The Economics of the AI-Native Video Management System

The VMS license is only 20 to 30% of what enterprise video management actually costs over five years. Infrastructure, analytics bolt-ons, integration labor, and administrative overhead account for the rest, compounding silently in the background.

This white paper builds a five-year TCO framework across six cost categories, models two deployment scenarios with real numbers, and provides a structured guide for presenting the economic case to finance and executive leadership.

‍Key takeaways:

• Why the VMS license is only 20–30% of the true five-year cost
• Total economic impact of switching: $1.64M–$3.36M over five years at the base tier
• A structured guide for presenting the business case to finance and leadership