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/

Over almost a dozen years working in Technical Support at Milestone Systems, it’s clear to me that there is always a need to find new and innovative ways to distribute information, and to educate our partners and customers. Sharing knowledge ensures the best outcomes for any technical installation, and everybody wins when competence is continuously developed in many ways.

Milestone realized this early in its history and began certifying the installing channels’ skill levels at its first partner conference in 2006. And they must update the certifications bi-annually to retain their Milestone Partner status. This fosters higher quality implementations of our software and thereby greater satisfaction in partner performance and customer operation.

The eLearning modules available on the Milestone website prepare partners for the rigorous certification tests, and many other courses that are available offer rich resources that they or their customers can leverage to ramp up expertise at any level. There are training options based on job roles, including a dedicated Customer Learning Portal for operators of the system.

In addition to our eLearning and certification, Milestone makes available many other resources to make sure that users get the most value out of their XProtect video management system (VMS).We like to share these resources with our partners and customers to help make their deployments a success, and I’d like to share some of these with you in this blog post.

From my experience helping our partners and customers, I recommend these 5 key Milestone tech tools to check out:

• Milestone Best Practices Guide: This guide contains our best advice direct from Milestone Systems R&D, on how to configure your XProtect system for maximum reliability and ease of use. There are lots of great tips in here on how to configure and optimize user accounts, network traffic, and connections to database and directory services, so that everything flows smoothly. Following the advice in this document is a great way to make sure your XProtect system gets started on the right foot! Access the Milestone Best Practices Guide here.
• Milestone XProtect VMS Hardening Guide: This guide describes physical and digital security measures and recommendations on how to secure Milestone video software from unauthorized access or cyber attacks. The guide covers important cybersecurity topics, such as encryption, two-factor authentication, user rights, and how they contribute to the security of XProtect systems. Click here for a copy of the Hardening Guide.
• Milestone XProtect Hotfixes page: Applying the latest patches and hotfixes for your XProtect software is smart IT practice, and it’s one of the best ways to make sure your system stays up to date with the latest performance improvements and protections against cybersecurity threats. Milestone has recently consolidated hotfixes for all of its products, under one easy-to-access webpage. All Milestone users can always stay up to date on their products. Check the new Milestone XProtect hotfixes page here.
• XProtect ‘Backup Configuration’: This is not a document or a webpage, but rather a feature that is built into Milestone XProtect. Backup Configuration – just as it sounds – is our way of helping users preserve and protect their XProtect configuration, once it is set up to a desired specification. This feature is a great way to guard against unplanned downtime. By maintaining regular backups of the system configuration, savvy system administrators can easily restore to a known good configuration in the event of an external problem, such as hardware failure or power loss. In addition to helping with disaster recovery, having backups makes it easy to migrate the system to new hardware, if you decide to expand the system.
• Milestone on YouTube: The Milestone YouTube channel has over 300 videos covering a wide variety of XProtect features and functionality, industry trends, surveillance and security concepts, customer use cases, and much more. Many of the videos are under five minutes in length and can be used to quickly come up to speed on a particular topic. This is a great option for users who need to quickly learn about a feature, without sifting through extensive manuals. Get to the Milestone YouTube channel here.

I’m sure you will find these tips and tools very useful. Knowledge is power in the information age, and I know that the information contained in these resources can help make your XProtect system more reliable, more secure, and deliver a better overall customer experience. That truly is powerful.

By Steffin Burton, Senior Manager, Technical Support at Milestone Systems

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the dynamics of business, presenting both new challenges and opportunities. Milestone is directing its efforts to areas that can make a positive impact for the community of partners and customers.

With travel severely limited and physical access to customer sites greatly reduced, remote services enable upkeep of performance – by both staff and systems. To help our partners take better care of their customer installations in these times, Milestone Systems Americas is offering the remote means to maintain expertise, partner certifications and healthy customer operations: free through the end of June. Check with your Milestone Channel Business Manager for more information.

1.  Free training: Milestone will provide more than half a million dollars’ worth of billable training and certification testing for free from April through the end of June in the Americas regions.
2.  Free additional technical content:  Milestone is adding significant video management tutorial sessions to the Milestone Systems YouTube channel.
3.  Free micro-health checks of customer system installations are available through the end of June, carried out remotely by the Tech Support teams in the Americas regions.

Milestone’s full Professional Services consist of six standard offerings: installation assistance, software upgrade assistance, hardware migration, E to C code migration, system health check and mini system health check. Prior to COVID-19 most of these engagements were onsite. Now Milestone is offering them remotely as well.

New Remote Micro Health Check – FREE!

In addition to the standard Pro Services, Milestone now introduces a free remote option from the Technical Support team: a Micro Health Check. This is a multi-point verification of an installation and is designed to ensure a reliable XProtect system is running at the customer facilities.

The Micro Health Check’s free, 10-point inspection looks for errors in configuration such as missing updates or low disk space, and it recommends corrective action. This free offering is a great way for Milestone users to get a quick checkup on their system direct from Milestone, to ensure the continued health and reliability of their XProtect video management system (VMS).

FREE Technical Training, Live Demos 

Less travel also means that many system integrators want to use the additional time now available to train their technicians. Keeping skills up to date on new product technology strengthens market differentiation and improves customer satisfaction through informed implementations.

To fulfill this need, Milestone in the Americas has redirected some Technical Support and Solutions Engineers to assist with the free, online classes and meet additional requests for XProtect training. The Milestone YouTube channel has also been increased with new technical know-how tutorials.

Milestone Partners can also experience a free, 1-to-1, personalized, online, live demonstration of XProtect VMS. They can learn how to deliver exceptional demos of the software and with proven third-party applications. Book a free Milestone demo here.

As the security industry continues to face an evolving business environment, expectations for manufacturer partners also change. Milestone wants to be at the forefront of managing this change and the steps Milestone is taking can help in adapting to the situation right now, with valuable benefits well into the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic is redefining how businesses across the globe serve their customers. Ritesh Deokar, Country Manager for Milestone Systems India, explains to CRN India how the company has gone the extra mile to expand its tech support and Learning & Performance Program for both customers and partners to improve their operational skills.

How do you assess the current scenario and lessons learned? What’s your preparedness to handle such an unprecedented situation?

These are challenging times, but Milestone is agile and adapting to the evolving situation. Our teams operating from their homes are working harder than ever to maintain the same level of care we provide our partners and customers. During these tough times we are offering upgrade options, value-added support, and other value offers of our Milestone Care, a complete service program that offers an effective way to learn, operate and maintain our video management solutions (VMS) and take full advantage of the technology’s capabilities.

Milestone is also making every effort to facilitate seamless delivery at the sales and support levels. We are innovating in our service execution and have upscaled our online training capabilities with more instructor-led classes.

To keep stakeholders updated on our products and service capabilities during the pandemic, we’ve been holding a series of APAC webinars. Split into partner or customer enablement and technical facilitation, the discussions are centered around trends in IP video surveillance, optimum utilization of the XProtect software platform, first-level technical support, and the Milestone Care program.

Our webinar series have been very well subscribed by over 2,800 APAC participants to date. Next up will be topics on situational awareness with XProtect Maps and the pre-requisites and installation of XProtect. We are planning the second round of webinars in APAC to begin in June.

How are you safeguarding your customers’ assets/premises in order to ensure continuity of their business operations?

The Milestone VMS comes equipped with an array of security mechanisms. These make it possible to protect customer assets from both internal and external security threats, without compromising the system’s flexibility or usability.

Following the mandated lockdown, our support teams extended technical support services beyond regular business hours. They also proactively approach our customers about system health checks to ensure issues at their premises are addressed.

During this time of total lockdown, how are you ensuring 24×7 service and support to your customers?

As a global company with flexible work arrangements, Milestone has been regularly using teleconferences with video. As a result, our support team is fully equipped to work remotely, and the pandemic situation has not really disrupted our support services.

We have also updated our business continuity plan in accordance with the advisories of the governments and health authorities in each region. In India, all our business units are available 24×7, providing timely service and support to all our customers.

To help the Milestone community gain expertise, we expanded our Learning & Performance Program for our channel partners and customers by providing relevant courses, video tutorials, and best practices. This improves operational skills and performance on the job. Accessing the Milestone Learning Portal requires a My Milestone account that is created at the My Milestone Login page. Those who already have an account can log in to the Milestone Learning Portal directly.

Our support teams have also formulated a service support handbook for partners and customers. In addition, our APAC online webinars enable them to handle first-level technical issues and conduct regular system hygiene checks.

Soon we will witness business models changing: there will be far more remote workers. In such a scenario, what are the best cybersecurity practices that your customers should adopt?

Remote working demands that video management systems (VMS) must be easily deployable and adaptable to the needs of an organisation. These solutions must be secure to minimize risk of data exposure. The network design considerations for VMS play a critical role in ensuring system performance, data integrity, and threat mitigation. Our products’ design is based on the Open Web Application Security Project’s top 10 list (an industry consensus of the most critical security risks), to mitigate the most common vulnerabilities.

Milestone also releases regular product updates. Our XProtect software installation should be updated every four months to access new features and performance enhancements. These upgrades are delivered free of charge if the product remains updated and Care Plus has been engaged.

What’s your message to customers to be assured of full support today and in the days to come?

The Milestone XProtect platform enables partners to deploy effective solutions quickly and securely. The open platform is already a game changer, allowing bi-directional integration between VMS and multiple access control and video analytics solutions. It also provides endless possibilities for device integrations. Developers can add best-in-class options to customize the functionality of XProtect products using our application programming interface (API) and Software Development Kit (SDK).

We are dealing with a rapidly evolving situation, and this requires agile responses from organisations. Our open platform integrations will help businesses meet their video management needs with established third-party applications, hardware and services that work with XProtect. And as a community-centered company, Milestone is committed to connecting competent integrators and partners globally, helping them find Milestone-verified applications, hardware and services, so we can continue to support safer and smarter cities together.

Read the full article, by Nivedan Prakash published May 18, 2020.

Ritesh Deokar, Country Manager, Milestone Systems India

The tech industry is constantly challenged by disruption, and leaders know that they must adopt an agile and open mindset. These qualities have often been touted by tech companies as one of the most important traits which have helped bring innovation and digitization to the frontlines of the Covid-19 battlefield.

However, despite increasing awareness around the significant benefits of agile practices, a 2019 report by Accenture and Agility Health found that average maturity levels among businesses are still low.

With current uncertainties, businesses need to find a way to resume their pace in a post-COVID-19 world. According to PwC, agile communication practices are listed as one of the key steps for businesses to mitigate the impact.

Unpredictability and change are the only constant in the long term, and an agile organisation will equip businesses to deal with looming challenges.

Agility is the Product of a Cohesive Ecosystem

Being agile ensures that an idea is refined and delivered incrementally. It gives the ability to effectively apply contributions from all levels of an organisation’s ecosystem, to develop a product/solution to better fit the needs of end-users and to foster more effective ways of working.

Agility focuses on team collaboration and caters to shifting goals and requirements when plans change.

The ability to be agile stems from a community with a cohesive and common culture. It is essentially adopting a people-first approach, which values positive peer behaviour and a high-trust environment over rules, processes, or hierarchy. It also works to the benefit of a larger partner ecosystem.

A cohesive partner ecosystem presents transparent communication between individual businesses. This allows them to tap into each other’s expertise and resources, in pursuit of joint offerings that can better benefit the customer.

How to Overcome Challenges to Being Agile

Organisations usually face these challenges when it comes to being agile: breaking up siloed teams, low-risk appetite, and the ability to move beyond ambitious goals. How can these be addressed in the current landscape where teams work remotely and are focused on putting out daily fires?

First, leaders need to think beyond just output, to also facilitate relationships within the teams and other groups. This open communication is key for effective collaboration. Working more from home also adds to the demands of achieving cross-boundary successes.

Establish routines that encourage teammates to stay connected but make sure that virtual meetings don’t become a distraction and create an illusion of productivity. While fostering real-time connections through digital tools can break down social walls and help team relationships feel less virtual, it’s crucial that internal and external calls are focused on essential updates.

Second, leaders can unintentionally fall into the trap of prematurely killing new ideas because of the risks involved, especially in the current climate. They need to carefully consider new ideas that foster an organisation’s balance between risks and expected returns by setting a clear criterion for taking ideas forward with an open line of communication.

The Courage to Reassess and Pivot

What I have learned during the pandemic was to be courageous in making fast decisions, to reassess new and ongoing projects regularly together with my team, to adapt to new developments swiftly. This meant that our employees were well-equipped to implement new contact centre structures, webinars and virtual trainings that support our customers and partners remotely.

Third, disruptive events such as the pandemic generate new tasks across the business. Leaders need to continually clarify goals to stay true to the long-term course.

These goals align an organisation’s ecosystem, ensuring an agile structure can work, especially during uncertain times. Leaders need to articulate big-picture goals, explain why these are important to the company and encourage their team to achieve them.

Teams should have a clear understanding of the objectives, their individual roles, and how each person contributes to the outcome. Successful remote teams can thereby measure the right metrics, engage all team members, and foster accountability.

Ultimately, a combination of these three factors will help organisations better develop a culture of nimble collaboration ­- a core foundation of the agile practice.

In the words of Leon C. Megginson, “it is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself”.

Read the full article by Benjamin Low that was published 20 June 2020 in INDVSTRVS.

The Milestone Integration Platform Symposium was held February 17-19 in Dallas, Texas. As a globally leading provider of open platform video management software, Milestone supports ongoing development of its technology and its community of partners.

This year’s conference engaged 1,500 participants from around the world, 700 of them in person at the conference. The annual awards for Partners of the Year were announced and cheered on.

National Partner of the Year: Convergint Technologies

Convergint Technologies continued in 2019 to exceed double-digit growth with Milestone throughout the U.S. and Canada. Convergint’s exceptional investment of resources in Milestone includes doing business in 55 locations, with nearly 300 training certifications. Convergint was the driving force in many key project wins, including the Atlanta Public Schools setup with more than 4,000 video channels. Capitalizing on their technical expertise and excellent customer service, Convergint continues to build partnership by working with Milestone on global expansions of U.S.-based enterprise customers.

Installation of the Year USA:

Combining Milestone’s open video platform and LenelS2 (UTC) access control, Convergint implemented an integrated solution to solve a complex set of technical challenges for the world’s largest healthcare organization, UHG. The system resolves more than 39,000 alarms per day. Together, these forward-thinking companies demonstrated how the open platform community delivers for customer needs through collaboration and cooperation.

Partner of the Year, West: REECE Complete Security Solutions

This Oregon-based partner fulfilled their core value of “securing and protecting the people and businesses of the Pacific Northwest” while navigating the challenges of change in sales management, channel management and sales support. They remain a cornerstone for the West region with impressive year-over-year growth, nearly doubling their number of new base licenses and increasing revenue by 117% from 2018. REECE’s commitment to providing best-in-class technology solutions continues to be the key to their success with Milestone technology.

Partner of the Year, South: Signature Systems of Florida

As a Platinum Certified reseller, Signature Systems of Florida has been selling Milestone as their exclusive VMS for more than 10 years. Signature Systems services many prestigious businesses in the southeast. They have a track record of year-over-year growth with Milestone, from 40% to 97%! One of the keys to their sustained success is having dedicated staff work with customers to make sure their software maintenance programs, including Milestone CARE, are renewed every year. Signature Systems exemplifies what it means to be a top Milestone Partner.

Partner of the Year, North: App-Techs  

As one of six Milestone Diamond Partners across the U.S., App-Techs has demonstrated both loyalty and ingenuity with the Milestone product. In addition to installing integrated XProtect systems for customers of all shapes and sizes, they also build integrations with third-party manufacturers of access control, video analytics and emergency response systems. As a trusted resource for customers and partners alike, App-Techs has become known for its Milestone open platform integrations across the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Partner of the Year, Canada: Paladin Technologies

This Milestone Platinum Partner is one of the top performers in Canada with over $1.5M revenue of Milestone software and Husky hardware. Paladin has strong technical expertise with both Milestone and solution partner products, allowing them to provide best-of-breed solutions. This high-performing partner has invested significant time building their Milestone expertise to better service the end users, including the largest casinos in western and central Canada.

Partner of the Year, LATAM: L8 Group  

Since 2018, L8 Group has shown its capacity for innovation by promoting the Milestone portfolio in all companies of the group. Their pioneering spirit in offering VaaS to Internet Service Providers in Brazil, and the vision to combine the Milestone Husky X series and video integration with Lenel Onguard makes Milestone a key partner for their success. L8 Group is dedicated to completing all Milestone training options so they can remain knowledgeable and competitive. Because of this, L8 Group are confident when working independently and trusted as an expert partner.

Distribution Partner of the Year, LATAM: Brako (Brazil)

Brako is known as a true Brazilian value-add distributor with a dedicated team of engineers who are certified in Milestone and Lenel. Its positioning of both vendor companies to system integrators has been fundamental to closing important deals in new verticals, such as Banking and Transportation. Milestone’s award recognizes Brako’s value for achieving the biggest growth in LATAM in 2019.

Distributor of the Year, Americas: ScanSource  

ScanSource is committed to providing focused expertise, centralized logistics, dedicated sales reps and support. Their drive for growth and partnership has been beneficial with Milestone throughout the last several years. In 2019 ScanSource achieved 38% overall growth, ranking as the highest among Milestone’s top five distributors in the Americas. During that time ScanSource did business with 27 Milestone Partners in the program’s advanced tiers. A team of security-focused account executives engaged daily with Milestone Channel Managers and partners to drive business, using dedicated resources for in-house license processing with expedited turnaround.

Distributor of the Year, USA: ADI Global Distribution

ADI’s primary focus is offering the solutions, support and services that businesses need to grow in today’s market. By delivering the latest technology from the best brands in the industry, ADI had 27% growth year-over-year. Their strong strategic relationships put ADI in position to support every customer project quickly, easily and at the best possible price, making ADI an indispensable business partner. ADI supports customer growth by providing extensive training opportunities as well as a comprehensive suite of value-added services designed to save customers time and labor.

Technology Partner of the Year: Balto by Seneca

Seneca consistently engaged during 2019 to empower joint sales opportunities. Driven by their commitment to support system integrators, Seneca created Balto by Seneca, a comprehensive physical security System Builder developed in collaboration with Milestone and Dell. Seneca exemplifies what it means to be a partner in the open platform ecosystem, from engaging in joint value proposition discussions and training for the sales organizations, all the way to partner events in the field.

Solution Partner of the Year: Live Earth

The Live Earth data visualization integration with the Milestone video platform empowers customers with seamless access to a wealth of IoT data, all in one single operational picture. The dedicated Live Earth team exudes the characteristics of the open platform mindset, making it easy to deliver successful interoperability. In 2020, the relationship with Live Earth will grow with more integrations, aligned strategies and engagement.

Marketplace Engagement Award 2020:

Pivot3 was an early adopter of the Milestone Marketplace and has mastered the execution of leveraging the collateral and communication strengths that are represented there. They report that it is easy-to-use and update, and it is used often for internal and external references.

Look for more information about these partners on the Milestone Marketplace: https://www.milestonesys.com/community/marketplace/what-is-marketplace/.

Check out Tim Palmquist, VP Americas, whose reflections on our choices in life and business were recorded at MIPS along with other keynote speeches: https://lnkd.in/gdkMppU.