In a world where businesses are inundated with hours of security footage and operational data, manually finding the critical moments that matter can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. Traditional video search methods are not only time-consuming but also prone to human error. March Networks’ AI Smart Search has changed the game entirely, combining voice-activated commands, advanced AI algorithms, and natural language processing to deliver lightning-fast video surveillance search results.

With AI Smart Search, security and operations teams can search thousands of video footage instantly, pinpoint incidents with precision, and streamline their workflows using intuitive voice or text commands. Whether you’re investigating a security breach, analysing operational inefficiencies, or identifying safety hazards, March Networks AI Smart Search empowers you to find what matters, faster.

What is AI Smart Search?

AI Smart Search is March Networks’ next-generation, generative AI-powered tool that transforms video snapshots from multiple cameras into a searchable database. Rather than manually scrubbing through hours of footage, users can issue commands such as:

“Show me open cash registers.” or “Search for open backdoors at night.” or “Find empty shelves.”

These commands deliver instant, relevant image snapshots, dramatically reducing investigation times while enhancing compliance, loss prevention, and operational efficiency.

This revolutionary technology leverages natural language processing (NLP) to understand conversational commands, allowing both text and voice-activated searches. By removing the complexity from video search tasks, it enables security operators, retail managers, and compliance teams to quickly identify key events and take immediate action.

How Does It Work?

AI Smart Search operates using three streamlined steps:

• Enter a Search Query – Use text or voice commands, such as:“Find all empty shelves between 3 PM and 5 PM.” or “Show me wet floors in the warehouse.” 

​You can even upload an image to initiate a visual match search, filter results by day, time, or camera location, and adjust sensitivity levels to refine accuracy.

• AI Instant Analysis – The system processes video snapshots in real-time, detecting matching objects, attributes, and events across all selected cameras.

• Instant Results – Receive image snapshots instantly, allowing faster verification and enabling prompt decisions on investigations, safety checks, or compliance audits.

Unlike traditional video analytics systems, AI Smart Search analyses snapshots at customisable intervals rather than full video footage, delivering exceptional efficiency while minimising data storage and processing requirements.

“You can literally go to our systems and type in or even tell it what you want to see.”

Key Benefits of AI Smart Search

1. Voice-Activated Search Operators can issue simple voice commands like “Show me unattended cash on desks”, eliminating the need for complex system navigation.
2. Attribute-Based Filtering AI Smart Search allows filtering based on specific characteristics—from clothing colour to object type, enabling granular, highly targeted searches.
3. Enhanced Investigations Investigations that previously took hours can now be completed in minutes, allowing teams to quickly identify and address issues like suspicious activity, compliance breaches, or theft.
4. Intelligent Scene Analysis AI evaluates vast amounts of video snapshot data to detect patterns, anomalies, and events of interest, reducing reliance on manual reviews and minimising human error.

Practical applications across industries

AI Smart Search isn’t just about security - it’s an operations and compliance powerhouse. Here are some of its most compelling use cases:

Retail Inventory & Stock ​Management

Retailers can quickly locate instances of empty shelves—such as a “donut rack” running low—by simply saying “Find empty donut shelves.” This allows managers to:

• Optimise restocking schedules.
• Reduce out-of-stock losses.
• Improve customer satisfaction with better product availability.

Safety & Risk ​Management

In warehouses or manufacturing environments, AI Smart Search proactively detects hazards like “wet floors” or “stacked boxes,” helping to:

• Prevent workplace accidents.
• Reduce liabilities and insurance claims.
• Improve compliance with safety regulations.

Security & Compliance

For businesses handling cash or sensitive assets, AI Smart Search can instantly find “unattended cash on desks” or even identify “blurry images” to ensure high-quality footage for audits, investigations, and loss prevention efforts.

Generative AI for Smarter Video Management

Traditional video systems record and store footage continuously, creating a massive backlog of data. AI Smart Search uses generative AI to transform snapshots into searchable visual data, drastically cutting storage requirements and delivering a cost-effective yet powerful AI solution for video surveillance.

By converting complex video footage into AI-ready visual data, this tool is ideal for businesses managing large-scale operations—where hours of footage would otherwise require intensive manual review.

“Show me long queue lines.”

Retail teams can instantly view and address bottlenecks, reallocating staff or opening new tills to improve throughput.

“Show me open back doors.”

Loss prevention and security staff can proactively spot compliance breaches, preventing potential theft or security breaches.

“Search for blurry images.”

IT and operations teams can quickly identify camera issues, ensuring footage is usable for audits or legal evidence.

These prompt-based commands are not only faster but remove the need for highly trained operators, allowing staff across departments to access actionable insights from surveillance data.

Integrating AI Smart Search into Your Security Ecosystem

AI Smart Search integrates seamlessly with March Networks Command Enterprise and Searchlight Cloud platforms, enhancing broader enterprise video management systems with intelligent search capabilities.

It complements March Networks’ existing range of AI-enabled cameras (such as the AI4 IR Dome and AI4 IR DuraBullet), as well as the X-Series Recorders, which are purpose-built for AI-driven applications. Together, these tools provide:

• Centralised video and analytics management
• AI-enabled search and detection
• Comprehensive operational audits and reporting

This unified ecosystem is ideal for retail, finance, logistics, education, and manufacturing environments, where video analytics need to serve both security and operational efficiency.

Why businesses need AI Smart Search now

The demands on security and compliance teams have never been greater. Traditional methods - manual video reviews, reactive investigations, and human-dependent audits - are no longer scalable for businesses operating across multiple sites or high-footfall environments.

“It just gives you that real finite way of searching which adds real value to the security system we supply today.”

AI Smart Search represents a paradigm shift. It turns video surveillance from a passive record-keeping tool into an active, AI-driven intelligence engine that supports:

• Faster Investigations: Minutes instead of hours.
• Proactive Risk Prevention: Hazard and compliance alerts before incidents occur.
• Operational Efficiency: Insights that directly impact profitability and service delivery.

In short, AI Smart Search is about more than just surveillance—it’s about empowering smarter, safer, and more agile businesses.

From voice-activated search commands to AI-powered operational insights, March Networks AI Smart Search is redefining how businesses interact with their surveillance data. It bridges the gap between security, compliance, and business intelligence, delivering real-world value far beyond traditional CCTV.

For organisations seeking to streamline workflows, reduce costs, and unlock actionable intelligence from their video data, AI Smart Search is not just an upgrade - it’s a revolution.

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