Visual Intelligence: i-Pro Combines Edge Analytics and AI with Quality and Integrity
When Jose Riolobos, President of i-Pro EMEA, and Oliver Lincoln, Senior Sales Manager UK and DACH, look back on i-Pro‘s remarkable development the last few years, we‘re talking about the initial balance sheet of a start-up founded just over three years ago on the one hand, and the history of a pioneer in video security on the other, as the company used to operate as Panasonic Security Solutions. GIT SECURITY spoke to both about the company‘s evolution into a leader in AI-driven surveillance, the innovations, the ethical stance on AI and the customer-centric approach that characterises the company in an increasingly competitive market.
GIT SECURITY: Reading the Security Industry Association‘s 2024 Megatrends report, AI is the overarching megatrend and the evolution of video surveillance to visual intelligence is the big change in the video security market. How do you see cameras evolving into the ultimate sensors?
Jose Riolobos: The integration of AI, especially AI on the edge, has indeed revolutionised surveillance and the security industry is in the midst of a profound transformation in which AI plays a central role. It can be compared to the transition from the analogue to the digital world. But this transition is more impactful. Instead of sending data to a central server, the cameras now process the information directly on the device. This reduces bandwidth requirements, lowers storage costs and enables real-time decision-making with increased precision.
Oliver Lincoln: Cameras have evolved from pure image sensors to powerful data generators. This change has meant that the focus is no longer just on improving image quality, but on maximising the intelligence built into each camera. Our cameras are not only capturing footage, but also analysing it, providing fast and accurate insights and even adding AI capabilities to legacy systems. It‘s about adding value and making the systems smarter. The cameras as IoT devices are data sources and feed business intelligence applications with the data they need to provide adding value beyond security.
Critics speak of „hot air“ when it comes to AI applications to date. Can you give us examples to demonstrate the benefits of AI on the edge in security applications and show the added value you mentioned in other areas?
Oliver Lincoln: There is plenty of evidence of this. For security experts, edge analytics combined with AI opens up new possibilities. The data generated by security cameras will not just be passively recorded, but will provide information for a proactive response to potential threats. Take the example of airport security systems – these can quickly adapt to new requirements thanks to edge analytics. For example, an AI-driven camera can detect anomalies in passenger behaviour and alert security staff immediately, while continuing to monitor atypical crowd movements.
In retail, cameras collect hundreds of hours of video footage. The vast amount of data generated by these cameras is impossible for security staff to review manually. Edge analytics and AI play a crucial role in automatically detecting suspicious activity or shoplifting in real-time. This not only reduces the burden on staff and frees up their time for more strategic tasks, but also provides management with valuable operational insights into popular areas of the supermarket, footfall or peak footfall.
Jose Riolobos: Our aim is to help security professionals focus on protecting people and assets, but also to be able to add operational value that benefits other departments. To stay with the retail example: With the i-Pro Active Guard Server, data can be accessed remotely. A dashboard is called up via the web browser, where the statistical data management of the analysed information from the cameras‘ AI application is centralised. Characteristics such as facial features and clothing are analysed and categorised.
Users can view and filter statistical data based on age, gender and other attributes when the AI-supported person recognition is used. You can find out who is wearing a mask, what model or colour vehicles are. Visitor flows and the number of people in a room or compartment are displayed when AI people counting is used. Traffic cameras equipped with AI can monitor the flow of traffic in real time, detect accidents or traffic jams and optimise traffic lights accordingly. This proactive approach not only improves traffic efficiency, but also increases road safety.
How can AI applications be leveraged by camera operators in different environments?
Oliver Lincoln: Our systems can also be programmed for individual scenarios. With an app, the „AI On-site Learning Tool“, up to 5 specific detection targets can be added based on customer requirements with a simple learning process that is completed in a few minutes. With subsequent tuning, false alarms can be reduced based on learning from previous recordings. False alarms where things were incorrectly recognised as people, vehicles or bicycles can be corrected for the future, and missing alarms can be classified based on learning from past footage so that they are correctly recognised in the future.
You have been flying the i-Pro flag for just over three years now. Can you give us an overview of how you are positioned in the DACH region and what your personal plans are for the region?
Oliver Lincoln: We invested in the DACH region in 2024 to grow our team as our business has grown across the region. I personally joined i-Pro in August 2024 to lead the growth of the DACH team over the coming period as we look to continue to reach out to our existing customers and gain new customers where we feel we have a particular edge over our competitors. Having spent the last eight years as Sales Director at Securitas, I hope to provide real insight into our integrator partners and how we can provide better support and create solutions together. We want to solve our customers‘ challenges that go beyond just security requirements to maximise the value a camera can provide. As an exciting, trend-leading brand in the AI sector, we have great ambitions to dominate the DACH market. Given the establishment of the local market, this is a daunting task. However, we are confident that we can both grow the size of the organisation and at the same time ensure that we maintain our position as the market leader in AI technology in the coming years.
How has the new constellation of being an independent company affected customer service and the company‘s success?
Oliver Lincoln: We are still a Japanese company, so quality and technology are in our DNA. But what makes us unique today is our agility. We are young and dynamic and can act faster and more flexibly than ever before. This autonomy has turned the tide. As part of Panasonic, i-Pro developed around fifteen products a year. Within three years, we have increased this number sixfold. But it‘s not just about speed, it‘s also about how we approach product development – with flexibility and creativity. The transformation from a large, established company to an agile, innovative company has enabled us to stay ahead in a rapidly changing market.
Jose Riolobos: You only have to look at the product innovations of the last few months. The launch of our X-Series last year demonstrates our commitment to customisable hardware and improved safety and efficiency. This camera series takes the possibilities of edge analytics and AI to an unprecedented level. This is not a statement from us, but a reflection of the market response. The camera series has won several awards within a year, such as the GIT SECURITY AWARD 2025, the 2024 The Govies Government Security Award, Benchmark Surveillance CCTV Innovation Award, Campus Security Today 2024 Secure Campus Award and the Detektor International Award 2024. But we are not resting on our laurels. We are constantly expanding our range of cameras with AI-supported analytics functions.
Oliver Lincoln: I would also like to highlight our latest addition to the X-Series line up – the High Zoom Bullet cameras. It is the first time we can offer a complete camera and software bundle. Designed for outstanding image quality over long distances, they offer flexible options with up to 250 metres infrared range, 30x optical zoom and deliver highly detailed images in a wide range of conditions, day and night. For safety-critical applications requiring licence plate recognition, a selection of X-Series models are bundled with Vaxtor‘s advanced LPR software. This is the first time that i-Pro cameras have been offered in combination with a third-party application, extending the real value add of AI applications. We have also been very proactive on the software side. Our latest version of the video data analytics software ‘Active Guard’ ensures that the metadata is seamlessly transferred to common video management systems (VMS) from Milestone, Genetec and others. This not only enables accurate forensic searches using edge-based AI analytics but also real-time notifications to security personnel about important events. The system is unique in its ability to incorporate third-party metadata directly into the workflow and issue notifications, demonstrating our open platform approach.
You are pursuing a more partnership-based approach with greater openness than in the past. How does that come about?
Jose Riolobos: i-Pro‘s philosophy goes beyond making great hardware. We have internalised the „open platform“ approach. On the technical side, for example, we have created the possibility for application developers to use Docker containers to quickly advance the AI capabilities of i-Pro edge devices. Thanks to Docker, third-party app developers can reduce development cycles and costs for AI app development and make customised analytics development more accessible to all.
Unlike competitors who stick to proprietary systems, we believe in collaboration. We know we can‘t do everything on our own. That‘s why we work with video management system developers, integrators and other specialists to develop solutions with the end user in mind. Active Guard, for example, is a plugin that bridges the gap between applications, cameras and the VMS for an integrated, seamless AI ecosystem.
In addition to the licence plate recognition application from Vaxtor, the integration of Morpho, a company that develops AI analyses for fall detection, is an example of third-party integration. Noema Fire & Smoke Detection also uses video images and AI to monitor fire-prone areas and automatically detect fire and smoke. This application is also seamlessly integrated into Active Guard. These integrations show that we are opening up edge-based AI hardware to other solutions beyond customisation for traditional security applications. This partnership approach has also helped us to realise how important cybersecurity is. With FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certification, one of the highest security standards in the industry, we endeavour to provide both reliability and protection. Cybersecurity is of fundamental importance to us and we continue strengthening our cybersecurity posture in line with all major directives and compliance mandates.
Oliver Lincoln: We are aware of our responsibility and the concerns in the market and have therefore created a committee within the company to focus on the use, design and training of AI. Our commitment to responsible innovation is at the heart of our mission and is further emphasised by our decision to join the United Nations Global Compact in 2023. To ensure the highest level of data integrity, all our products are built with maximum cybersecurity. This makes us a leader in the security industry and the first camera manufacturer to set standards and rules for the ethical use of AI technology.
