OnSSI Ocularis 5 - The Milestone Migration Begins

JH
John Honovich
•Published Apr 14, 2015 04:00 AM

Just one week after OnSSI acquired rival VMS developer Seetec, OnSSI has announced the newest version of their Ocularis platform.

In this note, based on speaking with OnSSI, we examine the key changes in product offering, price, Milestone support and competitive positioning.

Ocularis **********

******** *** **** *****'* *** ******** for *** **** ~* *****. ***** to ****, ***** *** ****** ****** a ********* ***, **** ****** *** server ****.

** ***** ********* ********, **** ** the ****** *********** *** ********** ***** of *** *** ****** ***** ***. However, *** ********** '******** ******', *** cameras *** *********, *** ***** ** stored, ***. ******** *********.

*** ******* *******, ***** ***, ** Ocularis *** *.*

New ********

***** ** ********* *** ******** ** Ocularis:

  • *.* ** * ************ ** *** existing ******** (**** ********* ** *** base ********).
  • *.* ** *** *** ******* ** Ocularis (**** ****** ** *** **** recorder).

Milestone *******

*** *** ********** ** ******** *.*, only ******'* ******** **** ** *******. Milestone **** *** ** *********.

*******, ***** ** *.* ** ***** upgrading **** *.*, **** ** ******* to ******** ***** ********* ** *** recorder. ***** *** ** ***** ** discontinue ******* *** ****** ********* *****.

Upgrade *******

** ** ******* ** ****** ******* and ********* ************, **** ** *** OnSSI ********* *** *** ******* ******* for ******** ******** ***** ***** ****:

"**** *** ******* ** *.* *** have **** ********* ** *** ******.  If *.* ******** *** ** **** cameras, *** ***** **** **** **** to *** *.* ******** *** ******* the *.* ********. ** *.* *****’* support **** ** *** ******* *** are *****, *** *** ***** **** on *** *.* ******** ***** *.* does ******* ****."

'Legacy' ********* *** *** ********

***** **, **************, ********** *** ******** of ********* **** ********* ** *** new ****** ********.

******, ** *****'* *** *******, *** previous ******** ******** (**, **, **, LS, **) *** *** ***** ***** legacy ******** [**** ** ****** *********]. OnSSI *** ***** *** ******** -************, **********, ********.

***** ********** * ****** ** ********:

  • ***** **** / ******* ******* *** OnSSI / ****** ** *** ********
  • ****** ****** ******** ********* ****** **** a **** *** **** **********
  • ** ****** **** ** ******** *** addresses
  • ********** *** *** ************* / ******** ** *********, ********* ** **** * ****** offering **** **** ***** ******* *** life ** *** ****
  • *** *** ********** **** ****** ** base
  • ****** ******** ***** ** ******** ** record **** ******* *** ** **** space
  • ******* *** *********** ******* *********** ******** for ******* ***** ** ******* *****
  • *** *** ************ ******** ******

******: * *** ********* ***** **** OnSSI on *.*:

************ ** ******** *.*****************.

Camera ******* / ***** *******

***** ************ **** *** *** ******** is ********** ***** ***** ******* ***** Milestone *** *** **** **** ****** and **** ****** *** ***** *****. Indeed, 

***** **** **** **** "**** *,*** ********* ****** *******, **** manufacturer ********* ****** ******* *** **** Sony, ****, ********* *** ******* *******." (see*** ****** / ******* * ********* cameras ****). ************, ****** ****** *** ***** claim ***** ******* * *********** *** ONVIF *******, ******* *** ********** ***** conformant [**** ** ****** *********].

Seetec / ********* *******

** *******, ****** ** ********* *********.

****** ****** ** ******** ** ******, they **** **** **** ******** ** North *******. ** ****, ** **** no ********** **** ******'* *** ********.

*** *** ******** *.* ** ********* to ***** ******** ** ***** **** and ** ** **** ** **** it ** *** *** ** **** matchup ******* *********.

Comments (3)
U
Undisclosed #1
•Apr 14, 2015
IPVMU Certified

However, users of 4.2 or users upgrading from 4.x, will be allowed to continue using Milestone as the recorder. There are no plans to discontinue support for legacy Milestone users.

This is where it gets tricky. As important as the recording engine itself was to ONSSI, equally vital were the steady flow of Driver Pack additions/enhancements/bugfixes from Milestone.

Without new driver .dlls, legacy ONSSI customers will not be able to integrate the latest hardware. Even the ONVIF support, since it is just another driver, will be frozen at Profile S without a Driver Pack Update.

Some possibilities are

  1. ONSSI has a long term agreement with Milestone to recieve driver packs at nominal cost.
  2. ONSSI will now negotiate a long term agreement at unknown cost
  3. ONSSI will write two versions of drivers, one for the SeeTec recorder and one for the Milestone recorder.
  4. ONSSI will now or in the next year, not provide new driver packs for legacy customers

For ONSSI legacy customers, 1 is the best scenario, 4 the worst.

If 2 is true, there presents an opportunity for Milestone to gouge ONSSI.

If 4 is true, there presents an opportunity for Milestone to lure non-supported legacy customers to Milestone with some sort of license swap deal.

It's also possible, that ONSSI, seeing this day coming, has already begun to write some or all of the Milestone Driver Pack .dlls themselves.

One clarification would be whether ONSSI considers new driver packs part of legacy support or not.

JH
John Honovich
•Apr 14, 2015
IPVM
In reply to Undisclosed #1

Good question.

OnSSI's response is that all existing Ocularis customers have and will continue to get new device pack upgrades, emphasizing:

"There is no time limit. We have an agreement, in good standing, in place with Milestone today with no expectation from our side to change that, or reason to believe that it will change."

U
Undisclosed #1
•Jun 05, 2016
IPVMU Certified
  1. ONSSI has a long-term agreement with Milestone to recieve driver packs at nominal cost.
  2. ONSSI will now negotiate a long term agreement at unknown cost
  3. ONSSI will write two versions of drivers, one for the SeeTec recorder and one for the Milestone recorder.
  4. ONSSI will now or in the next year, not provide new driver packs for legacy customers

If 4 is true, there presents an opportunity for Milestone to lure non-supported legacy customers to Milestone.

So, the worst scenario, #4, came true...