Genetec's AI Overhauls Security Investigations to Cut Response Times

MONTREAL, QC – February 11, 2026 – Global physical security leader Genetec Inc. today unveiled a suite of powerful artificial intelligence capabilities for its Security Center SaaS platform, designed to fundamentally reshape how enterprise organizations investigate and resolve security incidents. The new tools aim to slash investigation times from hours to mere minutes, a critical advancement for large organizations grappling with complex, multi-site security operations.

For years, security teams have been bogged down by the sheer volume of data and the fragmented nature of their tools. The average security incident investigation can consume over seven hours of manual work, a delay that increases risk and operational disruption. This challenge is magnified in enterprise environments where security infrastructure often involves thousands of cameras from different manufacturers spread across numerous locations. Genetec's announcement directly targets this long-standing industry pain point, promising to replace tedious manual review with intelligent, AI-driven workflows.

Beginning this month, the new functionalities will be rolled out to Security Center SaaS users, integrating advanced search, analysis, and case management into a single, unified experience. This move signals a significant shift in the industry, moving security operations from a reactive posture to a proactive, highly efficient model of incident resolution.

The AI Detective at Work

The new investigation experience is built around the practical realities of incident response, where initial reports are often vague and incomplete. An operator might start with nothing more than a partial description, such as a vehicle's color or a logo on a suspect's shirt. Genetec's enhanced natural language search, powered by AI, allows investigators to turn these simple descriptions into powerful queries that scan video feeds across all connected sites and camera brands simultaneously.

“When an incident occurs, security teams must act fast and follow the investigation wherever it leads, even with limited initial details,” said Anne-Cécile Millot-Tournier, Product Group Director at Genetec Inc. “Unlike tools built for closed, single-vendor systems, the new investigation capabilities in Security Center SaaS are built for enterprise environments, enabling teams to work across thousands of cameras, multiple sites, and mixed ecosystems without switching systems or launching separate searches as new leads emerge.”

Once initial results are returned, investigators can use a timeline preview to rapidly scan footage and identify key moments without loading full video recordings. From there, the system’s real power becomes evident. Investigators can leverage visual trajectory analysis to automatically follow people or vehicles across different camera views, creating a visual map of their movement over time. This capability alone eliminates the painstaking process of manually tracking subjects from one camera to the next.

As evidence is gathered, it can be consolidated into a digital case file. The platform automatically organizes video clips, snapshots, and other materials into a chronological storyboard. Further enhancing efficiency, AI-assisted features can generate automated summaries of video clips, helping investigators quickly document events and build a coherent narrative for stakeholders, ultimately leading to faster case closure.

Unifying a Fractured Security Landscape

Genetec’s latest enhancements are not merely a collection of new features but a strategic response to the systemic challenges facing modern enterprises. Many large organizations operate with a patchwork of security technologies from various vendors, creating what the company calls “disconnected tools” in “closed systems.” This fragmentation results in data silos, inconsistent policies, and critical blind spots that hinder rapid response.

By building these capabilities into its cloud-native Security Center SaaS platform, Genetec is promoting a unified approach. This single-interface solution allows security personnel to move seamlessly from live monitoring to active investigation and evidence sharing, breaking down the barriers between disparate systems. This aligns with a broader market trend away from on-premise, best-of-breed solutions and toward integrated, scalable SaaS platforms that offer greater flexibility and lower operational overhead.

The company’s long-standing commitment to an open architecture is a key differentiator in a competitive market that includes cloud-native providers like Verkada and established VMS players such as Milestone Systems. For enterprises with existing investments in a diverse range of camera hardware, Genetec's ability to integrate with mixed ecosystems is a significant advantage, preventing vendor lock-in and allowing for a more phased and cost-effective modernization of their security infrastructure.

Reshaping the Security Operations Center

The introduction of such powerful AI is set to transform the role of the security professional. By automating the laborious tasks of data collection and correlation, these tools free up operators to focus on higher-value work: analysis, critical thinking, and strategic decision-making. The job is evolving from a manual data gatherer, who spends hours scrubbing through video, to a sophisticated analyst who interprets AI-generated insights and directs the investigative strategy.

This evolution will necessitate a new set of skills. Security operators will need to become proficient in interacting with AI systems, learning how to formulate effective queries and critically evaluate the platform's outputs. The concept of a “human-in-the-loop” becomes central; while the AI performs the heavy lifting, human oversight is essential for validating findings, understanding nuanced context, and ensuring the integrity of an investigation.

This shift also reflects the growing convergence of physical and cybersecurity. As highlighted by industry analysts like Gartner, threats increasingly target cyber-physical systems, requiring a holistic security approach. Tools that unify data from across the physical security spectrum equip teams to better identify and respond to these complex, multi-domain incidents, though it also implies a need for cross-functional training and expertise within security teams.

Balancing Innovation with Responsibility

As AI becomes more deeply embedded in physical security, its power brings a corresponding level of responsibility. The ability to rapidly search and track individuals across vast camera networks raises important questions about data privacy, ethical use, and algorithmic bias. The industry is grappling with how to harness the immense benefits of AI for safety and security while safeguarding individual liberties and ensuring fairness.

Genetec's press release emphasizes its commitment to maintaining transparency and operator control over how conclusions are reached, a crucial aspect of responsible AI deployment. The “black box” problem—where an AI’s decision-making process is opaque—is a significant concern in investigative contexts where evidence must be defensible. Building systems that are both powerful and explainable is a key challenge for all vendors in this space.

While Genetec's new capabilities promise a leap forward in operational efficiency, their introduction is part of a larger conversation about the future of surveillance technology. The successful and ethical adoption of these tools will depend not only on their technical prowess but also on the development of robust governance frameworks, comprehensive training on their limitations, and an unwavering commitment to privacy by design. This balance between innovation and oversight will define the next chapter for the entire security industry.