In one of the Electronic Security Association (ESA)’s Electronic Security Expo (ESX) 2026 monitoring track educational sessions entitled “Beyond Security: Unlocking the Value of Video Intelligence,” presenters shared their insights on the RMR opportunities that proactive video monitoring and intelligent video analytics are providing to today’s security system integrators.

David Charney, senior vice president, video, Everon Solutions, was among this session’s presenters. He pointed out that commercial security providers can uncover new revenue opportunities in the video space by homing in on customer needs versus leading with technology. Listening closely to the challenges organizations are trying to solve, whether related to safety, staffing, loss prevention or operational efficiency, allows integrators to identify where video intelligence can deliver measurable value beyond traditional surveillance capabilities.

“One of the most significant opportunities lies in remote, proactive video monitoring,” Charney said. “By using intelligent video analytics and offsite monitoring services, systems integrators can help organizations reduce their reliance on onsite security guards, lowering operational expenses while maintaining and often even improving situational awareness and response times during security events. For integrators, this shift creates a scalable, recurring revenue model built on managed services rather than onetime hardware sales.

“When video is positioned as a flexible platform that supports both security outcomes and broader operational goals, it evolves into a strategic investment rather than a lineitem expense,” he added. “Systems integrators that align video solutions to real customer problems and deliver industry-leading benefits through an innovative, proactive approach are best positioned to drive longterm customer value and sustainable revenue growth.”

Joseph Usie, president, Guardian Alarm Systems, also offered his insights in this session. He advised that understanding customer frustrations must guide the engineering of the site and, ultimately, the sale,” he said “The end user is not as up to date with analytic capabilities as we are. They count on us to be professionals. Positioning video intelligence to drive ROI comes from leading with outcomes, not equipment. I am not selling resolution or storage. Instead, alleviating pain points for the customer become the focus.”

Questions Usie suggested integrators should be asking their customers are:

• Where is this business losing money?
• Where do they lack visibility in operations?
• What does it cost to do nothing?

Video intelligence answers these questions by delivering actionable data, whether that’s reducing revenue loss, verifying service delivery or improving employee accountability.

Increasing recurring monthly revenue through AIdriven video analytics really starts when analytics are treated as a managed service, and not a standalone software feature. Charney noted that RMR grows when analytics are packaged in a way that is predictable, scalable and easy for customers to understand, deploy and measure over time.

“Integrators can help avoid analytics turning into unused shelfware by wrapping AI capabilities into comprehensive managed offerings,” Charney said. “This includes remote monitoring, videoverified alarm response, event triage and escalation, and ongoing reporting and insights. When analytics become embedded in daily operations, they shift from a discretionary software license into a critical operational dependency. This can help reduce customer churn, increase switching costs and support longer contract terms.”

Sustained RMR also depends on making value visible and measurable. Charney noted that integrators should focus on surfacing operational insights that reinforce the impact of the service. “This can be done through monthly or quarterly reports that quantify events detected versus incidents prevented, highlight trends such as peak risk periods and demonstrate evidence of false alarm reduction,” he said. “This can start reframing the conversation around video-based analytics from ‘cameras watching’ to ‘intelligence working’ to create a true business impact.”

Today’s security systems integrators can leverage the capabilities of remote video monitoring coupled with intelligent video analytics (IVA) to provide clients with proactive threat detection, quicker and more appropriate response, reduced costs and meaningful operational insights to enhance their efficiencies.