Video Management System (VMS)

Estimated Reading Time: 11 minute(s)

Video Management System – What is a VMS?

When considering a CCTV system, there are many considerations that you will make. We have written blogs on these issues – camera type, locations, operational requirements, number, recording platform, retention period, and the list goes on. One item that often gets overlooked is probably one of the most important in the long term – the user interface or video management system (VMS). For the life of the system, this is how you will access your CCTV images – so picking the right one is very important.

What does a VMS do?

Think of the VMS as your computer or phone’s operating system – iOS, Android, Windows, etc – it is how you communicate with the cameras and recorders. Like these other operating systems, it comes free with the hardware – much as you get iOS ‘free’ with every iPhone – which is great if you are familiar with iOS but not so good if you don’t understand how to work it. A CCTV Video Management System is similar – you generally get a ‘free’ VMS from the manufacturer of the cameras and, more likely, the NVR. Some are completely free, while others require licensing in some way. There are generally enterprise versions that are paid for and will offer benefits over the free version – but free is good, right? In a lot of cases, the included VMS will be more than adequate for your needs, but it is always worth exploring the features of the VMS you end up with as this will be what you will be using for a long time.

0333 900 0101 sales@network-data-cabling.co.uk Contact us

      EXCELLENT  
   Based on 66 reviews 
    
 
 
 
   
 
 
       Posted on Google  
   
   Andrew Matthews 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We commissioned a Wi-Fi survey and installation of new fibre and Cat6 cabling to support a new Wi-Fi installation from Accl in July and August of 2026. ACCL were superb from start to finish. We cannot fault the quality of the work and we received great advice on our project. Very satisfied customer!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Brigt Valland 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very professional company, good at understanding our need and efficient delivery of new building network- and WIFI infrastructure. An extra star for making it easy for me to "remote" organize this from Norway.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Siobhan Codd 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We used ACCL for a full WiFi and network install at our Old Street office and are very pleased with the result. They supplied and installed seven Ubiquiti WiFi access points, a UniFi Dream Machine, a 24 port Layer 3 Ubiquiti switch, and ran new Cat6A Leviton cabling with two ports to every AP. The whole job was neat, well planned and done to a very high standard. The coverage across the office is excellent and it looks pretty cool too! Would happily recommend them to anyone needing cabling or network infrastructure done properly.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Mark Cooper 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. An excellent service from start to finish!
The ACCL team installed our new network cabling, the foundation in readiness for supplying and installing a new IP CCTV camera system, professionally and efficiently. They were punctual, knowledgeable, and took the time to ensure everything was installed neatly and working perfectly. Their attention to detail and customer service were outstanding. I very much appreciate the initial project management and upfront planning, which combined to secure a successful delivery. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for reliable network cabling or CCTV installation. Thank you for a fantastic job.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Mohammed Alhashimi 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Wayne and his team for the excellent work they carried out. From start to finish, they were professional, reliable, efficient, and clearly took great pride in delivering a high standard of service.

They were professional, efficient, and paid great attention to detail, ensuring everything was neat, clearly labelled, well organised, and completed to a very high standard. The end result was clean, structured, and exactly what we needed.

Wayne and his team were reliable, courteous, and clearly committed to doing the job properly rather than simply getting it done. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for professional cabling work and a team that genuinely takes pride in the quality of their finish.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Laurence Rutter 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. So easy to deal with! Great price and great guys! Did exactly what they agreed, on time and in budget. Would thoroughly recommend them to anyone.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   AlonMel Music 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Wayne and team did an excellent job tidying our office data cabinet over the weekend. Professional, clean work—they went above and beyond with cable management and even relocated the router. Communication was impeccable throughout. Highly recommend.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Amritpal Singh 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. "Outstanding service from ACCL. They did an incredible job with our networking and data cabling. The setup is neat, professional, and works perfectly. Extremely knowledgeable and easy to work with. I’ll definitely be using them for all our future IT needs!"

Huge Shout to Wayne Connors and David Little for managing this.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Andy Dawson 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We've worked with Wayne, David and the ACCL team for a number of years on projects throughout London. One of very few suppliers that we never have to question their proposal on detail or price, everything is clear, transparent and fair. Projects are always completed on time and there are never any costly surprises which we had previously experienced from other suppliers. They all have a vast knowledge on anything fibre optic cabling, copper cabling or wifi. ACCL is now the only data cabling company in our phone book. Highly recommended.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Indrajit Shah 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great service and communication. Will definitely be contacting Wayne and ACCL for future projects.
  
 
  
  
 
     Verified by Trustindex  Trustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more

What to consider when choosing the right VMS for you

If you have a few cameras connected to a single recorder and one person at one position who uses the system every day, any free Video Management System should work for you. Why do I say this? I’d like to think that some VMSs are better than others in terms of ease of use, etc, but all VMSs should do the basics required to use a CCTV system – like view camera feeds live, review recordings and download footage. How easy this is is a different matter. If we go back to iOS as an example, Apple have spent many millions of dollars developing the interface to be as easy to use as possible – they can afford to do this, and most would say they have done a very good job. I use an Android phone, but I can pick up an iPhone and make a call with no instructions required. has anyone ever read an iPhone manual? If you use even a very poor VMS every day, you can make it work – it might not be particularly intuitive or easy to use, but you can get it to do what you want it to do in the most basic sense. This is fine when it is just you that is using the VMS, but what if you have a week off and another member of staff is required to review some footage urgently? This could be a problem. The Video Management System is only on one PC and has one login that you may or may not have the password for. This may sound farfetched but it is extremely common – I know because we have replaced many such setups over the years.

So, it is worth considering how your CCTV system will be used and by who – daily users but also those on a less frequent basis.

System administration is another potential limitation of a lite version of a VMS. If you have a number of points where the CCTV needs to be accessed by a number of different users, then managing the software and the user access starts to become more difficult. A basic VMS will generally be designed as a stand-alone system. You can make changes to one version on one PC, but this does not update the other PCs. You might do something as simple as adding a new user or a new camera, but unless you manually apply this change to each machine, you will start to have a system that diverges. It’s not unknown for a site to be unaware that they have cameras that just haven’t been added into the VMS. This can be put down to bad management, but the VMS choice has a part to play in this as well.

An enterprise-level VMS will generally go a long way to address a lot of these issues. An advanced Video Management System will have a central, server-based control application with users accessing the system via a client application. What does this mean for the users and administrators? There are many benefits to this setup. System management at every level is centralised. If a new camera is added, users in the right groups will see the camera appear. If someone leaves the organisation, their account can be deleted, which reduces the potential for unauthorised access of the system. If you have a number of users of the system, then administration of the system and auditing becomes far easier with a client/server setup.

An advanced VMS will generally have more features that could make the system more useful and improve efficiency in the organisation. Simply linking cameras to the entry systems can reduce the requirement for staff to leave their desk when someone buzzes a door. I have been to many offices where this is the case and it is both annoying for the staff who are disturbed and it wastes their time. Linking new or existing cameras and access control systems can aggregate all entry points to one or more locations where access can properly be managed.

0333 900 0101 sales@network-data-cabling.co.uk Contact us

      EXCELLENT  
   Based on 66 reviews 
    
 
 
 
   
 
 
       Posted on Google  
   
   Andrew Matthews 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We commissioned a Wi-Fi survey and installation of new fibre and Cat6 cabling to support a new Wi-Fi installation from Accl in July and August of 2026. ACCL were superb from start to finish. We cannot fault the quality of the work and we received great advice on our project. Very satisfied customer!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Brigt Valland 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very professional company, good at understanding our need and efficient delivery of new building network- and WIFI infrastructure. An extra star for making it easy for me to "remote" organize this from Norway.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Siobhan Codd 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We used ACCL for a full WiFi and network install at our Old Street office and are very pleased with the result. They supplied and installed seven Ubiquiti WiFi access points, a UniFi Dream Machine, a 24 port Layer 3 Ubiquiti switch, and ran new Cat6A Leviton cabling with two ports to every AP. The whole job was neat, well planned and done to a very high standard. The coverage across the office is excellent and it looks pretty cool too! Would happily recommend them to anyone needing cabling or network infrastructure done properly.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Mark Cooper 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. An excellent service from start to finish!
The ACCL team installed our new network cabling, the foundation in readiness for supplying and installing a new IP CCTV camera system, professionally and efficiently. They were punctual, knowledgeable, and took the time to ensure everything was installed neatly and working perfectly. Their attention to detail and customer service were outstanding. I very much appreciate the initial project management and upfront planning, which combined to secure a successful delivery. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for reliable network cabling or CCTV installation. Thank you for a fantastic job.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Mohammed Alhashimi 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Wayne and his team for the excellent work they carried out. From start to finish, they were professional, reliable, efficient, and clearly took great pride in delivering a high standard of service.

They were professional, efficient, and paid great attention to detail, ensuring everything was neat, clearly labelled, well organised, and completed to a very high standard. The end result was clean, structured, and exactly what we needed.

Wayne and his team were reliable, courteous, and clearly committed to doing the job properly rather than simply getting it done. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for professional cabling work and a team that genuinely takes pride in the quality of their finish.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Laurence Rutter 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. So easy to deal with! Great price and great guys! Did exactly what they agreed, on time and in budget. Would thoroughly recommend them to anyone.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   AlonMel Music 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Wayne and team did an excellent job tidying our office data cabinet over the weekend. Professional, clean work—they went above and beyond with cable management and even relocated the router. Communication was impeccable throughout. Highly recommend.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Amritpal Singh 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. "Outstanding service from ACCL. They did an incredible job with our networking and data cabling. The setup is neat, professional, and works perfectly. Extremely knowledgeable and easy to work with. I’ll definitely be using them for all our future IT needs!"

Huge Shout to Wayne Connors and David Little for managing this.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Andy Dawson 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We've worked with Wayne, David and the ACCL team for a number of years on projects throughout London. One of very few suppliers that we never have to question their proposal on detail or price, everything is clear, transparent and fair. Projects are always completed on time and there are never any costly surprises which we had previously experienced from other suppliers. They all have a vast knowledge on anything fibre optic cabling, copper cabling or wifi. ACCL is now the only data cabling company in our phone book. Highly recommended.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Indrajit Shah 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great service and communication. Will definitely be contacting Wayne and ACCL for future projects.
  
 
  
  
 
     Verified by Trustindex  Trustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more

As in the example above, an advanced VMS can link different systems together and make these separate systems work as one. A Video Management System can often work with different manufacturers’ hardware and bring together these different systems into one easy-to-manage point. VMS systems are available that are hardware-independent and that specialise in harmonising your new and existing systems. These systems are especially useful if you have several sites spread over a wide geographic area – informing a central location of activity – this can be security but just as easily give information on other events such as fire alarms or environmental indicators. This centralised approach can improve operational efficiencies and reduce operational costs.

These benefits generally will come at a cost but will, in the long term, reduce the time spent dealing with managing the system and could save money in the long term. The setup and ongoing cost of the system can be offset by these savings. We too often see systems that should be there to help an organisation hinder them. Time that should be spent on their core business is wasted dealing with poorly installed systems that are badly managed. When there is a real need for the information that should be available, it is found that it is not there or takes a long time to find.

A Video Management System will also allow access to advanced functionality that will reduce the time spent investigating an incident. A simple example of this is the use of event-based searches. If you need to see who entered a site between 8 and 9 am on a certain day you might need to spend time reviewing the footage at double speed – so this is at least 30 minutes but if you add in the time required to pause the footage and note each person then this is more likely 45 minutes. This could be time very well spent but it is still nearly an hour of someone’s time and there is the potential that someone is missed – the phone rings and distracts the member of staff. A VMS will allow the time required to perform this search to be greatly reduced and eliminate the chance of someone being missed. So this 1 hour task can be performed in 15 minutes with greater accuracy. Each VMS will have a different approach, but essentially, the better ones will have the ability to filter footage to give only relevant ‘events’. So, in our scenario here, we could instruct the VMS to only show events where it sees someone pass through the scene. In seconds, it will return a list of events that can be quickly reviewed, and the relevant information can be obtained.

A Video Management System can also be used to provide data that can help improve your organisation’s efficiency. Data from smart cameras can be compiled into reports. These cameras are able to count people in and out of areas, monitor areas for dwell times and monitor queue lengths. These are just a few examples of the metrics that can be monitored, but let us look at these in more detail and how this could help your business.

0333 900 0101 sales@network-data-cabling.co.uk Contact us

      EXCELLENT  
   Based on 66 reviews 
    
 
 
 
   
 
 
       Posted on Google  
   
   Andrew Matthews 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We commissioned a Wi-Fi survey and installation of new fibre and Cat6 cabling to support a new Wi-Fi installation from Accl in July and August of 2026. ACCL were superb from start to finish. We cannot fault the quality of the work and we received great advice on our project. Very satisfied customer!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Brigt Valland 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very professional company, good at understanding our need and efficient delivery of new building network- and WIFI infrastructure. An extra star for making it easy for me to "remote" organize this from Norway.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Siobhan Codd 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We used ACCL for a full WiFi and network install at our Old Street office and are very pleased with the result. They supplied and installed seven Ubiquiti WiFi access points, a UniFi Dream Machine, a 24 port Layer 3 Ubiquiti switch, and ran new Cat6A Leviton cabling with two ports to every AP. The whole job was neat, well planned and done to a very high standard. The coverage across the office is excellent and it looks pretty cool too! Would happily recommend them to anyone needing cabling or network infrastructure done properly.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Mark Cooper 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. An excellent service from start to finish!
The ACCL team installed our new network cabling, the foundation in readiness for supplying and installing a new IP CCTV camera system, professionally and efficiently. They were punctual, knowledgeable, and took the time to ensure everything was installed neatly and working perfectly. Their attention to detail and customer service were outstanding. I very much appreciate the initial project management and upfront planning, which combined to secure a successful delivery. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for reliable network cabling or CCTV installation. Thank you for a fantastic job.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Mohammed Alhashimi 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Wayne and his team for the excellent work they carried out. From start to finish, they were professional, reliable, efficient, and clearly took great pride in delivering a high standard of service.

They were professional, efficient, and paid great attention to detail, ensuring everything was neat, clearly labelled, well organised, and completed to a very high standard. The end result was clean, structured, and exactly what we needed.

Wayne and his team were reliable, courteous, and clearly committed to doing the job properly rather than simply getting it done. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for professional cabling work and a team that genuinely takes pride in the quality of their finish.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Laurence Rutter 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. So easy to deal with! Great price and great guys! Did exactly what they agreed, on time and in budget. Would thoroughly recommend them to anyone.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   AlonMel Music 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Wayne and team did an excellent job tidying our office data cabinet over the weekend. Professional, clean work—they went above and beyond with cable management and even relocated the router. Communication was impeccable throughout. Highly recommend.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Amritpal Singh 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. "Outstanding service from ACCL. They did an incredible job with our networking and data cabling. The setup is neat, professional, and works perfectly. Extremely knowledgeable and easy to work with. I’ll definitely be using them for all our future IT needs!"

Huge Shout to Wayne Connors and David Little for managing this.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Andy Dawson 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We've worked with Wayne, David and the ACCL team for a number of years on projects throughout London. One of very few suppliers that we never have to question their proposal on detail or price, everything is clear, transparent and fair. Projects are always completed on time and there are never any costly surprises which we had previously experienced from other suppliers. They all have a vast knowledge on anything fibre optic cabling, copper cabling or wifi. ACCL is now the only data cabling company in our phone book. Highly recommended.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Indrajit Shah 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great service and communication. Will definitely be contacting Wayne and ACCL for future projects.
  
 
  
  
 
     Verified by Trustindex  Trustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more

Bright modern office with team enjoying lunch at large workspace.

Counting people in and out of an area can provide very useful information to understand – mapping this over 24 hours, over weeks, months, and years can allow for many decisions to be made in a better informed way. Additionally, in the event of a fire, the count can be used to confirm that the building is empty. Congregation in areas can be monitored, and this information can be analysed to improve productivity. If staff are waiting in the kitchen to make a cup of tea or use the microwave, this can be seen, and changes can be made to reduce this downtime by installing another microwave, for example. Monitoring queue lengths can be used in both real time and over longer periods to improve service. If you have a service where people are expected to wait for service, then this type of analytics can be extremely useful. An alert can be set to inform a supervisor if the number of people waiting exceeds a set level – another member of staff can be sent to help and reduce the wait time for customers. This will be well received by both customer and staff and improve the company image.

Also, the data over time can be used to build a better understanding of the times when the service is busy. Obvious times for some organisations are during the middle of the day – people use their lunch break to access other services, but there might be odd times every week when there are spikes in load. These will quickly be seen, and additional resources can be deployed to pre-empt these times and again improve the image of your organisation – both externally or internally.

A Video Management System can also allow you to manage event-based automation of systems. Integration in Building Management Systems can allow additional actions to be taken in a more controlled way. Heating and lighting can be controlled better if systems understand better what is going on in a space. Joining these systems can reduce fuel costs and reduce the company’s carbon footprint due to both heating and cooling.

For many organisations, it is only required that the security system is a passive product that is required very occasionally, and this is understandable, but it is worth understanding that a new or upgraded of CCTV system could, with some relatively small additional cost, provide many useful features.

If you are looking to install a new CCTV system or upgrade an existing system, please contact ACCL, and our experts will be able to find the right system for you and your company.

0333 900 0101 sales@network-data-cabling.co.uk Contact us

      EXCELLENT  
   Based on 66 reviews 
    
 
 
 
   
 
 
       Posted on Google  
   
   Andrew Matthews 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We commissioned a Wi-Fi survey and installation of new fibre and Cat6 cabling to support a new Wi-Fi installation from Accl in July and August of 2026. ACCL were superb from start to finish. We cannot fault the quality of the work and we received great advice on our project. Very satisfied customer!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Brigt Valland 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very professional company, good at understanding our need and efficient delivery of new building network- and WIFI infrastructure. An extra star for making it easy for me to "remote" organize this from Norway.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Siobhan Codd 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We used ACCL for a full WiFi and network install at our Old Street office and are very pleased with the result. They supplied and installed seven Ubiquiti WiFi access points, a UniFi Dream Machine, a 24 port Layer 3 Ubiquiti switch, and ran new Cat6A Leviton cabling with two ports to every AP. The whole job was neat, well planned and done to a very high standard. The coverage across the office is excellent and it looks pretty cool too! Would happily recommend them to anyone needing cabling or network infrastructure done properly.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Mark Cooper 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. An excellent service from start to finish!
The ACCL team installed our new network cabling, the foundation in readiness for supplying and installing a new IP CCTV camera system, professionally and efficiently. They were punctual, knowledgeable, and took the time to ensure everything was installed neatly and working perfectly. Their attention to detail and customer service were outstanding. I very much appreciate the initial project management and upfront planning, which combined to secure a successful delivery. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for reliable network cabling or CCTV installation. Thank you for a fantastic job.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Mohammed Alhashimi 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Wayne and his team for the excellent work they carried out. From start to finish, they were professional, reliable, efficient, and clearly took great pride in delivering a high standard of service.

They were professional, efficient, and paid great attention to detail, ensuring everything was neat, clearly labelled, well organised, and completed to a very high standard. The end result was clean, structured, and exactly what we needed.

Wayne and his team were reliable, courteous, and clearly committed to doing the job properly rather than simply getting it done. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for professional cabling work and a team that genuinely takes pride in the quality of their finish.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Laurence Rutter 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. So easy to deal with! Great price and great guys! Did exactly what they agreed, on time and in budget. Would thoroughly recommend them to anyone.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   AlonMel Music 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Wayne and team did an excellent job tidying our office data cabinet over the weekend. Professional, clean work—they went above and beyond with cable management and even relocated the router. Communication was impeccable throughout. Highly recommend.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Amritpal Singh 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. "Outstanding service from ACCL. They did an incredible job with our networking and data cabling. The setup is neat, professional, and works perfectly. Extremely knowledgeable and easy to work with. I’ll definitely be using them for all our future IT needs!"

Huge Shout to Wayne Connors and David Little for managing this.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Andy Dawson 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We've worked with Wayne, David and the ACCL team for a number of years on projects throughout London. One of very few suppliers that we never have to question their proposal on detail or price, everything is clear, transparent and fair. Projects are always completed on time and there are never any costly surprises which we had previously experienced from other suppliers. They all have a vast knowledge on anything fibre optic cabling, copper cabling or wifi. ACCL is now the only data cabling company in our phone book. Highly recommended.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Indrajit Shah 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great service and communication. Will definitely be contacting Wayne and ACCL for future projects.
  
 
  
  
 
     Verified by Trustindex  Trustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more

Key Takeaways

Definition: A Video Management System (VMS) is a software platform that manages video surveillance cameras, recording devices, and related hardware to capture, store, and analyse video footage centrally.
Core Components: Includes cameras, encoders (for analog systems), servers, and VMS software that provides a unified interface for live monitoring, recorded video playback, and system alerts.
Advanced Features: Many VMS solutions offer capabilities like motion detection, audio recording, alarm integration, pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera control, license plate recognition, and intelligent video analytics.
Integration and Scalability: VMS can integrate with other security systems such as access control and alarms, providing a unified security platform. Scalable architecture supports multiple cameras and distributed processing over large or complex sites.
User Benefits: Enhances security operations by enabling real-time monitoring, fast incident response, reduced operational inefficiencies, remote access across devices, and data-driven decision-making.
Future-Proofing: Upgrading from legacy DVR/NVR systems to VMS offers greater flexibility, better scalability, and improved functionality suited for enterprise and commercial security needs.

Frequently Asked Questions – Video Management Systems

Q. What does a VMS (video management system) actually do?

It is the software you use to communicate with your cameras and recorders – viewing live feeds, reviewing recordings and downloading footage – similar to how an operating system like iOS or Android lets you use a phone.

Q. Do I have to pay extra for a VMS?

Not necessarily. A basic VMS usually comes free with the cameras or recorder, and for a small setup with one or two users this is often perfectly adequate. Enterprise-level VMS software is a paid option with more features.

Q. Is a free VMS good enough for my business?

For a small system with a single user at one location, generally yes. It becomes more limiting once several people need access, since a basic VMS is normally a stand-alone system rather than centrally managed.

Q. What’s the downside of a basic, stand-alone VMS with multiple users?

Changes have to be applied manually on every machine, so systems can drift out of sync – it is not unusual for sites to have cameras that were never added to every user’s VMS because of this.

Q. What are the benefits of an enterprise-level VMS?

It is centrally managed through a server, so a new camera or a removed user account is reflected everywhere automatically, which makes administration and auditing far easier when several people use the system.

Q. How do I choose the right VMS for my business?

Think about how the system will actually be used – how many people need access, how often, and from how many locations – rather than just accepting whatever comes free with the cameras or recorder.

Choosing the Right VMS?

ACCL designs CCTV systems around the video management platform that suits your business, backed by a 25-year warranty and £10m liability cover.

0333 900 0101 sales@network-data-cabling.co.uk Book a free site survey

Written by Wayne Connors, Founder & Managing Director, ACCL

Active Communication Company Ltd, trading as ACCL · Commercial data cabling and network infrastructure specialists