Henrik Sydbo Hansen

Viakoo, provider of the security industry’s first proactive automated system and data verification solution, is featuring their Camera Firmware Update Manager (CFUM) at GSX 2018. This solution provides capability across a distributed geography, to automatically update firmware on camera devices from one or more vendors and performs these updates with a chain-of-trust method that ensures integrity of the firmware. CFUM adds to other foundational capabilities provided by Viakoo that help organizations achieve reliable and sustainable cyber hygiene. Network IP Surveillance Cameras In the past two years, a number of cyber threats have directly targeted networked IP surveillance cameras, including well-reported malware such as WannaCry, Devil’s Ivy, and Mirai. The solution to these growing threats has been to update the camera device firmware, yet for many organizations the time and cost of manually upgrading their camera devices is prohibitive. Viakoo’s CFUM is the industry’s only solution, from a single management console, to automate firmware upgrades across a distributed security system with multiple camera vendors and VMS manufacturers. “Firmware updates often include patches for security issues and are released on an unpredictable schedule. Installed cameras, and even newly added cameras, may be connected to the network with outdated versions of software and, over time, fall even further behind, creating cyber vulnerabilities,” said Bud Broomhead, CEO, Viakoo. “It has been difficult for many firms to keep up with this changing environment by routinely identifying and cataloging the camera devices and their firmware status. Automating and managing firmware updates can provide assurance that your camera devices are running on the most recent and secure version of camera firmware.” Viakoo’s CFUM makes it simple to navigate and update a large deployment of devices across an organization Single Security Management Interface “For anyone who has many cameras or multiple sites – and particularly for anyone that has an extensive system with cameras from more than one manufacturer – keeping track of the firmware status of those cameras and applying the firmware updates in a timely manner is a real headache,” said Henrik Sydbo Hansen, Group Manager of Devices and Integrations at Milestone. Viakoo’s CFUM makes it simple to navigate and update a large deployment of devices across an organization through a single management interface. It is a cost-effective and simple method to easily update firmware before out-of-date software or security problems become an issue. Viakoo has incorporated a firmware chain-of-trust mechanism to ensure what is installed is correct and secure — a higher level of integration that helps reduce risk and simplifies the firmware update process.

Soliton Systems K.K, a Japanese technology company specializing in IT security and mobile surveillance products, has successfully completed the certification of the Zao-S with Milestone’s XProtect video management platform. Mobile Video Transmission Utilized on a global stage with many law enforcement, first responder and emergency services, Soliton Systems manufactures the “Smart-telecaster Zao-S”, that allows instant encrypted video live streaming from remote mobile situations such as body worn actions cams, police surveillance vehicles, drones, helicopters and in some cases live streaming from dogs. This is achievable by the miniature device utilizing multiple 4G connections simultaneously to live stream video reliably back to a command center. The Zao-S, a lightweight yet powerful HEVC (H.265) mobile video transmission device, is used by many global law enforcement agencies The Zao-S, a lightweight yet powerful HEVC (H.265) mobile video transmission device, is used by many global law enforcement agencies and other public safety agencies to live stream for a variety of different applications such as public event surveillance, security, covert operations or live streaming from a body worn camera during police operations. In conjunction with Milestone’s XProtect VMS, it can be used to live stream high quality video that can then be displayed in real-time and recorded in the VMS environment with low latency and in full HD quality. XProtect VMS Platform In addition to the Zao-S, Soliton have developed the “Zao Media Gateway” that is a receiving platform to recreate the H.265 stream from the multi-linked mobile networks and create IP video streams which for XProtect would be the H265/ONVIF over RTSP. The Zao Media Gateway can be operated in the cloud or in a customer’s own network (on-premises) and is used to stream to the VMS platform, or it can live stream to any destination in the world as required including laptops, tablets and smartphones. Regarding this partnership, Henrik Sydbo Hansen, Group Manager, Devices & Integrations commented as follows: “We are dedicated to working with partners in order to give our joint customers the perfect solution. At the same time, we are delighted to expand our mobile solutions portfolio with a partner like Soliton.” Surveillance Cameras The Zao-S can be used with many off-the-shelf action cameras or surveillance cameras that supports HDMI or SDI The Zao-S can be used with many off-the-shelf action cameras or surveillance cameras that supports HDMI or SDI to live stream in full HD, with a latency typically of between 500ms to 1 second from the remote camera to the XProtect VMS back at a command center. Henrik Sydbo Hansen continues: “We see a rapidly raising interest for highly mobile solutions, and the open platform approach in XProtect, means that we can present more and more partners meeting this demand.” Official support begun end of August 2018 when the Soliton solution was included in Milestones XProtect device pack version 9.9.

Pivot3, the pioneer in hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) performance and technology, announced that it has certified its infrastructure solutions for mission-critical IoT, safe cities and smart building environments operating with Milestone Systems video management software (VMS). This certification confirms that organizations can gain access to infrastructure that is proven to deliver the performance, resilience and scalability required in mission-critical environments. Enterprises rely on information from multiple sources, including security and surveillance platforms, to gain new levels of intelligence to secure their environment. Pivot3 provides extreme levels of availability and comprehensive data protection that has been proven in high-profile environments, including Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Caesars Entertainment, the University of Central Florida, and many others. Protecting Data Loss From System Failures Pivot3 streamlines video management and storage capabilities by hosting VMS, other security applications and IT workloads on one unified platform Pivot3 supports the unique needs of these environments by optimising its platform in operation with Milestone XProtect VMS. Certified according to Milestone’s robust testing criteria, solutions using Pivot3 and Milestone guarantee that valuable data assets captured with Milestone meet the required performance benchmarks, stored and protected with Pivot3. Pivot3 streamlines video management and storage capabilities by hosting VMS, other security applications and IT workloads on one unified platform, thereby reducing hardware investments and data center footprint, and simplifying management. “Our global market cooperation with Pivot3 equips organizations to capture and access critical video data and insulates them from the risk of downtime or data loss from major system failures,” said Henrik Sydbo Hansen, group manager, devices and integrations, Milestone Systems. “Pivot3’s ability to deliver the performance and resilience required to meet the complex and evolving needs of today’s demanding enterprise-class IoT and security applications is a key factor in our ongoing collaboration.” Reducing Vulnerabilities And Ensuring Safety “Organizations are aggressively moving toward the idea of the consolidated, secure enterprise in an effort to better manage connected devices, reduce vulnerabilities and ensure safety, while integrating with IT best practices and bridging the gap that often exists between security and IT,” said Brandon Reich, vice president, security and IoT, Pivot3. “Pivot3 certified on Milestone Systems VMS is designed to offer significant value to these entities, allowing them to manage their security and IT infrastructure requirements in an integrated fashion that’s easy to manage and is proven in hundreds of deployments to reduce costs.”

Oncam, a provider of 360-degree video capture and business intelligence technology, has completed the retesting and documentation of its 360-degree solutions with Milestone XProtect open-platform IP video management software (VMS). The certification guarantees the interoperability of the tested solution with Milestone XProtect VMS and ensures users gain access to a proven system designed to increase awareness and enhance intelligence. Milestone XProtect Recording Server The Oncam video plug-in dewarps a 360-degree video stream within the XProtect client. The plug-in corrects the distortions introduced by the fish-eye lens and allows the view to look normal to the user. The user is than able to navigate around the image in a similar way to a traditional pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera. The Oncam plug-in can also create a panorama image from the video stream with the correct orientation for the user. The plug-in can be run in several ways on the XProtect Smart Client by dragging and dropping it into a view, creating a number of virtual cameras. The video stream is recorded in the Milestone XProtect Recording Server, and playback of the recorded video gives the same possibilities for dewarping the stream similar to the live-view situation. Comprehensive Video Imagery “Oncam's 360-degree surveillance solutions help Milestone customers gain access to comprehensive video imagery that provides a wider field of view, along with the picture clarity and full coverage area that we've grown to expect from Oncam's technology,” said Henrik Sydbo Hansen, Group Manager – Devices and Integrations, Milestone Systems. “By completing the rigorous testing criteria as part of the Milestone certification process, our mutual customers gain access to a verified solution that ensures reliable performance and streamlined interoperability to ease system operation.” “Our continued partnership with Milestone is part of our strategic effort to expand best-in-class technology options to our global customer base,” said John Haspel, Director of Technology Programs, Oncam. “This collaboration also serves as an opportunity for us to deliver additional systems options and integrations that enable organizations to design and deploy scalable and flexible infrastructures to drive further innovation and use cases.”

Reinforcing the benefits of security technology collaboration, Hikvision, the supplier of video surveillance products and solutions, has announced a Multiple Fisheye Dewarping Solution for Milestone Systems XProtect with Device Pack 9.0 (and later). Milestone Systems is a strategic partner for Hikvision, and is dedicated to delivering quality business video solutions through partnerships. 360° Wide-area Surveillance Coverage This new dewarping solution allows Hikvision’s fisheye network cameras to be seamlessly integrated with Milestone’s high-performance network video management software, enabling the Milestone Smart Client to display the dewarped images captured by Hikvision fisheye cameras in real-time with no distortion. Recorded video can be retrieved and played back dewarped as well. With this new solution, Milestone customers will be able to use just a single camera to provide 360° wide-area surveillance coverage without visual blind spots. The solution delivers effective situational awareness and decreases the overall cost of cameras, installation and maintenance. Milestone customers will be able to use just a single camera to provide 360° wide-area surveillance coverage without visual blind spots The dewarping solution further enables access to camera viewing modes such as 180°, 360°, PTZ, PTZ-quad, and horizontal panoramic. Up to 12 different views can be created in the Milestone Smart Client, with the intelligent PTZ view allowing security operators to pan, tilt and zoom through an entire scene – providing a superlative surveillance overview. Dewarping Solution Tailored To Vertical Markets “As businesses continue to increase situational awareness, 360° cameras stand as one of the strongest areas of growth in surveillance industry. The integration with Milestone’s XProtect is significant for the market and for our mutual customers to obtain another high performance dewarping solution, tailored to a number of vertical markets, including retail, parking lots, transportation, gaming, campuses and interior building space applications,” said Adler Wu, Global Technology Partner Program Manager at Hikvision. “We are very pleased about the new possibilities for the Milestone Community and customers that this announcement brings to them. The Milestone community now gains the full advantage of the new integration between Hikvision’s cameras and Milestones award winning Open Platform Video Management Software.” Says Henrik Sydbo Hansen, Group Manager, Devices & Integrations, Milestone Systems. Hikvision fisheye network cameras boast functions such as high-resolution imaging, Ultra WDR, IR illumination, and alarm activation. It offers flexible installation including versatile ceiling, wall and pendant mount options.

Soliton Systems, a manufacturer of mobile video streaming solutions for public safety applications, announced a partnership with Milestone Systems, a provider of IP video management software (VMS) for video surveillance solutions.Remote Video SurveillanceSoliton Systems is a Japanese technology company that manufactures solutions for the public safety market, for live streaming video over the 3G and 4G LTE network. They have the Smart telecaster range of products that can be utilised for real-time video from a remote situation via body worn or other types of mobile video cameras.Soliton´s Smart telecaster product works with a range of different cameras that can be placed in moving vehicles such as ambulances, fire trucks, police cars, motorcycles, and helicopters, and can live stream at speed, or from a static location such as a remotely placed video surveillance van. The light weight units can be carried on a person allowing streaming from body worn cameras for applications such as facial recognition. In addition, software can be downloaded from the App Store that allows live streaming direct from a smartphone back to a command center inclusive of GPS information.Soliton Systems Smart TelecasterMilestone System is a VMS company and has many global customers remotely managing surveillance cameras with an array of management functionality. Mogens Jensen, the Managing Director of Soliton Systems Europe comments, “It is a great privilege for Soliton to work with Milestone. Many of our public safety and emergency service customers already have Milestone; so, by partnering, this will allow them to manage their mobile video feeds from a central management console from the manufacturer of VMS solutions.”The Smart telecaster range of products utilizes H.265 encoding technology that efficiently compresses real-time video for streaming over multiple 3G and 4G mobile networks simultaneously. As it is the next generation of H.265, as opposed to H.264, it can successfully operate even when mobile signal becomes weak to provide reliable high quality video.Open Platform ArchitectureHenrik Sydbo Hansen, Group Manager of Devices & Integrations at Milestone Systems commented further. “Many of our integrations to date have been from static type cameras. Given Soliton’s strength in live streaming from a mobile device, we see this as a natural extension of our own offering and something that many in the Milestone community have been requesting.”With Milestone’s open platform architecture, users have an array of management functions allowing for a more efficient administration from a mix of different IP video surveillance and CCTV cameras.Selective Video StreamingIt allows cameras to be remotely managed and can include continued or selective video streaming that can be event or alarm based, maps of locations, and securing video for law enforcement and for storing for evidence. Milestones certification plan allows for third party systems and devices within the video surveillance ecosystem to be integrated to guarantee interoperability allowing for customers to take advantage of innovative and new technology as they come to market.Sydbo Hansen continues, “Soliton’s H265 technology which is in line with our roadmap, and their commitment to ONVIF, a standard for video surveillance, gives us a synergy that not only works now, but provides a road-map in an industry that is constantly evolving. We look forward to a successful and long partnership.”Soliton Systems will be presenting at Milestone’s upcoming Milestone Community Days 2017 - Dubai from 8 May - 10 May 2017.

The new appointments will focus on technology innovation, both externally and internally Milestone Systems, a provider of open platform IP video management software, has started 2017 by making two senior level recruitments and promoting and appointing four high-performing members of its staff to new roles. As the company extends its global reach and influence, these high calibre individuals will support Milestone’s future innovation and growth. Milestone’s Growing Community As part of its stated objective to support the VMS open platform community with the best possible levels of talent, innovation and service, these new appointments, promotions and recruitments address the needs of Milestone’s growing community of partners and customers. With the aim of strengthening the Milestone platform and product value propositions, these new appointments will focus on technology innovation, both externally and internally. Milestone New Recruits To strengthen the Milestones Business Support organization, Kim Jørgensen has joined Milestone in a newly created position as Vice President, Global IT and Operations. In this position, he will be part of Milestone’s Extended Leadership Team, with focus on continued improvements of internal IT solutions, as well as Online Services. He joins Milestone at a time where numerous strategic initiatives are being launched to support the overall Milestone purpose, Make the World See. Kim brings a strong business and technical background and a proven track record in helping fast-growing businesses to align and mature their technical services and underlying IT infrastructure. After more than 15 years at Microsoft, Jesper Lachance Ræbild has joined Milestone as Director of Product Marketing. Heading up the global product marketing team in Copenhagen, he will use his strong background in software channel business and global product marketing to further accelerate the Milestone platform and products. Working closely with Milestone’s regional business development managers, he will ensure a smooth launch, readiness and feedback process with the company’s community partners. Promotions And Appointments After more than 15 years at Microsoft, Jesper Lachance Ræbild has joined Milestone as Director of Product Marketing Milestone has always taken great pride in its ability to nurture existing personnel by offering employees opportunities to excel and develop their careers within the company. Four new promotions and appointments have been announced across the organization: Henrik Sydbo Hansen has been promoted to Group Manager – Devices and Integrations, a role that involves managing both the Milestone Camera Partner Programme and platform integrations. Mikkel Winther has been promoted to Group Manager for Product Management and will drive the collective product portfolio planning to ensure community feedback and strategic fit, working closely with the Research and Development team to progress product innovation. Casper Sten Felding has been appointed Director of Global Sales Operations. Casper will be responsible for heading up a new function covering partner program strategy, internal sales training, the Large Projects bid desk, sales tools and internal business development and projects.           Keven Marier has been appointed Director of Technology Business Development. He will advise consult and develop strategic, long-term technology opportunities in company-wide alignment. Commenting on the new hires and promotions, Bjørn Skou Eilertsen, Milestone Chief Technology Officer, stated, “By combining proven security professionals and emerging talent, our intention is to build on our best-in-class sales, service and support for the open platform community.”

Milestone Systems, the open platform company in networked video management software (VMS), has released Device Pack 8.2 for partners and customers using Milestone XProtect monitoring solutions. A highlight of this release is support for perspective correction of video from 180, 270 or 360 degree panoramic cameras from Pelco by Schneider Electric. The support is achieved by a plugin to the Milestone XProtect Smart Client. Global unit shipments of 180/360 degree panoramic network camera is forecast to increase by more than 60 percent year-on-year according to research analysts IHS.  Panoramic cameras are predicted to gain market share in verticals such as retail, airports, and casinos, where monitoring wide indoor areas is a key requirement of the video security solution. In these scenarios, the cameras can reduce capital expenditure as fewer cameras are required to cover the same area compared to fixed or PTZ cameras. The challenge using fisheye panoramic cameras is that the picture from the camera needs perspective correction, which can be adjusted in the camera or in the software. This process called dewarping has several benefits when done in the software as it allows retrospective viewing. This gives the user the ability to go back in time to view the total scene in its original form and then pan, tilt, and/or zoom with corrected perspective within the 360-degree image. In addition to the support for Pelco panoramic cameras, nearly 200 devices have been added to Milestone Device Pack 8.2. This list of new model support includes cameras from Axis Communications, Bosch and Samsung Techwin. The number of ONVIF-supported devices has increased by 64 now totaling 1271 devices. ONVIF Testing Ensures Quality The XProtect Device Packs include tested drivers that are optimized to enable the capabilities of a camera or other hardware device to be managed by XProtect software. Testing the drivers ensures the highest functionality for a video surveillance solution, which is important for total system operability, efficiency and stability. Milestone works closely with the device manufacturers in the Camera Partner Program (CaPP) to achieve the optimal interaction between their devices and the XProtect VMS. Milestone has always promoted driver standards like ONVIF and remains dedicated to supporting the broadest range of cameras and devices on the market. In the case of ONVIF supported devices, it is often assumed that a device that has passed the ONVIF test tool will work fully in a given infrastructure. This is not always the case as there are marked idiosyncrasies that need to be taken into account to insure proper interoperability and to leverage full feature use of a device with a VMS. Before ONVIF supported devices are listed on the Milestone supported hardware list on milestonesys.com, they have been tested to ensure that the functionality with XProtect is compliant with the ONVIF specifications. In the Milestone CaPP, this ONVIF functionality test can be done by Milestone or the vendors can do the testing in their facility after they have completed a 4-day Milestone training class. The ability to do the complete Milestone certification test can save time and costs for camera manufacturers in their go-to-market strategy. “We are constantly working with our camera partners to provide the highest quality solutions for the benefit of our partners and mutual customers,” says Henrik Sydbo Hansen, Head of the Camera Partner Program at Milestone Systems. “This ensures the highest possible quality for a video surveillance solution.”

Milestone Systems, the open platform company in networked video management software (VMS), has released Device Pack 8.1 for partners and customers using Milestone XProtect monitoring solutions. A highlight of this release is support for Digital Barriers’ TVI wireless video streaming that contains a patent-protected codec which dynamically adjusts video image resolution and pixel density to fit the quality of bandwidth available for video transmission. TVI thereby ensures delivery of highly reliable, secure, real-time video over mobile and other low-bandwidth networks from first-responder units to control rooms and Accident & Emergency (A&E) units. Also notable in Device Pack 8.1 is XProtect support for the Sony Generation 7 4K cameras and the Samsung WiseNet Lite camera series. This release further expands on the number of supported devices in XProtect to more than 4,600 (plus various devices in series and non-listed OEM devices). 145 hardware manufacturer brands are supported. Full Support For Digital Barriers’ TVI In XProtect The open platform technology used in Milestone offerings ensures support for more than just cameras and encoders. In this Device Pack release, the integration of TVI wireless video streaming enables reliable distribution of near-zero latency video from challenging operational environments or mobile units that have limited or variable network connectivity. The integration allows the deployment of body-worn cameras, on-board vehicle cameras and highly mobile public safety video systems for enhanced operational capabilities, events and much more. One example of use already pioneered by Digital Barriers is mobile emergency service units relaying live video directly from ambulances, together with Electro Cardiogram (ECG) and other vital signs’ data, to A&E teams waiting in the hospital for patients to arrive. Transmitting continuous data to the hospital, along with visual status of the patient, optimizes time for initial clinical assessment, triage and preparations. This results in more accurate diagnoses and better outcomes for patients. Milestone XProtect VMS Integration “Milestone XProtect, together with our class-leading TVI wireless video streaming solution, means that first-responder units and others operating in the field can relay usable real-time video to central control rooms to support decision-making and operational effectiveness,” says Colin Evans, Chief Operating Officer, Digital Barriers. “The combined offering opens up a world of opportunities across the military, police, healthcare services, transportation, manufacturing, construction, natural resources and other sectors.” The integration has been implemented in record time, with the first proof of concept shown at IFSEC 2015 in London this June. The complete integration between Milestone XProtect VMS and the Digital Barriers TVI solution will be shown in the Milestone booth 3222 at ASIS Sept. 28 – Oct. 1 in Anaheim, California. The Milestone-Digital Barriers integration has advantages beyond the ability to use devices on low and variable bandwidth connections. TVI uses a very strong encryption scheme, securing the connection even if public networks are used for the video stream. Another protection feature is the dedicated recording server setup in XProtect: the physical location of the stored video data can be documented at all times, ensuring full compliance to data protection acts. TVI has already been sold into more than thirty countries. This highlights the demand for infrastructure solutions with efficient use of available bandwidth. “This is yet another testimonial of the power of Milestone open platform technology,” says Henrik Sydbo Hansen, Head of the Camera Partner Program at Milestone Systems. “This rapid implementation of the TVI solution is a clear illustration of our continuing dedication to the broadest and most comprehensive device support in the market. We support such new innovations in mobile technology by offering the DB-connected cameras with a Milestone device license model similar to our encoder license setup – one license per TVI server until 2017.” Other Milestone Release Highlights Extended support for Sony Generation 7 cameras has been added as well as support for Samsung WiseNet Lite cameras. The Milestone Device pack supports SNC-VM772R Sony's first 4K network security camera. The camera captures 4K/30 fps video footage with a minimum illumination of 0.06 lx, thanks to the camera's large 1.0-type back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensor, image processing engine and zoom lens. The new series of Samsung WiseNet Lite cameras includes 1.3 MP and 2 MP Full HD IP cameras available in a number of configurations and feature sets. WiseNet Lite cameras feature 60dB Digital Wide Dynamic Range (DWDR) and Lens Distortion Correction (LDC), which compensates for image distortion that can occur with wide angle lenses.