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The True Economics of Video Surveillance: TCO Insights on VSaaS vs Build-Your-Own VMS

Think Building Your Own VMS Is Cheaper? Think Again. 

When organizations plan their video surveillance strategy, a critical decision they face is whether to build their own Video Management System (VMS) or to adopt a Video Surveillance-as-a-Service (VSaaS) platform. While, building your own VMS may appear to be a one-time investment, a deeper Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis reveals otherwise. 

Let us break down the cost factors, hidden expenses, and operational advantages that make VSaaS the smarter, scalable, and more cost-effective choice for modern security, surveillance, and AI-driven intelligence 

Understanding TCO in Video Management:  

TCO is not just about upfront costs it encompasses every expense incurred over the lifecycle of your video surveillance system. This includes: 

1. Hardware procurement – servers, storage, networking, and redundancy. 

2. Software licensing – VMS, database, analytics modules, and OS. 

3. Infrastructure maintenance – Power, cooling, rack space, and AMC. 

4. Manpower – administrators, cybersecurity specialists, and monitoring staff. 

5. Upgrades and scalability – software patches, hardware refreshes, and expansions. 

When all these components are calculated over 5 years, the real cost of a Build Your Own (BYO) VMS setup often turns out to be significantly higher than the initial estimates. 

The Reality of Building Your Own (BYO) VMS: 

A “Build-Your-Own” VMS solution often promises control and flexibility, but it comes with hidden costs and operational complexities: 

1. Hardware & Storage – Requires upfront capital investment, frequent upgrades, energy for cooling, and space. 

2. Manpower– Multiple skilled resources needed for maintenance, updates, and troubleshooting. 

3. Licensing & Integration – Each feature (AI analytics, remote access, redundancy) adds licensing cost, complex integrations with third party systems and software 

4. Cybersecurity – Needs firewalls, antivirus, patches, and constant monitoring to prevent breaches. 

5. Scalability – Adding new sites or cameras means redesigning infrastructure. 

6. Downtime Risks– Hardware failures and software bugs directly impact uptime and security. 

While the control is appealing, maintaining a BYO solution demands ongoing management, budget, and dedicated expertise something most organizations underestimate.

How VSaaS Reduces TCO by Over 30% 

VSaaS (Video Surveillance as a Service) shifts surveillance from capital expenditure (CapEx) to operating expenditure (OpEx). This model simplifies operations, reduces costs, and enhances scalability and security. 

Here’s how VSaaS provides up to 30% cost advantage over a 5-year period:

1. No upfront CapEx – Pay only for what you use. Hardware, storage, and compute are managed in the cloud. 

2. Centralized management – One dashboard for all sites, cameras, and analytics. 

3. Elastic scalability – Add or remove cameras instantly without redesigning your network. 

4. Automatic updates & security patches – Managed and secured by cloud infrastructure. 

5. Reduced manpower – No need for dedicated IT or maintenance personnel. 

6. Predictable monthly cost – Subscription-based pricing ensures financial transparency and no hidden costs. 

Hidden Costs That VSaaS Eliminates:

Over time, these hidden costs make BYO solutions more expensive, less secure, and harder to scale. 

VSaaS: Built for Modern Security and AI Intelligence 

Today’s surveillance systems are more than just about video recording they are intelligent platforms for real-time insights and proactive response. 

VSaaS platforms like Drishticam bring in advanced AI-powered analytics such as: 

– Object detection, loitering, and intrusion alerts 

– Face and Vehicle recognition, ANPR 

– Smoke and Fire detection, PPE Compliance 

– Queue management, crowd analysis, and heat mapping and more 

All of this without any need for additional GPU servers or complex local setups. The AI processing and storage are cloud-native, ensuring faster insights, continuous learning, and real-time alerts at scale. 

The Strategic Advantage: From Surveillance to Intelligence 

Organizations adopting VSaaS are not just saving costs they are transforming their security operations. 

They gain: 

– Unified visibility across multiple sites 

– AI-assisted decision-making 

– Faster incident response 

– Regulatory compliance and secure audit trails 

– 24×7 accessibility from any device, and anywhere 

Conclusion 

Over a 5-year horizon, Drishticam VSaaS delivers up to 30% cost savings compared to traditional Build-Your-Own VMS setups while offering unmatched scalability, enterprise-grade security, and advanced AI-driven intelligence from the cloud. 

This 5-year period reflects the typical lifecycle of an on-premise surveillance system, during which organizations incur recurring costs for hardware refresh, software renewals, AMC, manpower, energy, and cybersecurity maintenance. When these ongoing expenses are compared to Drishticam’s predictable, subscription-based VSaaS model, the total cost of ownership (TCO) proves to be significantly lower by as much as 30%. 

For organizations looking to modernize their surveillance infrastructure, simplify operations, and transform video data into real-time actionable insights, Drishticam is the clear choice a smarter, more secure, sustainable, and future-ready way to manage video surveillance. 

Ready to Experience the Future of Surveillance? 

Learn how Drishticam VSaaS empowers enterprises, campuses, and smart cities with secure, intelligent, and cost-efficient cloud video management. 

www.drishticam.ai