MIPS 2016: Milestone Launches 'Open Platform Community' with Manufacturer and Channel Partners

Written by Larry Anderson.

New approach for security partners

"We have reached the defining moment in our ecosystem," said Lars Thinggaard, Milestone President and CEO. "We must seize the moment, change the rules, set the agenda and lead our industry. It's the next step in the evolution of our partner ecosystem."

Thinggaard and other managers are seeking to reposition Milestone from an "Open Platform Company" to an "Open Platform Community" at the centre of a network of Channel and Alliance Partners, including manufacturers whose products are integrated along with Milestone. Sixty of those Alliance Partners are exhibiting at MIPS this year, the largest number ever, reflecting the rapid growth in Milestone's ecosystem.

The transition from a "company" to a "community" is more than a marketing spin. Kenneth Hune Petersen, Milestone Systems' Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, listed three ways Milestone will be promoting the change:

• Soon Alliance partners will be allowed to sell their solutions on Milestone's website.

• a "Partner Advisory Board" will be created to oversee the community and to prioritise Milestone's roadmap.

• a newly revised software development kit (SDK) will be unveiled in the second half of 2016; Milestone will certify any developed solutions.

Looking ahead to 2016, Milestone made some new commitments:

• to make the company easier to do business with;

• to improve marketing and deliverables; and

• to invest in learning and performance. (The company has already begun expanding its training and certification programmes.)

Read the full article on MIPS 2016 and open community approach of Milestone Systems.