The XProtect VMS Deployment Best Practice Guide v1.0 is LIVE on the Milestone Content Portal! This document is a reference for technicians and engineers to plan and prepare, install and configure, service and expand implementations with Milestone XProtect video management software (VMS).

Paul checks the XProtect Deployment Best Practice Guide online to improve his performance on the job.

The tasks and steps presented in this guide are targeted for the Milestone Certified Integration Technician (MCIT) level, covering single-server to multi-server, medium-complexity installations.

Milestone Certified Integration Technicians and Engineers can use the XProtect VMS Deployment Best Practice Guide as a technical design and installation reference for the following tasks:

• Planning the system deployment
• Installing the software and configuring the system
• Servicing the customer’s installation of the system
• Expanding the solution over time with device packs, upgrades, integrations, etc.

The guide also provides insight and guidance to the XProtect VMS Deployment Checklist companion document covering each of the steps taken to deploy XProtect VMS.

Finally, this document is used as a handbook for the Technical Configuration 1 (TC1) class and acts as a self-study guide for the Milestone Certified Integration Technician (MCIT) Certification assessment. All Milestone Partners selling the advanced XProtect VMS products must have a technician who has achieved bi-annual certification from Milestone Systems.

Milestone’s Learning & Performance program is helping thousands of partners monthly around the world to gain valuable expertise for successful customer installations, and we continue to develop new tools to support this.  We are creating a short eLearning course that will include details on how/when/why to use this guide, and stay tuned for the upcoming ‘interactive checklist’ version of the Best Practice Guide!  – Greg Willmarth, Director of Learning & Performance at Milestone Systems.

Access the guide here:

https://content.milestonesys.com/media/?mediaId=4BF9453D-B314-40A2-B1D005227045D811

Additional Resources

The task descriptions in the Best Practice Guide are intended to be brief yet comprehensive. To accomplish this, most tasks include a list of additional resources for more in-depth information and background, in four categories:

• Milestone manuals and guides
• Milestone whitepapers and other Milestone documents
• Milestone eLearning courses
• Non-Milestone resources

See more about the Milestone Learning & Performance Program here:
https://www.milestonesys.com/solutions/services/learning-and-performance/

https://news.milestonesys.com/milestone-partners-surpass-5000-elearning-completions-in-january-2018/

https://news.milestonesys.com/tech-professionals-gain-hands-on-skills-in-new-instructor-led-solution-design-course/

https://news.milestonesys.com/milestone-wins-two-silver-awards-for-excellence-in-learning/

…it is the most exciting time in tech history, with software that can write its own software among the tools that make previously unsolvable problems now solvable. AI-driven intelligent video analytics can now achieve ‘super-human’ results. – Adam Scraba

Tanmay Bakshi informed and delighted with his youthful genius.

Data Demands Deep Learning

Using deep learning with video is currently limited because so much video is unlabeled and unstructured. – Tanmay Bakshi

Five years ago, Milestone Systems and LAR Group joined forces in a strategic alliance to propel the electronic security industry forward in Latin America. The results of their joint efforts are seen today.

For Milestone, it is just as important to consistently maintain and improve the quality of its solutions as it is to strengthen trustworthy relationships and ensure mutual growth with its strategic alliances and business partners. LAR Group is a partner that serves as the ideal example of such a productive relationship with Milestone, not only in terms of mutual company benefits but also in relation to the growth and evolution of Latin America’s technology market. This is possible thanks to the synergy generated through the process of bringing global cutting-edge technology to the regional levels.

Historically Proven Expertise

With more than 15 years of experience in the electronic security market, LAR Group relies on a robust infrastructure that provides coverage to the majority of Latin America; offices are located in Mexico, El Salvador, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina and recently, Peru. We’ve become the largest group of representatives in CCTV, IP, access control and fire detection. Moreover, we’ve developed a strong network of manufacturers and distributors to fulfill integrators’ and end users’ needs within Latin America.

Thanks to our positive work with other brands and taking into account the momentum our organization provided to others in the area, Milestone invited LAR to form a key part of its strategic alliance network at the beginning of 2013.

To avoid conflicts of interest, LAR recently stopped representing other business partners so we could dedicate the majority of our efforts to Milestone.

Leading-Edge Technology

This has been a very positive decision so far. Personally, I prefer to market the Milestone video management software (VMS) because its open platform allows us to customize solutions to the regional end users’ needs. This provides the freedom of not having to depend on a specific camera brand alone. Thanks to the wide device support, all equipment is compatible with Milestone.

Milestone’s competitive advantage is its open architecture, which also allows for adding other components to the technology projects: video analytics, access control, radar and laser scanners, flexible data storage, etc. Milestone has more integration partners than any other VMS manufacturer in the market.

Getting to Know the Latin American Market

When the strategic alliance first formed, Milestone’s presence in Latin America did not match its global standing as number one.. The relationship with LAR Group has been pivotal for the company to grow its brand recognition and increase its numbers.

Part of this success is attributed to a deep understanding of the Latin American market, which has helped to identify the best opportunities for the VMS development and commercialization in the region.

Today, the biggest market for IP video in Latin America and the Caribbean is found in public security, transportation and  related vertical markets. Even though the alliance has focus on these segments, we recognize that one of the shortcomings associated with public security investments is that they are carried out with public funding, which can be very difficult in terms of budget management.

With this in mind, it has been necessary to diversify our efforts with solutions directed towards the retail segment, which is one of the strongest verticals for Milestone – above all in Mexico, Chile and Colombia.

A Positive Face to the Future

In our experience, the electronic security market’s future lies in the analytics that solve the end user’s problems. This can benefit human resources (as there are less people monitoring cameras); the quantity and quality of the information provided by the platform, such as alerts and authorizations; and the possibility to respond more optimally when facing incidents.

In conclusion, video analytics provide higher efficiency, and the vast community of Milestone solution partners excel in this area. No other VMS company has as many analytical providers, and these products are very solid in operation with Milestone’s platform.

A Long-lasting Alliance

Without a doubt, the partnership between LAR Group and Milestone Systems will endure many years. It is a relationship in which both companies gain and are nourished – as are the customers we work hard to satisfy. Milestone’s top quality technology and its many open platform advantages, paired with our professional experience and deep understanding of the market, make this union a success for us, them and the industry’s evolution in the area.

By: Glenn Patrizio, LAR Group CEO

As part of a longer article in the March issue of Security Dealer & Integrator called ‘Security Education: 3 Ways to Keep your Technicians Trained and Certified‘, one of the options includes the flexibility and efficiency of online eLearning modules to improve on-the-job performance. Milestone’s Greg Willmarth, Director of Learning & Performance, was interviewed:

The video surveillance industry has undergone a significant change over the past several years, as technology has migrated from analog to digital. As such, the need for security dealers and integrators to learn the intricacies of that new technology was vast.

Milestone Systems launched its IP video training program in 2004 with two main goals: to drive sales by increasing the channel’s knowledge of its VMS products, and to increase customer satisfaction by ensuring integration partners had the knowledge to design and install solutions based on Milestone technology. However, despite high acceptance and participation in the initial training program, there was a disturbing overall rise in the number of technical support calls to the company, especially in the U.S., and channel partners were providing negative feedback about the quality of the training.

As the market grew and matured, Milestone realized it needed to transform its training and certification program into one centered on delivering expertise as opposed to classroom attendance. To meet this challenge, the Learning & Performance Program at Milestone was born – and it has evolved over recent years to include a vital eLearning component. Training activities focus on learning the skills needed by role and job function in designing, installing, configuring, operating, troubleshooting and maintaining a company’s XProtect video management software.

Sessions are now available in easy modules, online or in-person, self-paced or scheduled, with or without an instructor. Certifications are completed separately from training, and they are actually required every two years for Milestone partners selling the more advanced XProtect portfolio offerings.

Milestone certifications are a brand promise to our customers regarding the knowledge and skill of any individual partner . The Learning & Development Program is centered on proven, relevant expertise as opposed to one-size-fits-all classroom attendance with a paper-based, multiple-choice test. – Greg Willmarth, Director of Learning & Performance, Milestone Systems

With the new training and certification offering, Milestone made several fundamental changes to the structure of the program. First, it separated training (skill development) from certifications (proving expertise), and today participation in a training class is not a guarantee of certification. The certification assessments are no longer given in class, but instead taken online. Attending a class is no longer required to pass a certification assessment: learners can develop skills in a variety of ways, including in classes, on the job, or through a library of eLearning options.

We have had a number of our team use this tool, and we were able to learn the products without expending a great deal of valuable resources and time. – Micheal Saltzgiver, President of HEI Security

Another fundamental change is the addition of a new design certification program, added to the two levels of technical installation certifications. During analysis when creating the new certification program, it became apparent that gaps in system design skills were often the root cause of technical support issues. The new design class was developed with a corresponding certification assessment.

The Learning & Performance team worked with a host of internal stakeholders, subject matter experts, and external partners, to specify in detail, the knowledge skills required of a designer and technician (at two skill levels). Master competencies were identified and broken down into sub-competencies.

Role-based training builds knowledge and skills that better transfer into on-the-job performance, and the certification assessments allow partners to prove their expertise and differentiate themselves from the competition. – Greg Willmarth

With the documentation of the required job competencies completed, the team created the online certification assessments using a variety of question styles including scenario-based questions and software simulations. The certification assessments can also serve in building knowledge. When an assessment is not successfully passed, feedback is given to the learner outlining which competencies they have mastered and where further study is needed.

Finally, to provide visibility into the impact of an untrained partner, Partner Expertise dashboards were developed. The dashboards pull together data regarding training and certification completions and technical support calls. Available on computers or mobile devices, these dashboards are very useful to identify individuals in need of additional training.

While it is still too early to see the full impact of the new program, the results after the first 12 months of operation include more than 2,000 certifications passed in 77 different countries and 11 different languages. The frequency of support calls per installation dropped by 20 percent in the U.S. (which has the highest number of new certifications) in 2016, and the results from an annual survey indicate that partners now view the training and certification program as innovative and a competitive advantage.

eLearning has become an even more popular training delivery format than instructor-led classes, which allows us to cost-effectively expand our global reach. We will continue to expand our eLearning catalog, and are looking at new ways to grow expertise and support job performance globally. – Greg Willmarth

Read the full article by Paul Rothman, Editor SD&I, to learn about other options for education in the security sector.

Milestone has expanded the Learning & Performance Program for our channel partners and customers. The newest additions for supporting XProtect VMS deployments include a course on Identifying Cybersecurity Threats and an interactive Best Practice Deployment Checklist. Free online video tutorials further improve operational skills in the Milestone community.

The Milestone XProtect Deployment Best Practice Guide now has a fast 5-minute intro to show how to use this great reference tool for planning, installing, servicing and upgrading XProtect VMS products – and it has an interactive companion Deployment Checklist that can be clicked straight to the relevant product installation.

Technicians and engineers can track their progress step-by-step through a project and add notes.

Milestone has also put out a new course called Identifying Cybersecurity Threats. This important online class covers a broad scope of cybersecurity topics that could impact XProtect VMS installations and other corporate IT systems and assets. These topics affect both end-user organizations as well as systems integrators who design, deploy, and support the IP video surveillance systems. People completing this course will be able to identify threats against:

• Network, server, client, and device vulnerabilities
• Physical access and tampering
• Human or behavioral vulnerabilities

Almost 74% of those who took this course on identifying cybersecurity threats said they “definitely will recommend” it to others and noted that it “describes general attacks and methods while explaining XProtect-specific security options”, providing “comprehensive coverage of cybersecurity with good examples”.

Other participants reported: “It gave me information about things I did not realize as being cybersecurity issues, like social-engineering” and “The way it handles the type of threats is the best way to remember them. Using the checklist to deter a potential malicious activity is great guidance and advice for security personnel”.

The mission of the Milestone Learning & Performance team is to empower the Milestone community to perform on the job. A record number of eLearning completions are proof that these partners are dedicated to learning how to successfully and efficiently design, implement and manage Milestone solutions for their customers.

Thousands of Milestone Partners use our Learning & Performance program monthly to achieve greater expertise for successful customer installations, and we continue to develop new ways to support this. We want Milestone Partners to be well educated when working with our products, and the checklist is a great tool to show customers all that’s being accomplished. – Greg Willmarth, Director of Learning & Performance at Milestone Systems

In Q1 of this year 13,643 eLearning courses were completed. In 2017 nearly 6,000 Milestone Partners completed 46 eLearning courses 31,000 times, spending on average 14 minutes per session – which is the typical length of a course. That dedication pays off: 87% reported being more confident in performing tasks in the field after taking an eLearning course. Also in 2017, more than 7,000 end users increased their knowledge: Milestone customers accessed more than 10,000 modules of Using the Smart Client and Web Client.

To date Milestone has also published over 60 free video tutorials on the company’s YouTube page, that clearly and concisely instruct on installing, configuring and operating XProtect video management software. Closed captioning is available on all videos and Google Translate to change text language.

Check out the video tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/user/Milestonesys/playlists.

Take the course on using the XProtect Deployment Best Practice Checklist: https://go.bluevolt.com/Milestone/s/#!/coursedetail/115979.

Access the XProtect Deployment Best Practice Guide: https://content.milestonesys.com/media/?mediaId=4BF9453D-B314-40A2-B1D005227045D811.

Sign up for the course on Identifying Cybersecurity Threats: https://go.bluevolt.com/Milestone/s/#!/coursedetail/111144.

Partnerships can be a way for two or more companies to seize more market share than the sum of their individual customer bases, as collaboration can mean sharing more than just clients. While partnership can lead to greater innovation and mutual business progression, it can halt progression and even cause damage, so there is a crucial need to find the right fit.

More and more security professionals are thinking about partnerships. Open-platform technologies are proliferating, requiring more and more businesses to work together to provide the best combined solutions for customers. But we are still in a world dominated by companies which think working alone is better, not wanting – as they see it – to give up their own expertise, IP or market share.

But there is strength in numbers.  A smart partnership can give access to new or different ideas, materials, and expertise, which can in turn improve current products and create new ones. It allows businesses to mutually recognise strengths and weaknesses and help each other improve. It can lead to valuable knowledge sharing, allow innovation, access to new markets, and increased customer loyalty.

When done right, one plus one can be worth a lot more than two, but the benefits should go both ways.

This leads to another important point, that a poorly thought out partnership – even one where companies appear to be a perfect fit – can hinder rather than help your business.

There are many examples of business partnerships going south. It even happened to the Beatles, who built up a formidable business around their music. A breakdown of trust and relationships around that business led to litigation and differences which could not be reconciled, which was ultimately a catalyst for the band’s breakup.

The Beatles’ strong musical partnership did not translate to business, and their example serves to demonstrate how carefully the right business partnership must be chosen.

The security ecosystem has always come together to create something greater. Take the example of a tripartite relationship between Promise Technology, Milestone and Axis to monitor a production line for the mixture of general synthetic fiber in a petroleum company in Singapore. Using Milestone’s open-platform system, Promise’s high-performing storage capacity, and best-in-class cameras from Axis, the result was optimized performance and enforcement of strict safety standards in place.

The ecosystem benefitted everyone. The customer was provided with a smooth running end to-end-solution; rather than having to find different contractors for each element, the relationship also resulted in business for three companies, not just one. The trio was also able to work in a better, more connected way by collaborating with each other.

Also, in January this year, NEC partnered with Milestone for its partner event in Hanoi, deployed its NeoFace Watch face recognition system to track attendance and traffic at the event’s booths, in place of scanning delegates’ passes. This was the first time NEC’s face recognition technology was deployed for such a purpose, and it highlights the trust and close relationship shared between both partners to showcase their expertise and push for greater innovation.

Such cohesive partnerships also extend to other security areas like city surveillance. Given the scalable, customizable and flexible nature of the open software system, solutions providers can add on video functionality and work with other partners for security and business systems at any time.

Partnerships can be a route to innovation which can push a company and, in this case, an entire industry forward. The challenge is finding and nurturing the right partnership – avoiding the companies which might give you a honeymoon period followed by an unhappy marriage.

By Benjamin Low, Vice President, APAC, Milestone Systems & William Tan, Director, Global Face Recognition & Surveillance, Global Safety Division, NEC Corporation

Read the original article here:
https://www.enterpriseinnovation.net/article/finding-yin-and-yang-security-business-1608427528

Milestone Systems has launched a comprehensive Partner Business Review (PBR) program with global scope. With this, we’re building on our already strong commitment to partner success by taking a detailed dive into our partnerships and making strategic improvements to further leverage the strengths of Milestone with our Open Platform Community.

We are holding a series of half-day meetings with partner leadership teams to review significant aspects of our relationship. The objective is to take the time to meet face-to-face with integrator decision makers and mutually explore all facets of our interactions. Some topics for the meetings cover: Where and why we are successful? Are you aware of all the tools and resources available to you? How can we help each other become even more effective in our business?

I’ve personally carried out over 40 of these meetings so far, and I like to start the sessions by saying “We are pulling back the curtain and sharing all of the data Milestone has about our relationship.” The data we share is refreshing to the partner leadership, and unique.

This is incredible! No manufacturer provides us with this kind of information. – Milestone Partner, Western U.S.

Strategic planning and information sharing at this level enables the integrator partners and our channel managers to develop customized, effective plans for raising the level of the relationship, aligning our near- and long-term goals and improving revenues for both companies by generating high-value implementations for the customers.

I’m taking away two major components of today’s meeting that will have a big impact on our business. –Milestone Partner, NW U.S.

With these PBRs, we take a long-term, strategic view, developing plans and actions that fill any gaps that might be revealed. Everywhere possible, we will maximize our communication, planning and coordination to foster an even stronger partnership.

A typical Partner Business Review agenda includes:

• Overview of the current state of business and our partnership
• Detailed discussion of fully utilizing all Milestone support resources
• Deep dive into Certifications, eLearning & Performance tracks, and other Milestone tools
• Thorough look at product categories, systems sales and recurring revenue
• How to leverage the Open Platform Community for value-adding integrations

This has been extremely valuable. It has opened our eyes to know more about how Milestone can grow our business. –Milestone Partner, Canada

Why Now?

Milestone aims to grow business above the market pace. This is good news for our community and motivating: such a goal assures that Milestone will maintain its leadership role and continue to be a driving force within the industry. We have an aggressive plan to grow revenue by more than a 20 percent compound annual growth rate over the next five years. And, with our focus on the Open Platform Community, we want — and need — all Milestone partners to join us on this very rewarding journey.

To achieve this level of success, we all must be able to scale our businesses. And in order to scale, we need better processes and tools. We can’t just work harder. It’d be nice if that’s all it took, but it takes much more than that. A well-defined analysis and plan provide both partners and ourselves with an understanding of where we are and where we want to be. PBRs are quickly proving critical in helping partners — and Milestone — to achieve valuable business goal visibility and direction.

By communicating on these points, together we can measure and track a full range of partner success dimensions including sales and technical training, product support readiness, market coverage, and a number of other useful metrics.

This demonstrates a commitment from Milestone to our business that we don’t find with anyone else. –Milestone Partner, Southern U.S.

The High Value Community

A major goal with the PBR is to help all partners make use of every possible Milestone resource, and to build the right internal capabilities to succeed. Additionally, these insights are critical in developing an effective plan for generating high-value projects.

This opened our eyes to new things we didn’t know about and reminded us of things we need to revisit. –Milestone Partner, Upper Midwest U.S.

Partnership is at the core of the Open Platform Community, which is why we are so driven to provide the solid products, systems, services and support that resellers and installers can leverage to increase their own profitability. As an industry, we can expand everyone’s business by working together to deploy a value-based strategy where pricing is not the primary differentiator.

Selling and delivering on value represents greater opportunity. Instead of talking about price, product and features, the focus is on open platform benefits and the global community of applications that comprise flexible, comprehensive and long-lasting solutions.

Strategic success requires ongoing conversation to discover and understand each party’s business goals. With deeper knowledge of the current situation, it becomes clear that no single company can deliver long-term success in isolation. So the platform and the community become a unique journey for addressing the partner’s and the customer’s needs.

We want to make sure all partners leverage the Open Platform Community to its fullest. This approach effectively insulates the reseller and integrator from price pressures, because no one else can offer the same solution. Value selling is critical to reflect a level of expertise and exclusivity through leveraging the partnerships, services and systems available to create the unique solutions.

Today’s meeting was amazing. Milestone is truly a partner in our business. – Milestone Partner, West Coast U.S.

Strategically Looking Forward

This summer, Milestone initiates Phase 2 of the Partner Business Review program with a series of follow-up meetings with the same groups that met in the first phase, in all world regions. We will review the plans, measure progress, make tweaks and re-alignments as needed. By the end of 2018, we will have strategic account plans in place for almost 70% of our business globally.

It’s all about open communication and relationship building. Milestone PBRs are a tangible way to work through issues, make strategic plans, strengthen and align resources for the success of everyone involved.

Once every four months is not enough for these meetings; we need to meet like this every quarter. – Milestone Partner, UK

The initial meetings have been similarly well received and insightful, with a great deal of learning happening on all sides.

At my first set of PBRs it was a great discussion with fantastic input from everyone. The integrator left feeling we are very engaged and committed to our partnership. Considering the fact that I speak to someone at this business almost daily, it was surprising that things came out of this that I was not aware of.  I am really looking forward to continuing this, and with other accounts. – Darrick Felice, Channel Business Manager Northwest, Milestone Systems

Another key outcome of this initiative is making a positive change. In most cases, our Channel Business Managers have been a single source of contact for our System Integrators. That can create a bottleneck for communication between our organizations that the PBR meetings help solve. We are now engaging more staff resources at Milestone with more personnel at the System Integrator for a cohesive, deeper, broader relationship across functions and departments.

Beyond improving the bonds between each of the partner companies, the PBRs gather information from our top resellers about Milestone – how we interact – which helps us gain organizational insights that can move us into better alignment with the channel’s needs.

By Matt Fishback, Global Business Development Manager, Milestone Systems

For the 10^th year running, Milestone is the number 1 global video management software (VMS) vendor by company revenue, according to the latest report from research specialists IHS Markit.

This year Milestone celebrates 20 years in business, and the latest IHS report confirms for the 10th year running that we continue to be the number one provider worldwide for video management software. Our open platform community and partnership business model are no doubt the reason for the positive development. We are proud to be a trusted and reliable partner in the community. – Lars Thinggaard, President and CEO, Milestone Systems.

Milestone had a solid VMS revenue growth of 21% over 2016, which was almost triple the overall market. In 2017 Milestone Systems had a global VMS market share of 10.2% compared to an increase from 9.1% in 2016.

We are not number one by coincidence; we are number one because of our strong community of partners and our ability to innovate. However, being number one also comes with some obligations: We must keep on providing reliable software and help make the world see! – Kenneth Hune Petersen, Chief Marketing Officer, Milestone Systems

Milestone Systems also maintains its number one position in Asia-Pacific (APAC) region with a market share of 12.4%, compared to 11.7% the year before. The key for such achievements seem to be Milestone’s commitment to openness.

Milestone is transparent about our values: our commitment to openness has spawned a business model for thousands of partners to grow, working with the open platform as a solid foundation for high performance that benefits our mutual customers. – Benjamin Low, VP APAC, Milestone Systems

Milestone Systems also holds the number one spot in Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) with an increase in market share to 17.1% from 14.8% back in 2016.

It is important to operate well in the present, but equally important is being able to deliver on a strategic vision for the future: “Striving to realize greater success across the industry is central to Milestone’s DNA. We encourage our partners to reach higher. We believe that winning requires an abiding understanding that innovation is never finished; that discovery never ends. – Malou Toft, VP EMEA, Milestone Systems

Regarding the Americas, Milestone Systems has jumped up one spot and now ranks as number two in the region with a 11.3% market share compared to the previous 9.6% in 2016. Milestone works hand-in-hand with its partners, rooting for each other’s achievements. The partner’s success is also Milestone’s success.

Milestone’s open platform community serves as a force multiplier that continually enables strong growth from every side. This is very powerful and self-propelling in its evolution through sharing knowledge and expertise. – Tim Palmquist, VP Americas, Milestone Systems 

Throughout its 20 years of operation, Milestone has redefined the industry’s expectations for the capabilities of video technology and its potential with an open platform. Milestone and its community of partners have helped shape the technology industry by creating meaningful investments in the development of the industry.

According to Lars Thinggaard, Milestone will continue investing in the partner community with a focus on new technologies from cameras to access control, video analytics and beyond.

We believe in a future where video will play an even more significant role to understand the data sources from the increasing numbers of devices that connect people and assets. – Lars Thinggaard

Read the press release here: https://www.milestonesys.com/press-releases/20180601-milestone-systems-ranked-no-1-global-vms-provider-for-the-10th-year-running/

Energy security professionals are challenged like never before, with the boom in the oil patch inviting more criminal activity on the ground and in cyberspace. High-quality video surveillance is a key tool for the industry but can invite its own set of vulnerabilities. Failure to manage a reliable video monitoring system and properly protect these assets from cybersecurity hackers and other criminals risks loss of revenues, reputations, lives, and livelihoods.  As a result, oil and gas cybersecurity is a hot topic.

Physical Theft

One issue is the theft of crude (yes, the liquid stuff) using increasingly sophisticated methods. In Texas alone, the Houston-based Energy Security Council estimates that the industry is losing between 10 to 30 million barrels per year, which is a revenue loss of $450 million to nearly $1.5 billion. Last year the Texas state legislature enhanced the penalty for stealing petroleum products to a felony, by passing the “Oil Field Theft Bill.”

Criminals are also stealing equipment such as pipes, tools, valves, generators, and scrap metal as well as solar panels and batteries. The FBI-led Oilfield Theft Task Force in Midland, Texas, estimates that in the Permian Basin (the largest and most productive formation in the U.S.) theft of equipment totals between $200,000 and $300,000 a month.

Cyber Crimes

The oil and gas sector is also a target for hackers looking to disrupt the industry for economic, political or vindictive reasons. Nearly half of all energy companies experience some kind of cybercrime each year, according to several surveys.

Unfortunately, the equipment that companies use to secure oil and gas operations is also subject to hackers. For example, the addition of even one IP-based camera or other Internet of Things (IoT) device at a remote site can expose an organization’s corporate network. Left unprotected, these devices are vulnerable end points that hackers can use to breach corporate networks, launch attacks on the public Internet or disrupt a video surveillance system.

According to “The State of Cybersecurity in the Oil & Gas Industry” report by the Ponemon Institute, 66 percent of the security pros surveyed said that while digitalization is benefitting energy companies, it also makes them more vulnerable to cyber risks. Nearly 70 percent of the respondents revealed at least one security issue over the past 12 months, resulting in loss of confidential data or disruption of operational technology (OT). Only 35 percent believe their OT cyber readiness is high.

In addition, once-isolated Industrial Control Systems (ICS) are now open to cyber threats as well. The cyber risk to ICS has increased dramatically over the last several years, according to 67 percent of the respondents, with 61 percent revealing that these systems are not adequately protected.

Energy Security Challenges: Cybersecurity, Network Demands, Harsh Environments

As security systems become more interconnected and IT-oriented, protecting them is increasingly complicated. For instance, many security pros do not have the budget, time, and expertise required to properly harden all video cameras and configure firewalls around camera networks. It often requires a detailed understanding of network operations and a labor-intensive process to fully secure the system.

Also, only 41 percent of the Ponemon Research respondents said they have 24×7 monitoring of all infrastructure. In fact, about half of all cyber attacks in the oil and gas OT environment are undetected.

Two solutions are cited as “very effective” in reducing cybersecurity risks, according to 62 percent of respondents: hardened endpoints and encryption of data in transfer. However, only about half plan to deploy either in the next year. Can they afford to take that risk?

Even when companies continuously monitor all operations, they are often forced to make risky video surveillance tradeoffs. For example, to save network bandwidth many organizations reduce the resolution and frame rate of megapixel video to move it back to a central data center. Ironically, this can render video surveillance unusable as evidence and obstruct efforts to leverage quality improvements in cameras and other IoT technologies.

This is a greater challenge when off-the-shelf servers and storage are used in harsh, isolated environments. Dust and dirt, extreme temperatures, and damp conditions cause management and reliability issues when devices are not ruggedized for the application.

Milestone and Razberi: Proactively Defending Critical Oil & Gas Infrastructure

Milestone Systems and Razberi have partnered to help security professionals ensure that the entire oil and gas ecosystem – from the edge to data center servers – is protected using an integrated solution. Combining the Razberi surveillance platform with Milestone XProtect^® Corporate video management software (VMS) enables organizations to consistently manage their surveillance systems and guard their data with a unified user interface. Centralized system health and threat monitoring, analytics, and cybersecurity enable operators to benefit from the efficiencies that integration provides while ensuring network protection for Industrial Control Systems and operational technology.

Razberi’s line of surveillance appliances – including a ruggedized version – are highly reliable, secure, and network-optimized for megapixel quality. Organizations have the option to record centrally and/or at the network’s edge without compromising on quality and security.

For instance, companies with plenty of dark fiber can backhaul video to their data centers. For remote locations, they can deploy Razberi appliances in a distributed architecture near the network’s edge, which enables viewing from the XProtect VMS if an alert or incident occurs. Installing appliances in the field closer to IoT sensors such as cameras also improves megapixel video quality while reducing capital, bandwidth, and space costs. Video impact on the network can be decreased by up to 95 percent.

Razberi also provides cybersecurity protections for central and regional operations to the field. The Razberi CameraDefense cybersecurity solution guards IP cameras and corporate networks from cyber attacks by automating and scaling industry best practice cyber protections. Integrated into Razberi appliances, the solution creates a surveillance platform that defends the camera infrastructure with automated camera hardening, a secure appliance architecture, and cyber threat monitoring. What normally takes hours of resource time and truck rolls can be done in a matter of minutes to harden an entire ecosystem.

If CameraDefense detects a cyber threat, Milestone VMS operators are notified and can take action. CameraDefense makes security policies – such as closing unused device ports, removing unneeded network services, and enforcing password complexity – easy to implement on tens, hundreds or thousands of surveillance cameras. These best practices are automated with an easy-to-use dashboard to identify vulnerabilities across a system.

If a violation occurs, CameraDefense generates an event and posts it in real time to the Milestone Alarm Manager. Events can also be routed via automated notification or other key actions using the customizable Milestone Rules and Events features.

by Mig Paredes, Director of Strategic Alliances, Razberi

For more information, visit: https://www.razberi.net/industries-applications/energyoil-gas/

Milestone Systems, the leading global provider of video management software (VMS), has been named 2018 Application Development Partner of the Year by Axis Communications at its 13^th annual Axis Connect & Converge Conference (ACCC) held in late October in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Axis Communications presented these annual awards to its top channel, software and technology partners for achieving the highest levels of collaboration.

Milestone received this honor for its exemplary success and loyalty, delivering combined innovative solutions to meet mutual customer needs. Customers such as City of Hartford, Connecticut, and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston are providing safer environments for personnel, citizens and patients with integrated Axis and Milestone solutions, illustrating how the inter-operative systems can address both traditional security demands and value-adding optimizations in other business areas.

From Axis: Far left – Fredrik Nilsson, VP Americas; Far right – Larry Newman, Sr Dir. Sales; From Milestone middle left to right: Eric Moe, National Sales Dir Americas; Brad Cary, National Sales Mgr West; Steve Gillum, Inside Channel Mgr

On behalf of Axis Communications, I’d like to congratulate Milestone on receiving this partner award. It truly is an honor to bring together the top companies in our industry at ACCC and recognize our strong relationships and shared sense of leadership in providing innovative security solutions that contribute to a smarter, safer world. – Scott Dunn, Senior Director, Business Development Solutions & Services, Axis Communications, Inc.

Axis works with more than 90,000 partners across 179 countries. The Axis partner network includes the Channel Partner Program, the Application Development Partner Program, the Architecture and Engineering Program and the Technology Partner Program. For more information visit http://www.axis.com/us/en/partners.

Milestone’s longtime relationship with Axis only gets better over time. Our mutual community of partners and customers are realizing the many benefits from our best-of-breed integrations, delivering value for everyone involved. – Eric Moe, Director of Sales – North America, Milestone Systems

When it was time for the Milestone Inside Channel Management (ICM) team in the Americas to upgrade their in-house training and demonstration server, they needed a reliable, high-performance system, and they wanted to tell the complete cybersecurity story.

Paul Messenger, Manager of Partner Development and Inside Channel Management Team, Milestone Systems Americas, was tasked with specifying and setting up the new Milestone training server, and he quickly thought of Razberi.

A long-time Milestone Systems Technology Partner, Razberi offers a comprehensive series of reliable, cyber-secure, network-optimized hardware solutions for video security and surveillance systems. The company’s enterprise-class solutions feature options for data center, edge, and rugged applications.

“Razberi is a great technology partner, and they had been reaching out to ask how they can be an even better partner,” said Messenger. “They build servers that are optimized to run the Milestone video management software (VMS), and they now also embed their new cybersecurity platform into the system – so Razberi was a perfect fit for what we needed to accomplish.”

With help from Jamie Bradford, Director of Global Sales Engineering, and Mig Paredes, Director of Strategic Alliances for Razberi, Messenger and his team set up the new server in the Oregon office and learned how to highlight the partnership. The integrated solution optimally demonstrates the Milestone XProtect open platform flexibility.

“Our video management software is excellent,” explained Messenger. “But you can’t do anything with it until it’s loaded on a machine — especially if that server hardware is optimized to take full advantage of the open platform that the Milestone VMS delivers.”

Integrated Cybersecurity Alerts

Messenger explained that when his team is conducting XProtect Smart Client demonstrations (typically several demos a day), they highlight alarms from motion alerts, cameras, and video analytics, but they can now also demonstrate real-time cybersecurity alerts directly from the integrated Razberi CameraDefense application. The CameraDefense software automates cybersecurity protections with camera hardening and cyber threat monitoring.

“Hardware configurations and cybersecurity hardening can be complex. CameraDefense allows our partners to protect their customers from threats without having to be cyber experts themselves,” said Messenger. “Razberi has been a great partner in helping us get this technology in front of our employees and customers.”

Milestone offers a free, online, 1-on-1 demo of XProtect software, customized to whatever challenges need to be addressed.

Register to Book a Demo today!

Milestone also offers partners and users online and instructor-led training sessions. These use a combination of checklists, real-world scenarios and hands-on exercises to build the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully design, install, configure, maintain or operate Milestone VMS solutions. Classes are available globally in many languages and for all levels of expertise. Check out the Milestone Learning & Performance courses.

Over the past several years, Seneca has worked closely with Milestone Systems to offer certified systems to the security market. Seneca is a Milestone Technology Partner in the Americas, working to expand the relationship into Europe and the Middle East. Seneca is also a primary member of the Milestone System Builder program, a new global initiative for hardware partners in the Milestone community that allows them to include a certified version of the Milestone VMS image on their platform.

The hardware partners in the Milestone System Builder Program who ship products with the Milestone VMS software can design hardware to fit specific surveillance market segments. This integration also helps hardware partners tap into the IoT and Artificial Intelligence markets through the Milestone community where Installers and customers benefit from the availability of tested, validated and certified hardware configurations.

“We see our role as removing any performance uncertainty regarding the hardware set-up, configuration or performance,” said Ron VanTassel, Market Development Manager, Physical Security, Seneca. “Customers want a simple, plug-and-play yet enterprise-level appliance. We provide that with having the Milestone VMS software pre-installed, making the system easy to deploy right out of the box.”

Seneca hardware systems are pre-loaded and custom-configured with Milestone Video Management Software (VMS) packages to ensure maximum performance and compatibility for the end user. VanTassel explained that IT managers insist on reliable products that can be both field serviced and upgraded, while bringing great manufacturer warranties and support. This approach addresses how administrators are always concerned about the impact an appliance will have on their network and how secure the system is.

“As engineers, integrators, and administrators of IP video management and other network-based security systems, we have a heavy reliance on the network,” said Jeremy Scott, Strategic Alliances Program Manager, Americas, at Milestone. “A certified Milestone solution with Seneca ensures the hardware and software integrations have been vigorously tested ensuring the core system will work as designed and perform its functions as intended. Our alliance with partners like Seneca allows us to deliver together the performance and reliability needed for these systems.”

Seneca began working with Milestone several years ago, using the Seneca lab to test and certify systems. By examining solutions within such a controlled environment, the company has built a deep understanding of the nuances of the hardware and software, and how to optimize the reliability, performance and security of the system as a whole.

“Ultimately, with our servers tested, optimized and certified, we achieve much higher levels of performance than generic, off-the-shelf systems,” said VanTassel. “We also make the server much easier for the integrators and resellers to deploy, so they don’t have to spend valuable time setting up and configuring the system.”

Enabling Emerging Technologies

“A global network of more than 8,000 hardware providers, camera manufacturers and software developers comprise the Milestone open platform community, and we all learn from each other,” said Scott. “A number of these partners are now quickly moving toward deploying various levels of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within their solutions.”

Open architecture technology enables video devices and software to operate as a platform; a perfect foundation for actualizing flexible, smarter and more intuitive systems. For example, Milestone has recently introduced several advances in hardware acceleration of third-party software. Instead of building the complete customer solution alone, partner companies can address a much larger market through the community.

Seneca now has a cloud-based software application, XConnect, that allows users to audit, manage and maintain a security system from a single dashboard. By using the Milestone Software Development Kit (SDK), Seneca engineers developed this easy-to-use dashboard that is securely integrated into the system, displaying the throughput and performance of the server, as well as alarms, alerts and other events.

“Our partnership with Milestone is growing toward optimizing video analytics, machine learning and AI opportunities,” said VanTassel. “And through this partnership, Seneca will be able to build servers that not only elevate CPU performance, but also leverage the power of graphics cards and other hardware systems for maximum, total hardware system operation.”

Seneca is a leading US manufacturer of computing technology for physical security and surveillance solutions. The Seneca security product line combines a high level of IP expertise and solution partnerships to create a series of certified network video recorders, viewing stations and storage platforms. These solutions have been specially engineered and built to meet the demanding requirements of Video Management Software (VMS) and Access Control applications. Seneca is a brand within Arrow Electronics, a global provider of products, services and solutions to industrial and commercial users of electronic components and enterprise computing solutions.

Milestone Systems, the global industry leader in open platform IP video management software (VMS), offers online courses at no charge on how to create integrated solutions. Third-party solution developers can expand expertise at their own pace to create innovations developed with the Milestone Software Development Kit (SDK). The tools provided show how to:

• Integrate Milestone XProtect VMS components into their applications, and/or interact with XProtect
• Make their application available as a plug-in with the XProtect Event Server and the XProtect Smart Client

The Milestone Integration Platform (MIP) has a set of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) that allow partner, customer, or third-party vendor applications to communicate with and control Milestone XProtect VMS, and for XProtect to communicate with and control other applications. For example, events/alarms from an access control system can be displayed or handled in the XProtect client or the video can be triggered to view in the access control interface. The goal is to offer operational flexibility and efficiency for the end user by making separate systems work together.

Milestone also provides a Software Development Kit (SDK)—the MIP SDK—which provides a toolset of code samples, libraries, documentation, and processes that help developers when they interact with XProtect.

Milestone offers three free, online courses that help to get started defining an integration to accomplish specific goals, as well as how to use Visual Studio, .NET, and C# to create plug-in and component integrations:

1. Getting Started with the MIP SDK
2. Developing MIP SDK Plug-in Integrations
3. Developing MIP SDK Component Integrations

A MIP plug-in is able to execute in a number of Milestone products, making it easy to support multiple products with a single developed plug-in. For example:

• Add simple ways of system control, such as handling devices with PTZ, events and outputs
• Store Milestone Partner-developed configurations and share Milestone Partner configurations between applications
• Add specific user controls to the Live, Playback, and Setup tabs in the Smart Client
• Add customized options in menu configuration for common parameters, such as using private and shared views between all users
• Make customized graphical overlays superimposed on live or recorded video, such as for video content analysis (analytics) applications

The SDK classes are available from the Milestone Partner Learning Portal as well as on YouTube (where the same content is presented in shorter, smaller sections).

Milestone also provides an in-person, instructor-led SDK course that takes place over three days in different world regions (U.S. and Denmark in 2018, more this year as demand determines).

A World of Innovation Possibilities

• Create Powerful Solutions – Use the MIP SDK to build on Milestone’s rich VMS capabilities to deliver new and innovative offerings, such as integrating business management systems directly into the software.
• Open and Flexible Integration Architecture – MIP SDK supports three types of integration: basic protocol integration, component-based integration via .NET library and plug-in integration to embed plug-ins directly into the software.
• The MIP SDK Mobile – provides an easy way for creating new Mobile or Web applications or extending an existing one by wrapping the existing Milestone Mobile Server communication protocol. It is available for four different platforms: iOS, Android, Web, and Windows.
• Video Access– Easily make solutions that access the video for viewing or processing purposes and show metadata-based overlays on top of the video using built-in tools.
• Configuration – The MIP SDK provides access to not only append other data types to the VMS, but also access and modify the configuration of the VMS itself.
• Events – Use the APIs or MIP SDK to send external events into the VMS, and to monitor and react to events coming from the VMS.

MIP SDK Works on the Free XProtect Essential+ VMS

XProtect Essential+ supports the Milestone Integration Platform (MIP), meaning developers can integrate and embed third-party applications and business systems directly into the software. Download XProtect Essential+ and get started! The free license supports up to 8 devices, an unlimited number of users and unlimited video retention time.

I joined the Milestone Americas team over a year ago with more than two decades of experience in the IT industry, most recently as the Chief Information Officer for a regional healthcare system. Interestingly, the healthcare facility I worked for had a Milestone-based video management system in use.

With the continued advancement of networked video and the open platform, this has been a very positive and educational transition for me into the video security space. My move to Milestone has been a great fit because, from an IT perspective, whether it is one system or over 250, you are always trying to service your customers and deliver an excellent experience. This is very much in line with the Milestone culture.

As an IT director, I have been responsible for building network support, desktop support, help desks, application support teams and often worked as a project manager on the infrastructure side of the house. I spent a lot of time building IT shops or cleaning up IT shops, and a lot of the work focused on providing more efficient, effective service to the customers.

Three Aspects to the Call Experience

The customer call experience has three aspects: the actual technical problem that needs to be solved, the soft skills of making sure the customer is listened to and treated properly, and both the efficiency and the way you do the business behind the scenes.

In an IT technical support environment, one service measurement is how long cases are open, referred to as case age. The goal is to close cases with as much efficiency as possible. We have adopted this measurement at Milestone and managing case age is important to us.

In 2017, we only closed 52 percent of cases in seven days or less. In 2018, we closed 78.8 percent of all cases in seven days or less. In total, we had 26,638 cases closed by America’s Tech Support in 2018. If we look at a 14-day period in 2017, we closed 83.26 percent of cases in 14 days or less, and so far in 2019, we are closing 90.96 percent of cases in 14 days or less – an admirable achievement in the IT world as well as in our industry — but we can do more.

Lowering Call Volume with Complete Support

Traditionally, tech support teams often become like call centers that measure success by highest volume of calls handled, with the driving focus to help the customer as quickly as possible to get them off the phone and get on to the next call. At Milestone, we do something very deliberate and different. A unique thing about the way we provide tech support is that we are not solely focused on call speed; Milestone is also looking to reduce future issues by providing complete support.

A successful support call for us, is of course to take care of the customer issues as efficiently as possible, but while we have them on the phone, we also ask related questions to help discover ways to optimize their system or even find other matters to address.

Our goal is to solve the immediate issue and proactively work to reduce their need for assistance in the future.

We also want our support staff to take their time and address issues correctly the first time. And even though we are asking the support team to take time with customers, our average hold time currently is less than 1 minute and 40 seconds. Even so, we are looking to add to our staff to reduce hold time even further.

Benefits of Proactive Care

In line with our policy of taking the necessary time with customers, a significant way to head off issues and reduce incidents is through the use of Milestone Care, which is a suite of maintenance and support services that provide an added layer of protection, ensuring that a video system always functions as it should.

System administrators are busy, and things often do not get applied or upgraded in a timely fashion, so they become more vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks. With Milestone Care they can get assistance with complex upgrades. Alternatively, they can contract for our Professional Services team to facilitate and accomplish the upgrade process.

From an IT support service point of view, I highly recommend Milestone Care. It means that end users, partners and integrators have access to a Milestone engineer to assist them if needed.

And as further proof that our services make a very real difference for customers, we consistently score a greater than 90 percent approval rating in our customer satisfaction surveys.

Advancing the Cause

My directive is to continue to grow our tech support teams in Latin America and North America. We are currently looking to hire four more people for our Mexico City office, also adding support staff in our Portland, Oregon, location. By the end of 2019, we should total a staff of 34 in these regions.

As part of our growth, we aim to expand our hours for East Coast customers. Currently, our call support for them begins at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The challenge is that a lot of customers in that time zone come to work early to avoid high traffic, and they need to get things done. Imagine an engineer who gets to the office at 6:00 a.m. and wants to deal with issues before the business opens, but can’t call Milestone Technical Support until 9:00 a.m. It can be a challenge. We aim to increase our hours to better support those customers.

This may sound a bit cliché — because everyone in service says it — but we really do want our team to be a true partner to our sales and business development teams. When our account managers are in the field discussing Milestone, we want them to lead with our support. Our Partner Service and Support team is a significant competitive advantage, and we want to make sure we are one of the many great reasons why customers choose Milestone.

We can achieve all of this by optimizing our current resources, increasing our staff, extending our hours of operation and by more closely partnering with other departments to reduce customer headaches further upstream.

I have learned a great deal and really enjoyed my first year and a half with Milestone, and I think my IT perspective has been of value. I am very much looking forward to the next year and beyond.

By Michael Gaul, Senior Manager, Technical Services – Americas, Milestone Systems

(Editor’s note: the feature image for this article shows a bunch of the Tech Support guys gathered to talk through and brainstorm on a customer’s issue, pulling from each other’s expertise to get to the resolution. – Courtney)

It’s ironic that the same threats to our everyday personal or work devices also afflict the security systems deployed to protect people, places and things. Despite advancements in network security, regular breaches happen in sectors such as banking, credit monitoring, hospitality, media, and government. These breaches often occur months or years before ever being reported to the public.

If this is true of systems and products used by IT professionals, how much more vulnerable are networks that have been traditionally isolated and are just now coming online? Industrial Control Systems (ICS) that support critical infrastructure are becoming more connected and networked. Physical security systems are adding more and more Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as IP cameras.

Securing these systems effectively requires not only a successful convergence of IT and physical security but also automation. First, here’s a look at the cyber weaknesses of these increasingly interconnected physical security systems.

Physical Security’s Cyber Problem

With the advantages of network-capable devices also come vulnerabilities: Hackers can use unsecured IoT devices to infiltrate corporate networks, launch attacks on the public Internet or disrupt the video surveillance system.

The growth in IP cameras alone is cause for concern. IHS Markit forecasts that more than 180 million professional video surveillance cameras will be shipped in 2019 (up from just under 10 million in 2006). IP cameras have eclipsed the sale of analog ones: 62 percent of all security cameras shipped in 2017 were network cameras.

Lack of expertise and cybersecurity tools further exacerbates these vulnerabilities. Securing, monitoring, and maintaining hundreds or thousands of installed devices against evolving risks is a great challenge. Human hands alone cannot handle the myriad tasks required.

IT departments may be responsible for cybersecurity, but they often don’t have adequate visibility into the physical security system and other IoT assets. They don’t typically monitor site-specific endpoints such as cameras and access control, and neither do their access layer switches.

This means that security managers often don’t know when these units are compromised, go off-line, stop streaming video or audio, reboot, or are just missing. Many physical security pros themselves do not have the time, budget, or knowledge to properly ‘harden’ cameras and other IoT devices.

Many camera manufacturers in collaboration with US-CERT (United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team/DHS) provide vulnerability threat alerts with appropriate responses. Unfortunately, the number of devices and the lack of traditional IT oversight/intracompany collaborations can be a problem, even with the appropriate guidelines from a camera manufacturer. These cameras can still fall prey to would-be hackers who are actively scanning networks for any possible opening.

To further emphasize how easy it is to gain access to cameras online, several groups such as Insecam.org and Shodan provide listings by geography, manufacturer, and model. These open-access cameras can be used to accommodate criminal endeavors, or they can be part of a large-scale network attack.

Mirai is an example of malware that exploited improperly secured IoT devices (300,000 of them) by scanning large blocks of the Internet for open communication ports using default passwords. In so doing, it amassed a botnet army used in large-scale network attacks against popular websites. Mirai variants are still being used today to target enterprise devices.

The same types of ransomware that impact non-security platforms can also interrupt fall enrollment at universities or wreak havoc to video servers used to guard presidential inaugurations.

Physical and Logical Convergence

Physical security and IT have got to do a better job at collaborating on cybersecurity. In addition, convergence requires new thinking from those previously isolated departments found in loss prevention, ICS, operational technology (OT), and others. They can take control using automation to secure their security systems.

By using automation technologies, physical security pros can apply cyber best practices without being cybersecurity experts. Automation should enable them to do three things for a properly secured system:

• See all assets: An effective system automatically detects what devices are connected to the network 24×7.
• Secure all assets: Automation should protect or ‘harden’ legitimate devices with best practices, and block or lock out rogue or unnecessary devices.
• Monitor all assets: Automation should passively monitor all assets 24×7 down to the IoT device, generate alerts, and take corrective actions when needed.

At the urging of groups such as SIA (Security Industry Association) and numerous government agencies in private or public collaboration (InfraGard, DHS, NIST), many physical and logical security providers like Razberi Technologies and Milestone Systems are leading this convergence.

For example, the Razberi CameraDefense cybersecurity solution integrated with the Milestone XProtect video management software (VMS) provides a unified interface for operators to be notified and take action if CameraDefense detects any cyber threats. By automating, streamlining, and simplifying best practices, Razberi and Milestone make the deployment of complex systems more manageable and robust, delivering trust through solutions that are not only friendly but network responsible.

The physical security industry needs more of these automated tools to defend against cyber and other security threats. Hopefully more will be coming online soon, but it’s important to take action now to defend your surveillance realm.

by Mig Paredes, Director of Partner Development for Razberi

Within the span of one week in mid-May, the Milestone Learning & Performance group celebrated three important benchmarks:

1. On Tuesday May 14^th we had our 100,000th eLearning course completion registered in the Partner Learning Portal. Of the nearly 17,000 partners from 155 countries, three-fourths of them are new to Milestone Systems, and one third are entirely new to IP video surveillance. By 2019, the average learner is enrolling in 5 or more courses, and they follow through with a 95% completion rate!
2. A year ago this same week, Learning & Performance launched our suite of video tutorials on the Milestone YouTube channel. Today we have surpassed 100,000 views! With 113 videos in 24 playlists, the Milestone Learning & Performance video tutorials now account for half of our total YouTube traffic.
3. As of Friday, May 10th, we also certified our 10,000th Milestone Partner in the Partner Learning Portal. These certifications demonstrate a Milestone brand promise that our certified partners have the expertise necessary to perform in the field, to the benefit of satisfied customers around the globe.

Other good news comes from our team staffing. In March of this year, Tom Green was promoted to Senior Instructional Designer III. Tom has been with Milestone since 2016 and owns the development, maintenance, and overall quality of our Certification Assessments, most notably MCIT, MCIE, and MCDE. He also is responsible for creating, maintaining, and improving the instructor-led classes: TC1, TC2, and Solution Design. Last year he designed, developed, and released our online Cloudlabs version of TC1, developing processes and performing Change Management as he rolled out the platform globally. In 2019, he is developing additional certifications for Cybersecurity and Developing with the MIP SDK (Milestone Integration Platform Software Development Kit).

Please join me in congratulating the Learning & Performance team for designing, developing, and delivering a program that is helping our Milestone Channel Partners on their journey from novices to skilled professionals, who ‘make the world see’ how video technology contributes to a safer, more secure world.

 By Evan Stuckless, Senior Manager of Learning & Performance, Milestone Systems

Quantum Corp. (OTCPK: QMCO) has launched the VS-Series with flexible data storage that efficiently records and stores surveillance. It can run an entire security infrastructure on a single cloud-like platform designed for video monitoring and industrial IoT applications. The VS-Series is available in a broad range of server choices, suitable for deployments with fewer than ten network cameras, up to the largest environments with thousands of cameras.

Smarter, Safer Buildings and Cities Drive the Need for a New Data Approach

Surveillance and security operations continue to get more complex, with more cameras, higher-resolution imagery, and increasing data retention requirements.  As buildings become smarter, everything from access control to lighting and HVAC systems are now connected – part of the “Internet of Things.”  There is an opportunity to simplify operations by consolidating and converging many applications onto a single platform.

“Scalable, flexible data storage systems are in demand to support pervasive video uses, such as in workplaces, city streets, shopping centers, schools, theaters and transportation hubs around the globe wherever security risks are identified. Quantum’s new VS-Series is designed to address this market,” said Josh Woodhouse, Senior Analyst, IHS Markit.

A New Software Platform Designed for Video Surveillance

Quantum’s VS-Series architecture is based on the Quantum Cloud Storage Platform (CSP), a new software-defined storage platform specifically designed for storing machine and sensor generated data. Like storage technologies used in the cloud, the Quantum CSP is software-defined, can be deployed as a virtual machine or as part of a hyperconverged infrastructure.

Unlike other software-defined storage technologies, the Quantum CSP was designed specifically for video and other forms of high-resolution content – engineered for extremely low latency, maximizing streaming performance of large files to storage.

The Quantum Cloud Storage Platform enables high-speed video recording with optimal camera density, and can host and run certified VMS management applications, recording servers, and other building control virtual servers on a single platform.

“Security systems today include more high-resolution cameras to capture relevant situational information. Our partnership with Quantum lets us deliver scalable video surveillance solutions with the storage capacity and access suited to the increased data volumes these systems generate,” said Jeremy Scott, Strategic Alliance Partner Manager, Americas, Milestone Systems.

”Buildings and cities have internet connected devices everywhere – cameras, badge readers, lighting, HVAC systems, and more – which creates a need to consolidate and manage this digital data in one place.  Being able to converge surveillance recording, VMS systems, and other building control applications onto a single platform means our customers can simplify their infrastructure as we help them create smarter and safer buildings and cities,” said Keith Bishop, Strategic Growth Manager for Data Enabled Business, Johnson Controls.

VS-Series Attributes

• Easy to Deploy, Operate and Maintain: The VS-Series comes pre-installed with certified VMS applications, and can be installed and configured in minutes. It is backed by the world-class service and support of Quantum and our integrator partners.
• Resilience: The VS-Series software offers a fault-tolerant design to minimize hardware and software issues, designed to virtually eliminate downtime.

The first products in the VS-Series are the VST10x mini-tower appliances, and the VS2112 and VS2124 2U servers.  Additional offerings will be available later this year.

“Quantum has a heritage of delivering intelligence and military technology to the commercial security industry, as well as years of experience with high-resolution video content in movie and TV production. The VS-Series draws from this heritage to offer a platform that is well-suited to the demands of video surveillance recording, and we’re excited to be able to extend our expertise and technology into this growing market,” said Jamie Lerner, President and CEO, Quantum.

The world’s leading entertainment companies, sports franchises, researchers, government agencies, enterprises, and cloud providers are making the world happier, safer, and smarter on Quantum.  See how at www.quantum.com.

It sounds pretty simple really, doesn’t it? As an organisation with a strong security mission, you have invested a lot of money – not to mention time, effort, expertise – in a sophisticated surveillance system, and you expect it to work as well as it possibly can.

For a while, it will. All the cameras have been deployed fresh out of the box, their firmware is up-to-date, the latest edition of Video Management Software (VMS) connects them twenty-four hours a day, alerts are set for unexpected items and visitors, access control allows trusted staff members to enter and exit the premises, allows or denies them access to certain areas depending on their status, allows them to access hardware such as printers, computer terminals, as well as logical control of files and applications.

A fine plan, but one which can be cut down by the simple act of assuming that vendors are all doing their bit to keep their part of the security machine moving forward. Sadly, it is not always the case.

Take surveillance cameras for example. Without a trusted vendor that is committed to regular firmware updates, the best high-definition cameras in the world are left exposed to cyber threats. The same goes for a VMS vendor. Selling software licences is one thing, but providing a solid commitment to the ongoing health of a security plan is an integral part of that licence, or at least it ought to be.

As well as keeping on top of the constant evolution of cyber threats, a solution that is regularly updated will also keep abreast of the latest technology, expanding its boundaries as solutions evolve.

An agile development platform allows software to be updated quickly, without having to take it offline. Additions and tweaks can be made in the core programming without much disruption, enhancing the platform ‘on the fly’. This means that vendors can keep their platform up to speed with the very latest modifications, and pass those updates and changes on to customers without needing to release a major software update. This allows an organisation to update their VMS or other software components quickly and easily, without a major disruption to the normal running of their security operations.

This duty of care extends to resellers, integrators and other partners as well. In the modern world, where every solution and component piece of a security network needs to be hardened against the threat of cyberattack, it is more important than ever for proper collaboration between major players.

This extends to partner training, which provides a network of trusted companies with the equipment and experience they need to get the absolute best out of a solution. The phrase “set-and-forget” just does not apply in the modern world, where threats evolve almost as fast as they are blocked.

Update packs for camera firmware should be applied every six to eight weeks, in a best-practise scenario. It is important for vendors to align with like-minded, trusted companies and work toward a solution that does not just address part of a problem but looks at it from the end user or integrator’s point-of-view and provides a holistic approach. Companies that work together will come to know and trust each other’s product offering and core mission, which makes updates, integrations and training much easier and more effective.

Customer care, however, should be a vendor’s number one priority – but it is something which is often overlooked.

While many companies talk a good game, and tell us that customer care is top of mind, it is not always the case. A proactive customer care package needs to include the above-mentioned product updates as they occur – rather than waiting to bundle them into a new version of the platform and release it months or years down the track. Incremental progress will allow a company to assimilate changes easily, always staying on top of the technology as it advances in accord with their security mission.

While regular updates are an important asset, a proper care program ought to be multi-faceted and pro-active. Self-help tools, live chat assistance, video and audio tutorials, informative articles and a global support community all contribute to peace of mind. Adding extra levels of care is also beneficial in some circumstances, depending on the size of an enterprise and the scope of their security network. Twenty-four hour, seven day direct technical support or even a dedicated technical account manager can reduce the administrative burden, and provide an avenue for fast-response problem solving in sensitive industries.

Empowering integrators and customers to get the best use out of that technology through education and regular outreach – as discussed above – will make sure that the security solution is being maximised, but ongoing attention to the overall health of the system is equally valuable. Having a system monitor built into a VMS ensures a continuously functioning platform, and one that can be monitored by the end user or their integrator using minimal resources. A complete overview of the system allows easy administration of network components and the software platform, and can be set to alert an administrator to potential technical incidents before they occur, as well as keeping an eye on firmware updates and component functionality.

Customer care extends to the simple act of communication.

Giving customers the option of calling and speaking to someone at any time provides the peace of mind that comes from knowing that if all else fails, you can speak to an expert whenever needed.

Vendors can, and should, take bigger steps toward helping customers maintain their security plan. The world has changed, and connected devices are both more functional and more vulnerable than they were in the days of analogue CCTV. An advanced system requires advanced attention to detail, and advanced levels of care from all vendors involved.

by Jordan Cullis, Director of Sales – APAC, Milestone Systems

This article was published May 22, 2019 by this leading Australian security media:
https://www.securitysolutionsmedia.com/2019/05/22/why-you-need-a-vendor-that-cares/

It has been said that power and responsibility go hand-in-hand. In a world where technology and surveillance are now universal, it is our obligation as a leading global video management software (VMS) provider to help set the agenda for secure and responsible video technology use.

In 2017, Milestone Systems joined more than 150 representatives from technology companies around the world to author and sign the Copenhagen Letter. The letter is a declaration that calls on tech companies of all types to put people first—rather than business and profits—when designing and using technology.

At Milestone, we live by the values outlined in the Copenhagen Letter, and we want our global community of partners and customers to do the same. That’s why in our latest release of XProtect VMS, we put high focus on the responsible use of technology by providing a range of GDPR-compliance tools for our customers, and by embracing the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights for our platform’s use. As the Copenhagen Letter states:

It is time to take responsibility for the world we are creating. Time to put humans before business. Time to replace the empty rhetoric of “building a better world” with a commitment to real action.

GDPR-Ready Certification 

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), enacted mid-2018 by the European Union, has dramatically reshaped the way data is handled across every business sector. The regulation gives all EU citizens greater control over their personal data and how it is used. The U.S. and other regions are in the process of implementing similar regulations. The Australian Privacy Act (APA) is already in force, as well.

Milestone XProtect Corporate 2019 R2 in July obtained the highly-sought-after EuroPriSe (European Privacy Seal) GDPR-ready certification. With this certification, end users can be confident that they have the right foundation to build GDPR-compliant video surveillance installations.

What is Required to be GDPR Compliant?

Ensuring compliance with GDPR and similar data privacy laws requires high organizational maturity, with careful planning and preparation of the video surveillance system, including the policies and procedures regulating how it is used.

To help system integrators and end users design, implement and operate video surveillance systems that are compliant with such privacy regulations, Milestone provides a holistic set of tools; including privacy guides, best practices and training resources to build privacy awareness.

Strong cybersecurity resilience is the foundation for keeping private data safe.  The first applies to the protection of computer systems from theft and damage to hardware, software or information, as well as from disruption or misdirection of the services provided. This then affects the protection of personal data and the privacy of individuals. Concrete examples include how Milestone software addresses cybersecurity in its system architecture, features, release process and education.

• Milestone has invested heavily in getting our product GDPR-certified by EuroPriSe.
• Our software makes use of established security standards for user access and use management.
• Our agile R&D process means we release new software versions 3 times yearly, so partners and end users can regularly update to ensure latest security measures.
• Milestone’s Learning & Performance program raises industry expertise in IP video installation and maintenance, requiring bi-annual certification of our partners. Our eLearning courses are free online for all skill levels – also for end users.
• Milestone offers a Hardening Guide for system configuration and maintenance to ensure proactive management of cybersecurity risk.

Milestone’s VMS is architected for security: secure by design, secure by deployment and secure in operation. Beyond the product design and methodology, it’s all about authentication and authorization.

Standing Up for Human Rights

To prove our commitment to privacy protection, Milestone has updated our End User License Agreement to contain language based on GDPR regulations, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Copenhagen Letter—combined with our own interpretations. We are prepared to refuse customers who might use our VMS technology irresponsibly:  we don’t want our software to be abused. If that happens, we are prepared to disable the license.

We are taking these steps to take accountability for what we do, who we are, and how we want the world to be. In today’s hyper-connected, super-data-driven environment, all organizations must take responsibility to protect their users and customers, and the society at large.

We encourage everyone in the security and surveillance industry to join us in helping to build a secure and ethical community. The Copenhagen Letter sums it up best, and you can sign it if you agree:

“We are a community that exerts great influence—we must protect and nurture the potential to do good.”

By Bjørn Skou Eilertsen, Chief Technology Officer, Milestone Systems

(This article is published in a shorter version on the ASIS International website in the September 2019 magazine Security Technology.)

Milestone partners and customers get rich with expertise in XProtect video management software. The courses provide flexible, role and skill-based education, training and certification for best practice with the technology.

Milestone Systems has won the Brandon Hall Group gold award for excellence called the “Best Advance in Creating an Extended Enterprise Learning Program”. The Learning & Performance Program for the Milestone community of system integrators and customers has continued to innovate over the years. Previously, in October 2017, Milestone received two silver awards from Brandon Hall Group, including “Best Certification Program.”

“The HCM Excellence Awards recognize programs that measurably benefit organizations,” said Mike Cooke, Brandon Hall Group CEO. “Because we focus on measurable benefits, our awards program is universally recognized and highly prestigious.”

Award entries were evaluated by a panel of independent, veteran, industry experts, Brandon Hall Group analysts and executives. They base their choices on the following criteria: fit the need, design of the program, functionality, innovation and overall measurable results.

“Milestone Learning & Performance has seen widespread partner engagement and we are delighted to receive this award as recognition for our program from learning experts as well – especially considering the rigorous judging process. This award validates the approach we have taken to focus our training and certification assessments around job competencies and the ability to perform in the field,” said Evan Stuckless, Manager of Learning & Performance.

The Learning & Performance Program at Milestone has been expanded greatly over the years. Training activities have moved beyond the classroom, and the certification assessments are focused on proving the skills needed by job roles for designing, installing, configuring, operating, and maintaining Milestone XProtect video management software.

Courses are available online, in the form of individual, self-paced eLearning modules, as YouTube tutorials, or in traditional classroom settings led by an expert instructor and delivered in-person at locations throughout the world. Online certification assessments can be used to identify knowledge gaps and when passed successfully, confirm expertise with Milestone products.

“The Learning & Performance team has developed a world-class program that provides our partners flexible options to develop their skills. The certification program helps to differentiate them in the market as proven experts in designing, installing, and configuring Milestone solutions. In the end, everyone benefits from a highly skilled channel,” said Stuckless. “Our customers win with better designed solutions. Our partners win by quicker installations improving profitability on each job. And we all win with optimal operations.”