a revolution. It’s an upgrade path — and it starts with clarity, not complexity. There’s a saying in Indiana: You don’t rebuild the barn if all it needs is a new roof. Right?! Sometimes, you just need to upgrade your view.
Bill Anderson is a Key Account Manager at March Networks, based in the US. With more than two decades in video surveillance and physical security, Bill has partnered closely with major U.S. financial institutions including Fifth Third Bank and Comerica. Known for his humor and practical approach, Bill believes innovation works best when it makes life simpler — not harder.
Are you ready to modernize your bank’s video system? Explore how March Networks helps financial institutions layer AI-powered video analytics into their existing surveillance infrastructure. Visit marchnetworks.com/finance or book a quick demo of Searchlight Cloud.
