In banking, trust is the currency. Financial institutions are entrusted not only with safeguarding money and personal data—but also with protecting the environments where those assets exist. That includes the digital eyes watching over tellers, vaults, ATMs, and secure entry points: your video surveillance systems.
And in today’s climate, where cyber threats are persistent and increasingly sophisticated, protecting that video data is no longer optional. Encryption within your Video Management System (VMS) is a strategic imperative—not just a technical upgrade.
A High-Value Target
Banks are one of the most attractive targets for cybercriminals. While financial systems are often hardened against intrusion, video surveillance is sometimes the overlooked layer, despite the sensitive nature of what it captures.
“If a hacker wants to cause disruption or gain something valuable, banks are a very attractive target for multiple reasons. From causing disruption in the financial systems to outright fraud, there are many reasons why banks are targeted.” explains Adam Benson, Vice President of Customer Operations at Salient Systems. “Encryption ensures that even if someone does bypass multiple layers of security to get access to the VMS host, the video data at rest isn’t readable—so this makes it an essential part of their cybersecurity posture.”
Footage showing ATM usage, branch transactions, vault access, or restricted areas can expose sensitive patterns and vulnerabilities. If unencrypted, that data becomes an open target. And for financial institutions governed by rigorous regulations, that’s not just a data risk—it’s a compliance risk.
Securing Video Surveillance Data: More Than a Checkbox
Encryption isn’t just about compliance—it’s about resilience. It’s about making sure video surveillance data can’t be exploited if systems are compromised.
Encryption Protections in CompleteView:
- Encryption at Rest: Safeguards stored video on VMS hosts from unauthorized access.
- Encryption in Motion: All communication from client software to Management and Recording Servers uses HTTPS/TLS, ensuring data is encrypted and readable only by the client applications.
- Encryption on Export: Ensures exported footage—for example, sent to law enforcement—is viewable only by intended recipients.
For banks, what has become increasingly valuable to them is encrypting video at rest and on export. That’s the layer that protects data long after the moment it’s recorded—exactly where many threats are quietly aimed.
“When banks evaluate video software, their first question about encryption isn’t ‘ can I export securely?’ It is encrypted all the time?’” Benson adds. “That’s where their mindset is—’always-on’ protection.”
Meeting the Mandates of Modern Banking
Banking isn’t just about dollars—it’s about data. Banks operate in a world of regulation. Their entire ecosystem is built around compliance with federal standards like PCI DSS. And that data is deeply regulated. Video surveillance, as part of digital infrastructure, must meet evolving standards such as DORA (ICT and third-party risk), PCI DSS (cardholder data security), and ISO/IEC 27001 (information security management).
While encryption alone doesn’t make an institution compliant, it’s a vital part of aligning with these standards. It demonstrates to auditors, partners, and customers that the institution takes a proactive, robust approach to securing sensitive data that extends to video surveillance footage. Salient’s encryption features are designed to support these efforts, enabling best practices in the secure handling of video across the infrastructure.
Implementing Encryption in Your VMS: A Practical Roadmap
You don’t need to overhaul your system to enhance its security. Here’s how financial institutions can strengthen video data protection using Salient’s CompleteView VMS:
- Audit Your Current Setup – Identify potential gaps in your network, camera configuration, or storage infrastructure.
- Upgrade to the Latest CompleteView Version – Ensure you’re leveraging the latest encryption features and security enhancements.
- Enable Encryption at Rest and in Transit – Apply encryption settings to both stored footage and video being transmitted between devices.
- Deploy TLS Certificates – Secure communications between servers, recorders, viewing clients, and mobile apps with trusted certificates.
- Train Staff On Secure Exports – Ensure internal teams and third-party partners understand encryption practices and maintain your new secure operational processes.
The Stakes Are Too High
Every frame of video could be critical to an investigation, a compliance audit, or a customer’s peace of mind. If that footage is compromised, the consequences aren’t just technical—they’re reputational. Adam Benson emphasizes, “If a bank isn’t following security best practices and gets breached, the damage is enormous—not just in terms of compromised data, but also in trust and reputation. It’s far greater than just the dollars in that event, the knock-on effect is significant.”
In a digital-first world, the banks that lead will be the ones who protect video data like they protect financial data—with the same rigor, strategy, and foresight. Let’s face it, attacks will happen. Institutions should be doing everything they can to limit the scope of attacks.
Not Just a Feature—A Foundation
Encryption isn’t just a technical feature to toggle on—it’s a core philosophy that shapes how you approach security. By embedding encryption into your video surveillance infrastructure, you’re signaling to your customers, auditors, and board that you’re committed to safeguarding every layer of your operations. It’s a proactive stance that not only aligns with industry best practices but also fosters trust, strengthens compliance, and future-proofs your institution against evolving threats. When security is built into the foundation of your organization, it becomes more than a safeguard—it becomes a strategic asset.
In banking, trust is everything. Learn how financial institutions rely on video surveillance to protect people, assets, and access points. Ready to secure your institution’s video surveillance with encryption?
