Milestone Declares End-To-End Is A Dead-End

By Brian Karas, Published Aug 24, 2016, 07:40am EDT

While Axis celebrates their end to end system win at top 50 global retailer H&M, their Canon sister company Milestone is proclaiming that end-to-end solutions like Axis' are a "dead end".

Times have certainly changed. Axis and Milestone were the original IP camera / VMS partnership. Now they are increasingly competitors.

In this report, we examine Milestone's detailed statements on the deficiencies of end-to-end systems.

Milestone's ********

********* ** ********, *** Palmquist, ******** *** ********* ******** ***-**-*** is * ****-***.  *** first ~** ******* ** overview ** *********'* *******/********* approach *** **** ********* to ***** ***** ******* up ** ** *** cities. *** **** ***-**-*** vs **** ****** **** **** around ** ******* **.

** *** ***** ** makes * ****** ** declarations ***** ***-**-*** *******:

  • *** ** *** ******* are ***** ** ******* needs **** ** ***** and ** *** ******** future *****. (**:**)
  • *** ** *** ******* are "*******, *****-****, **********". (13:00)
  • "**'* ** **-***, ***** the ****, ****-** ***** of ***** ********". (**:**)

********* **** **** *********'* "open ********" ******** ***** them **** ******** *** adaptable **** ****, ********** a ******** **** ******* locked **** * "****-***" system.

Milestone ******* *** ****

********* **** **** "******* the ****", *** **** claiming ** ** ****, but ******** ******* ************ first, ** * ******** of ** **** ******. We ***** **** ********* is ***** ********* ** their **** ******** ********** and ** ****** ** a **** **** ** their ****** ********.

*******, ***** ********* *** been *********** ***** ******** and *********, ** ** *** *** any **** ******** ** an ****** ********* **** previously.

End ** *** *** ** ****** **** ****

****** ***** ** **** platform **** *** ********* that ********** **** ******* ******** for **** ********, *** in **** ***** ** can **** ** ****** to *** ******* ******** implemented. *** *******, ** a ******** ***** * camera ** ****** ** image ** ** ** card, *** **** ****** a *** ********, ***** time ** ******* ***** is **** ** ** access ******* ****** ** end-to-end ******** ***** ********* all ********** ** **** a ******* ******* *** customer ******* ** *** multiple ********* ** **** together.

 

Milestone ******* *******

********* *** ****** ****** but ** ******** *** "open ************" ********. ** is ***** **** ***** intends ** **** **** and ********* ******** *** the **** *****, *** there *** ** *********** the ***** ******* ** add ******* ** ********** portfolio. **** ****** ********* with ***** ******** *** Husky *********, *** ****** else.

Sign ** *****'* *******

**** ********* ** *********, and ****' ********* ** being ** ***-**-*** *******, shows **** ***** ** not ******** ******** ***** investment ** ***** *********. *********'* VMS ** *** ******** than ******** **** ********* has, *** ***** ** little ******* ** **** spending ********* ** ********* what ********* *** ******* done.

Axis *** ********* **** ******* ***** ***** *****

****** ***** ******** ** the ****, *** *** both ***** ** *** same ****** *******, **** and ********* *** ******** moving ******* ***** ******* of ******* **** ******* together. *** *** ********* could ******* ** ****** a **** ********** ********, and ********* ***** ***-**-*** systems **** ******** *** FLIR, *** ******* *** becoming **** **** ******.

Comments (17)

Undisclosed Integrator #1

08/24/16 08:49pm

I find it funny that he is lumping in ad-hoc and bolt-on as a negative when that is exactly what you're doing when using Milestone. You are building an ad-hoc bolt-on solution for your client. That's the whole point of the APIs and SDKs is so that various equipment/software can just bolt-on to Milestone.

Undisclosed #2

08/24/16 09:29pm

Milestone should private label Dahua to start selling their own line of cameras.

Undisclosed #3

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Undisclosed #2 | 08/24/16 10:10pm

Or partner with this newly arrived manufacturer and keep the label...

Avatar

Rian Schermerhorn

08/25/16 12:24am

All in all, I do agree with Tim on most of these points as well as the Open Platform concept. That doesn't mean that end to end is irrelevant, though. There are pros and cons to each. For myself, though, I've weighed the these and keep coming back to an open platform preference for my clients.

Undisclosed Manufacturer #4

08/25/16 01:03am

Thoughts?

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #4 | 08/25/16 01:06am

Why is a closed platform 'not sustainable'?

Undisclosed Manufacturer #4

In reply to John Honovich | 08/25/16 02:10am

I was thinking a closed platform would require all development to come through the single entity. Unless the company had unlimited resources it would be difficult (perhaps impossible) to match the development of the free market. New advances in analytics might be a currently relevant example, but there will be advances we cannot contemplate yet. I don't see how a closed platform could keep up with the rapid technological advancement of the free market where small startups pop up with new "things". Of course ... in our industry maybe it's not so hard. LOL

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #4 | 08/25/16 08:03am

I was thinking a closed platform would require all development to come through the single entity.

And this is a key fallacy of the Milestone marketing approach. Most 'closed' platforms are not really closed. Take Avigilon, they do integrate with many third party systems. Is it as much as Milestone? No. But Avigilon integrates with enough to be 'sustainable'.

Avatar

Attila Szucs

In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #4 | 08/25/16 10:53am

What about crazy unpredictable license costs?

Am I the only one who got sick about the laggy video animation in the background?

Terrible...

Undisclosed #3

IPVMU Certified | 08/25/16 03:14am

I don't see how a closed platform could keep up with the rapid technological advancement of the free market....

It normally lags. Think Mac hardware vs PC Hardware.

Undisclosed Integrator #5

08/25/16 02:34pm

What would Tim call HIKvision? Open, End to End or Hybrid?

Their cameras are Milestone compatible and their NVR's will record other brands of cameras. Who is he defining as his "closed" competition?

Undisclosed #3

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #5 | 08/25/16 03:51pm

In this industry, open-ness is measured from the recorder side out, not the camera side.

So the fact that Hik's camera's (and Axis') are designed to work with as many recorders as possible is not important.

And on the recorder side, Hik's record is not as good.

iVMS 4200 supports only Hik cameras, and their NVRs have varying levels of integration, from very little to extensive.

Undisclosed Integrator #6

08/25/16 10:15pm

There are VMS platforms which offer both, end-to-end solutions and are open platforms as well, they are not mutually exclusive. A point seemingly lost on Milestone.

Michael Fusco

12/22/16 04:10pm

I would suggest that End-To-end in fact is a dead end. The premises PBX manufacturers were a classic example of this - they produced closed systems with proprietary telephone endpoints, and this made it difficult if not impossible for the manufacturer ( and by extension its integrator partners) to react and adjust to changes in market demand and new disruptive technologies. And now most of them have gone the way of the dinosaur, replaced by cloud-based or open source VoIP offerings in which a wide array of endpoint manufacturers can be connected to meet customers' demands.

The worst position an integrator can put himself in is to be heavily invested as a partner of an "end-to-end" closed solution, and have to tell his customer that he cant provide the solution to his security problem or request because ( Pelco/Avigilon/etc) wont fully support the necessary tech or camera endpoints until ( maybe) "the next release"...

Undisclosed #3

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Michael Fusco | 12/22/16 04:23pm

End to end doesn't require closed ends.  Avigilon for instance.

Michael Fusco

12/22/16 04:36pm

That is true, but I have observed that End to End solutions tend to naturally prioritize their R&D toward their own endpoints and firmware which often results in limited functionality and integration of competitor endpoints.

We recently experienced this with Pelco Digital Sentry, which we were forced to phase out at several locations because it couldn't keep up with panoramic camera tech; Pelco's own 360 offering was delayed numerous times, and they chose not to update the software to support Axis or any other high-end manufacturer's panoramic at that time, and we were left high and dry and could not meet customers' requests for these cameras. Not a good position to be in. 

Avatar

David Johnson

12/22/16 04:36pm

The market is stratified so the question is which market benefits from the proposed solution.  Residential and SMB are probably not Milestones market anymore (if they ever were) so corporate/industrial is the way to go and they are hard to fault at that scale.  Axis will be remembered in the future like many of the former consumer electronic greats from yesteryear - niche market high-end or badge only cheap crap.

That's my take - I could be wrong.

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