Explore how public safety agencies can use XProtect, BriefCam, and Evidence Manager to improve situational awareness, accelerate investigations, and manage growing volumes of digital evidence. This September 2026 webinar examines real-time crime centers (RTCC), video analytics, and digital evidence management.
Q: Do I need to enable analytics for each camera? We have older cameras that I don't think support forensic search.
A: You can verify whether a camera supports the required functionality on our Supported Devices page.
If the camera supports analytics, you can enable the metadata stream in the Management Client.
This video showcases XProtect search, which comes out of the box with all variants.
Q: In order to use Smart Search in Milestone XProtect, do cameras have to be ONVIF Profile M compliant?
A: Largely, yes. The built-in search plugin leverages ONVIF Profile M for queries.
For example, Axis Object Analytics is built around ONVIF, but Axis also provides its own search plugin as part of Axis Optimizer. Other camera manufacturers also have their own plugins for Smart Client, and those may or may not rely on ONVIF Profile M.
Q: How can we use analytics and search on a Milestone 2025 server? What, if anything, do we need to add to use the cloud-based subscription and store video in the cloud?
A: Search is included in the XProtect Smart Client and uses metadata from cameras that support it. This allows users to quickly find specific criteria, such as a red vehicle or a person wearing a black shirt or jacket.
No additional licensing, server hardware, or GPUs are required. These capabilities can also be used in real time for live alarms, allowing a Security Operations Center (SOC) to be proactive rather than reactive.
For the cloud-based solution, Arcules, nothing additional is required. You can use either edge-based or cloud-based analytics. Arcules can also be integrated into an XProtect installation at no additional cost.
Q: What behavioral analytics are possible with BriefCam or XProtect?
A: BriefCam shows you movement patterns, direction and speed, people flow, occupancy, queues, crowding, common and unusual paths, and vehicle activity. XProtect doesn't have any behavioral analytics out of the box. Instead, it provides the underlying video management, event, alarm, and integration platform. You can trigger real-time XProtect alerts based on BriefCam analytics, as well as carry out retrospective investigations based on analytic filters.
Q: Is a natural-language query possible?
A: Natural-language queries are available today in Arcules and BriefCam and are coming soon to XProtect.
Q: With the video synopsis feature, we saw examples of 24-hour and 12-hour segments. Is there a limit to the timeframe, and does it work in highly crowded areas such as a town square?
A: There are no limits for how long a video can be for Video Synopsis, and it works in crowded areas.
Q: Can XProtect also be used offline?
A: Yes. The XProtect system, when leveraging camera-side analytics from manufacturers such as Axis, Hanwha, and Bosch/IQSight, can operate in air-gapped systems that are completely offline and do not connect to the internet.
Q: XProtect Expert store recordings both on an on-premises server and in the cloud simultaneously?
A: Not redundantly. However, you can record locally to the Expert Recording Server and then archive the recordings to the cloud using services such as Wasabi, Azure, or Glacier. Tiger Bridge can be used to facilitate the integration.
For redundant replication to multiple locations, standard backup software can be used, provided that the restore is performed to the original location so that Milestone can access the recordings.
Q: What are the potential impacts of implementing analytics?
A: Implementing additional analytics can result in:
- Higher CPU/GPU utilization.
- Increased network bandwidth requirements if additional video streams are needed for analytics processing.
- Increased storage consumption due to metadata and event recordings.
Q: How do you calculate database size for alarms?
A: There is no simple, one-size-fits-all calculation.
When integrating with an access control system that may generate hundreds or thousands of alarms per minute, it is generally recommended to separate the Event Server and SQL Server so they can handle the load independently.
With the 2026 and newer software, logs are being moved from SQL to OpenTelemetry (Victoria Logs). As a result, SQL will handle less logging data, and database size is expected to be significantly reduced in general.
Q: For an incident involving a specific car, can we search for it by appearance, or do we need additional ANPR technology?
A: XProtect does not have license plate recognition by default. There are three options:
- Use BriefCam
- Use the XProtect LPR extension
- Use a third-party LPR solution
Both BriefCam and the LPR extension let you search based on vehicle color, make, and model, which is needed if you have a description but not a plate number. If you need analytics beyond LPR, then BriefCam is the right choice. But if you're "only" looking for LPR and already have XProtect, then the extension might be the best way to go. This article goes into more detail about the differences.
Q: How often is XProtect reviewed and updated?
A: XProtect has two to three releases per year.
Q: Is XProtect Evidence Manager an additional licensing cost?
A: XProtect Evidence Manager is an extension product and therefore requires an additional license.
Q: Is there a cost for the Evidence Plugin? Are there charges for the integration with Axon?
A: Yes, there's an additional cost. When purchased, a Milestone engineer reaches out to assist with setting up the plugin. The plugin works with multiple evidence systems, including but not limited to Axon's.
Q: Is BriefCam still sold and supported separately from Milestone?
A: BriefCam is part of Milestone's portfolio. XProtect VMS and BriefCam are still licensed separately, but they integrate closely and are commonly deployed together.
Q: If we deploy BriefCam and want to use Respond for alerting on LPR or facial recognition, do we need to have the Alarm Manager tab in XProtect running? Or does BriefCam have its own alerting pathway separate from Alarm Manager?
A: If you just want the BriefCam alert to trigger an action silently in the background (such as starting high-frame-rate recording on a camera, moving a PTZ camera, or activating an output), you create an XProtect Rule triggered by that specific Analytics Event. But for situations where you want human intervention, you would set up Alarms to show up in the Alarm Manager tab. BriefCam needs to be connected to video management software to create alerts. It works as a standalone product, but only for reviewing footage, not for alerting. XProtect is just one VMS that it works with; here is the full list.
Q: How can Milestone help with accountability and make system use more traceable and auditable?
A: XProtect is permissions-based. Users can only view what their command staff gives them permission to view. Moreover, digitally signing recordings means that you and any independent authorities can prove that video files have not been tampered with. This article has a section that dives into digital signing.
In addition, Milestone XProtect Evidence Manager maintains a chain of custody with metadata that support accountability and authenticity.
Q: Where is the best place to find comprehensive training on the tools discussed during the webinar?
A: We have online eLearning tracks per product available for our customers. If you want to take online or in-person courses to get certified, that's also available for a fee and can be booked through the eLearning portal.
Q: Does the VSaaS software look the same as an on-premises XProtect system?
A: When Arcules is connected to or accessed through XProtect, the experience is similar.
When Arcules is used as a standalone solution, it has separate web-based and mobile user interfaces. Arcules is cloud-native and based on Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
Q: Are there redaction tools available?
A: Yes. Facit is one of our tech partners offering redaction capabilities that integrate with XProtect. We also have an XProtect Anonymization extension.
Q: Do you have a solution for interview recording?
A: Interview recording does not require anything “special” in terms of products or licenses.
There are many interview-room deployments that use a good microphone and a second light switch to toggle an input that turns the recording on or off. In some configurations, that input can activate a relay and turn on a recording light, making it clear when recording is active.
For these applications, Milestone recommends recording audio and video to flash-based storage to minimize delays and lip-sync issues.
Q: If a customer requires recording-level security for interview recordings, can you provide that instead of relying on camera permissions?
A: Yes. Specific recordings can be locked or made available according to schedules and permissions.
Having access to a camera does not necessarily mean a user can see everything it records. For example, a user could be given access to only a particular interview recording, and not to other recordings.
Q: What version of the XProtect client was demonstrated during the webinar?
A: The most recent version at the time of recording; XProtect 2026 R1.
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